Macedonian Succession: A Game of Diadem

Abstract

In this dissertation, I explore royal succession in Macedonia from the early Argead period until the fall of Macedonia to the Romans in 168 BCE. Particular attention is paid to the transition from the unstable, violent pattern of succession that dominated during and immediately after the Argead period to the peaceful pattern of succession that emerged in Antigonid Macedonia. The experience of the early Antigonid basileis is contrasted with that of the dynasties established by other Diadochi after the death of Alexander the Great. I suggest that game theory can provide a useful tool for understanding why violent succession patterns dominated in most Macedonian dynasties and also why a more peaceful pattern of power transfer was able to exist in the Antigonid dynasty. Ultimately, I use the surviving textual evidence from the early successor period to hypothesize a scenario that may have led to Antigonid dynastic stability. I also revisit and challenge several common modern hypotheses pertaining to Macedonian succession, including claims that Heracles, son of Barsine, was illegitimate and also that most of the Iranian brides married at Susa by prominent Macedonians were set aside by their husbands after Alexander’s death.