Demetrius Poliorcetes, also known as 'The Besieger of Cities', is the most fascinating and high profile of the Successors to Alexander the Great. This biography offers the first historical account of his life to be published in English, charting his pivotal role in the formation of the so-called 'Hellenistic' age.

Pat Wheatley is Associate Professor of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Otago, New Zealand. His research specialty is the history and historiography of the Successors to Alexander the Great, and he has published extensively on the chronology, coinage, and social aspects of this period.
Charlotte Dunn is Lecturer in Classics at the University of Tasmania, Australia. Her research interests include the life of Alexander the Great and his Successors, especially the propaganda and political manipulations that these men used to secure power.

• List of Maps and Figures


• List of Abbreviations


• Introduction


• 1: The Young Demetrius Poliorcetes


• 2: Demetrius and Phila


• 3: A Diadoch's Apprenticeship


• 4: Demetrius in Syria, 315-312 BC


• 5: The Battle of Gaza


• 6: The Aftermath of Gaza


• 7: Demetrius in Babylonia


• 8: The Silent Years: 310-308 BC


• 9: The Antigonid 'Liberation' of Athens in 307 BC


• 10: Demetrius in Athens


• 11: The Antigonid Campaign in Cyprus, 306 BC


• 12: The Fruits of Victory: Kingship, Lamia, Africa


• 13: The Great Siege of Rhodes


• 14: Demetrius' Return to Greece, 304-303 BC


• 15: The Mysteries and the League


• 16: The Campaign of Ipsus


• 17: Demetrius' Flight


• 18: The Besieger Alone


• 19: Demetrius and Athens. Again


• 20: The Acquisition of Macedonia


• 21: King of the Macedonians


• 22: Demetrius the Living God


• 23: A New Anabasis?


• 24: Wolves at the Door: 288-285 BC


• 25: Demetrius' Fortunes Unravel


• 26: The Final Campaign


• 27: The End of the Reign of Demetrius Poliorcetes


• 28: Conclusion


• Endmatter


• Appendix 1: The Colossus of Rhodes


• Appendix 2: Chronology of the Life of Demetrius Poliorcetes (336-282 BC)