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In ~301 BC, Demetrius I Poliorcetes hosted a banquet, & according to Plutarch a toast was made to his kingship. His rival Diadochi, on the other hand, were referred to:
Seleucus the Elephantarchos; Ptolemy the Admiral; Agathocles Lord of the Isles; Lysimachus the treasurer (1/6)
Seleucus the Elephantarchos; Ptolemy the Admiral; Agathocles Lord of the Isles; Lysimachus the treasurer (1/6)
Demetrius did not believe the other kings have legitimate claims, which were all acquired through battle & conquest; the "titles" were intended to mock their failures:
Seleucus was the "elephant master" because of his "prize" of 500 elephants for failing to conquer India (2/6)
Seleucus was the "elephant master" because of his "prize" of 500 elephants for failing to conquer India (2/6)
Ptolemy was the nicknamed "the Admiral" due to his failure of preventing Demetrius from capturing Cyprus in a naval battle at Salamis in 306, in spite of owning one of most expensive fleets in the entire Mediterranean (3/6)
Agathocles of Syracuse, though not one of the Diadochi, proclaimed himself king of Sicily & North Africa in emulation of his peers, but ultimately failed to conquer the Carthaginians in the 300s, & was left as "lord of the islands"
(4/6)
(4/6)
While the others found it amusing, Lysimachus was infuriated since the position of treasurer was reserved for eunuchs. Little wonder he would demand Demetrius' execution in 286.
One notable figure not mentioned was Cassander I in Macedon: the absence itself was the insult. (5/6)
One notable figure not mentioned was Cassander I in Macedon: the absence itself was the insult. (5/6)
While this incident may be created for dramatic irony, as Demetrius would be smashed at the Battle of Ipsus the very same year, it effectively encapsulates the mentality & process by which kings were created, sustained, and destroyed: through warfare and military victory. (6/6)
