Demetrius | |
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Marble bust of Demetrius I Poliorcetes. Roman copy from 1st century AD of a Greek original from 3rd century BC
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King of Macedonia | |
Reign | 294–288 BC |
Predecessor | Antipater II of Macedon |
Successor | Lysimachus and Pyrrhus of Epirus |
Born | 337 |
Died | 283 |
Spouse | Phila, Eurydice of Athens, Deidamia I of Epirus, Lanassa, Ptolemais |
Issue |
Stratonice of Syria Antigonus II Gonatas Demetrius the Fair |
Father | Antigonus I Monophthalmus |
Mother | Stratonice |
Demetrius I (/dɪˈmiːtriəs/; Greek: Δημήτριος; 337–283 BC), called Poliorcetes (/ˌpɒli.ɔːrˈsiːtiːz/; Greek: Πολιορκητής, "The Besieger"), son of Antigonus I Monophthalmus and Stratonice, was a Macedonian Greek nobleman, military leader, and finally king of Macedon (294–288 BC). He belonged to the Antigonid dynasty and was its first member to rule Macedonia.
At the age of twenty-two he was left by his father to defend Syria against Ptolemy the son of Lagus. He was defeated at the Battle of Gaza, but soon partially repaired his loss by a victory in the neighbourhood of Myus. In the spring of 310, he was soundly defeated when he tried to expel Seleucus I Nicator from Babylon; his father was defeated in the autumn. As a result of this Babylonian War, Antigonus lost almost two thirds of his empire: all eastern satrapies fell to Seleucus.