People > Antigonus II Gonatas

Antigonus II Gonatas

Background

ANTIGONUS GONATAS (c. 319–239 B.C.), Macedonian king, was the son of Demetrius Poliorcetes, and grandson of Antigonus Cyclops. On the death of his father (283), he assumed the title of king of Macedonia, but did not obtain possession of the throne till 276, after it had been successively in the hands of Pyrrhus, Lysimachus, Seleucus, and Ptolemy Ceraunus. Antigonus repelled the invasion of the Gauls, and continued in undisputed possession of Macedonia till 274, when Pyrrhus returned from Italy, and (in 273) made himself master of nearly all the country. On the advance of Pyrrhus into Peloponnesus, he recovered his dominions. He was again (between 263 and 255) driven out of his kingdom by Alexander, the son of Pyrrhus, and again recovered it.

The latter part of his reign was comparatively peaceful, and he gained the affection of his subjects by his honesty and his cultivation of the arts. He gathered round him distinguished literary men—philosophers, poets, and historians. He died in the eightieth year of his age, and the forty-fourth of his reign. His surname was usually derived by later Greek writers from the name of his supposed birthplace, Gonni (Gonnus) in Thessaly; some take it to be a Macedonian word signifying an iron plate for protecting the knee; neither conjecture is a happy one, and in our ignorance of the Macedonian language it must remain unexplained.

Macedon King List

King	Greek	Reign	Dynasty
Caranus (Karanos)	Κάρανος	808–778 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Coenus (Koinos)	Κοινός	778–750 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Tyrimmas	Τυρίμμας	750-700 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Perdiccas I	Περδίκκας Αʹ	700–678 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Argaeus I	Ἀργαῖος Αʹ	678–640 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Philip I of Macedon	Φίλιππος Αʹ	640–602 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Aeropus I	Ἀέροπος Αʹ	602–576 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Alcetas I	Ἀλκέτας Αʹ	576–547 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Amyntas I	Ἀμύντας Αʹ	547–498 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Alexander I	Ἀλέξανδρος Αʹ	498–454 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Alcetas II	Ἀλκέτας Βʹ	454–448 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Perdiccas II	Περδίκκας Βʹ	448–413 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Archelaus	ρχέλαος Αʹ	413–399 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Orestes & Aeropus II	Ὀρέστης & Ἀέροπος Βʹ	399–396 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Archelaus II	Ἀρχέλαος Βʹ	396–393 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Amyntas II	Ἀμύντας Βʹ	393 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Pausanias	Παυσανίας	393 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Amyntas III	Ἀμύντας Γʹ	393 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Argaeus II	Ἀργαῖος Βʹ	393–392 BC	Argaed Dynasty
Amyntas III	Ἀμύντας Γʹ	393 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Amyntas III	Ἀμύντας Γʹ	392–370 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Alexander II	Ἀλέξανδρος Βʹ	370–368 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Perdiccas III	Περδίκκας Γʹ	368–359 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Ptolemy of Aloros (Regent)	Πτολεμαῖος Αʹ	368–365 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Amyntas IV	Ἀμύντας Δʹ	359–356 BCE	Argaed Dynasty of Macedon">Argaed Dynasty
Philip II	Φίλιππος Βʹ	359–336 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Alexander III the Great	Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Μέγας	336–323 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Antipater	Ἀντίπατρος	334–323 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Philip III Arrhidaeus & Alexander IV	Φίλιππος Γʹ & Ἀλέξανδρος Δʹ	323–310 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Perdiccas	Περδίκκας,	323–321 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Antipater	Ἀντίπατρος,	321–319 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Polyperchon	Πολυπέρχων,	319–317 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Cassander	Κάσανδρος,	317–305 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Cassander	Κάσανδρος,	305–297 BCE	Antipatrid Dynasty
Philip IV	Φίλιππος Δʹ	297 BCE	Antipatrid Dynasty
Alexander V & Antipater II	Αντίπατρος Β'	297–294 BCE	Antipatrid Dynasty
Demetrius I Poliorcetes	Δημήτριος ο Πολιορκητής	306–286 BCE	Antigonid Dynasty
Lysimachus & Pyrrhus of Epirus	Λυσίμαχος & Πύρρος της Ηπείρου	286–281 BCE & 286–285 BCE	Non-Dynastic Kings
Ptolemy Keraunos	Πτολεμαίος Κεραυνός	281–279 BCE	Non-Dynastic Kings
Meleager	Μελέαγρος	279 BCE	Non-Dynastic Kings
Antipater Etesias	Ἀντίπατρος Ετησίας	279 BCE	Antipatrid Dynasty
Sosthenes	Σωσθένης	279–276 BCE	Antipatrid Dynasty
Antigonus II Gonatas	Αντίγονος Β' Γονατάς	276–274 BCE	Antigonid Dynasty
Pyrrhus of Epirus	Πύρρος της Ηπείρου	274–272 BCE	Non-Dynastic Kings
Antigonus II Gonatas	Αντίγονος Β' Γονατάς	272–239 BCE	Non-Dynastic Kings
Demetrius II Aetolicus	Δημήτριος Β' Αιτωλικός	239–229 BCE	Antigonid Dynasty
Antigonus III Doson	Αντίγονος Γ'	229–221 BCE	Antigonid Dynasty
Philip V	Φίλιππος Ε'	221–179 BCE	Antigonid Dynasty
Perseus	Περσέας	179–167 BCE	Antigonid Dynasty
Andriscus	Ἀνδρίσκος	150-148 BCE	Non-Dynastic Kings

Sources

Plutarch, Demetrius, Pyrrhus, Aratus; Justin xxiv. 1; xxv. 1-3; Polybius ii. 43-45, ix. 29, 34. See Thirlwall, History of Greece, vol viii. (1847); Holm, Griech. Gesch. vol. iv. (1894); Niese, Gesch. d. griech. u. maked. Staaten, vols. i. and ii. (1893, 1899); Beloch, Griech. Gesch. vol. iii. (1904); also Wilamowitz-Moellendorff, Antigonos von Karystos (1881).

Primary Sources

Secondary Sources

1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, Volume 2