Partition of Babylon

As Babylonian Empire is called the order after the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC made ​​(preliminary) agreements and offices allocations under the generals of Alexander. She was the basis of the resulting rule of the Diadochi.

Situation

On June 10, 323 Alexander was dead in the middle of preparation for another conquest train in Babylon. For his successor he had made no provision. He had only to Perdiccas, the highest-ranking general and Somatophylax ( " Bodyguard " ), handed over his ring and expressed a wish to be buried in Ammoneion of Siwa.

Alexander's half-brother Arrhidaios was considered incapable of governing. The wife of Alexander, Roxane was pregnant at the time. There was a party led by Meleager, the Arrhidaios wanted to use as a successor of Alexander. In opposition to this was a guided group of Perdiccas, who wanted to await the birth of the child of Roxane. Meleager and 300 of his followers were finally at the instigation of Perdiccas, officially at the command of the infantry already as King Philip III. killed acclaimed Arrhidaios.

Contents of the imperial order

Ptolemy, a leading general and close friend Alexander had first made ​​the proposal to divide the empire into loosely coupled satraps countries. A Council of the satraps should decide together with occasional periods of problems of national importance. In a continuation of the Macedonian kingdom should be avoided. But not enforce proposal - Ptolemy was able to with this - far-sighted in retrospect.

Finally, the following was agreed and confirmed by the army assembly:

• The choice of Arrhidaios king was confirmed. A possible son of Roxane could be co-regent.
• Antipater, who had been regent in Macedonia, was a strategist of the European territories.
• Perdiccas was Chiliarch, ie leader of the Hetairoi, the noble cavalry. Later he joined from the Office of Seleucus.
• Craterus should be representative and spokesman of the King ( prostates ).
• Leader of the Somatophylaken was Cassander.
• The satrapies were divided among the highest-ranking philoi and Somatophylaken.
• The body of Alexander was to be his desire transferred pursuant to Siwa.

Since Craterus was absent, the office was taken provisionally by Perdiccas, who then but kept it and subsequently to comprehensively authorized Regent ( Epimeletes ) was.

Of the orders as satraps proved in the result, especially the allocation of Egypt Ptolemy as significant. The list given here is based on the information of Diodorus and Arrian. With an asterisk ( *) persons identified had already held at the time of Alexander's death, her office.

After the death of Perdiccas was 320 BC, a new division of the empire territories in the conference Triparadeisos.

Swell

• Diodorus, Bibliotheca historica
• Curtius Rufus, Historiae Alexandri Magni
• Excerpt # 92 from the Diadochengeschichte of Arrian in the Bibliotheca of Photius
• Excerpt # 82 from the Diadochengeschichte of Publius Herennius Dexippus in the Bibliotheca of Photius
• Junianus Justin, Historiarum Philippicarum

From these sources is Diodorus the oldest and most complete, and is therefore considered as the most reliable.