Battle of Cretopolis
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| Battle of Cretopolis (Kretopolis) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Diadochi Wars | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Anti-Perdiccan coalition | Perdiccan coalition | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Antigonos |
Alketas Attalos (POW) Polemon (POW) Dokimos (POW) Philotas (POW) | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
40,000 infantry 7,000 cavalry 30 elephants | 20,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Very low | Low | ||||||
The Battle of Cretopolis (Kretopolis) was a battle in the wars of the successors of Alexander the Great (see Diadochi) between general Antigonus Monopthalmus and the remnants of the Perdiccan faction. It was fought near Cretopolis in Pisidia (a region of Asia Minor) in 319 BC and resulted in another stunning Antigonid victory (the second one that year).[1]
After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC, his generals immediately began squabbling over his huge empire. Soon the squabbling degenerated into open warfare, with each general attempting to claim a portion of Alexander's vast Empire. One of the most talented successor generals (Diadochi) was Antigonus Monophthalmus, who was called so because of an eye he lost in a siege. After the second partition of the Empire, the Partition of Triparadisus in 321 BC, Antipater, the new regent of the Empire, made Antigonus, strategos of Asia and charged him with hunting down and defeating the remnants of the Perdiccan faction. Antigonus took command of the Royal Army and after being reinforced with more reliable troops from Antipater's European army he marched against their enemies in Asia-Minor.[2] He first marched into Cappadocia against Eumenes whom he defeated at the Battle of Orkynia. Eumenes escaped to the fortress of Nora where Antigonus invested him.[3]
Prelude
Leaving the siege of Nora to a subordinate[4] Antigonus then marched against the remaining Perdiccans who had gathered their forces in Pisidia near a town called Cretopolis. Alketas (a brother of Perdiccas), Attalos (Perdiccas brother-in-law), Polemon (Attalos's brother) and Dokimos had gathered their forces in a pass[5] near Cretopolis. Antigonos decided to use the element of surprise, and forcemarched his army to Cretopolis in seven days (a march of close to 300 miles).[6] In this way, Antigonus took his enemies by complete surprise: the first warning they had that Antigonus was nearby was the trumpeting of his elephants.[5] Antigonus occupied a couple of hills overlooking Alketas's position.[6]