The End of the Satrapies: The Date of Alexander IV’s Death

• Main Author: Harry Tolley
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Athens Institute for Education and Research 2019-10-01
• Series: Athens Journal of History
• Online Access: https://www.athensjournals.gr/history/2019-5-4-3-Tolley.pdf

The dearth of accurately datable documents from the time (323–c. 275 BCE) of Alexander the Great’s Successors (also known as the Diadochi or Diadochoi) has contributed to uncertainty regarding the dating of key events from this time. In attempting to explain these inconsistencies, recent scholarship has focused on various different chronologies, some of which are described as "high" and "low." It would seem that particular importance would be assigned to the date of the end of the reign of Alexander IV, Alexander the Great’s lone legitimate heir. However, little scholarly attention has been paid to the possible date of this very important transition that marked the end of the Macedonian Argead Dynasty. The current article attempts a thorough investigation of this event by examining remaining historical accounts and surviving contemporary government documents along with epigraphical evidence and archaeological discoveries. This information is then utilized in an attempt to arrive at a more precise date for the end of Alexander IV’s reign and the end of the satrapies ruling in his name.