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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;TheRed, post: 3009983, member: 87080&quot;]It&#039;s time for another long-winded post by TheRed.</p><p><br /></p><p>With the death of Alexander III the Great in 323 BC, the contest to control the Macedonian Empire saw the rise of some fascinating men and women.&nbsp; While my favorite of the Diadochi is Seleukos I Nikator, one of the most colorful, charismatic, and ultimately tragic people of the period was Demetrius I Poliorketes.</p><p><br /></p><p>His father was one of Alexander&#039;s generals and satraps, Antigonus I Monophthalmus.&nbsp; Demetrius served under his father as a general on both land and sea.&nbsp; Upon capturing Athens, Demetrius had himself declared a divine liberator and reputedly installed his harem in the Acropolis. One of the most famous incidents from his life was the siege he conducted against the city of Rhodes.&nbsp; For a year Demetrius tried to take the city, devising incredible siege engines.&nbsp; One such engine was a massive iron plated siege tower called Helepolis that stood 130 feet tall and mounted numerous catapults.&nbsp; Despite his ingenuity, the city of Rhodes withstood the siege and Demetrius returned to the mainland in defeat.&nbsp; The siege engines became a tourist attraction and visitors to the island paid to examine them.&nbsp; The people of Rhodes also constructed the famous Colossus to commemorate their victory.&nbsp;&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>In 302 BC father and son were defeated at the battle of Ipsus and Antigonus I was killed.&nbsp; Demetrius, after many twists of fate, eventually made himself king of Macedon in 294 BC.&nbsp; While he could win battles, he was unable to secure the spoils, and was eventually driven from his kingdom by the forces of Pyrrhus, Lysimachos, and Ptolemy.&nbsp; He took his army to Asia where his forces, after plundering a number of provinces, were eventually decimated by plague.&nbsp; Bereft of treasure and soldiers, Demetrius was captured by Seleukos I Nikator.&nbsp; Instead of being executed, has was imprisoned in luxury in Syria and allowed to live out his life surrounded by wine and women.&nbsp; After a career of over 20 years, Demetrius died in 283 BC and his remains were returned to his son.&nbsp; While unable to hold onto the throne of Macedon himself, Demetrius established the Antigonid dynasty, and his son would rule the kingdom for almost 40 years.&nbsp; In fact, the Antigonid dynsty would rule Macedon until king Perseus was defeated by the Romans at the battle of Pydna in 168 BC.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>The coins of Demetrius are some of the most interesting and aesthetically pleasing of all the Diadochi, especially his tetradrachms.&nbsp; The coin I recently acquired is a more modest bronze.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; </p><p>[ATTACH=full]746334[/ATTACH]</p><p>Demetrius I Poliorketes AE11, 298-295 BC Cilicia, Tarsos mint, 1.817g, 11.2mm.</p><p>Obv: Male head (of Demetrios?) right, wearing crested Corinthian helmet.</p><p>Rev: Prow right, apluster right behind, A X below.</p><p><br /></p><p>Please feel free to post any coins you feel are relevant to Demetrius, the kingdom of Macedon, or the Diadochi.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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