In 316 BC on the plains of Gabiene one of the greatest rivalries in antiquity has ended
in dramatic battle and betrayal.
Victorious against Eumenes, Antigonus was now the most powerful man in Asia.
Yet for him this was just the start.
For this ageing general, being ‘Lord of Asia’ was not enough; he wanted more.
The Wars of the Successors had only just begun.
Having ordered the execution of his opponent, Antigonus now set about deciding the fate
of Eumenes’ army.
Much of it was incorporated his own force, with a few exceptions.
Eudamos, who had come to aid Eumenes from India, was executed, as was the captain of
the Silver Shields, Antigenes.
As for the Silver Shields themselves, Antigonus had no intention of enlisting them.
They had already proven their disloyalty to Eumenes in the previous battle and although
excellent fighters, Antigonus did not trust them.
They were sent to the harsh, mountainous region of Arachosia, where they were subtly disposed
of, fighting against hostile mountain tribes.
Antigonus now headed back west, stamping his new mark on the Asian provinces.
His former ally and Alenxander’s bodyguard Pithon was executed for planning a revolt,
while Peucestas, who had deserted Eumenes at Gabiene, was removed as the satrap of Persia
and imprisoned In the Autumn of 316 BC, Antigonus reached
Babylon, which was controlled by a Macedonian governor named Seleucus.
Another of Alexander’s former commanders, Seleucus had been a leading instigator in
the murder of Perdiccas and had aided Antigonus greatly in his war with Eumenes.
However, this friendship turned sour.
A dispute erupted and Seleucus, fearing a similar fate to Pithon, fled.
Leaving almost everything behind except his horse, he headed to Ptolemy in Egypt, informing
him of Antigonus’ increasingly despotic behaviour.
Alarmed reached out to his fellow governors – Lysimachus in Thrace and Asander in Caria.
Equally disturbed they sent an envoy to Antigonus as he reached Syria.
They claimed they had been invaluable allies in the war against Eumenes and demanded large
swathes of land.
They also demanded Seleucus and Peucestas to be reinstated.
Antigonus bluntly refused and the war became inevitable.
Antigonus now found himself opposed on multiple fronts, with his situation becoming even more
challenging as he discovered that Cassander, the victor of a bloody civil war in Macedonia,
had also joined the ranks of the opposing coalition.
Determined to strike first, he lead his armies south, taking over Phoenicia and many of the
petty kingdoms of Cyprus from Ptolemy.
Antigonus knew his fundamental weakness was in his lack of ships; Ptolemy’s undisputed
naval control of the Eastern Mediterranean would prove deadly if it wasn’t contained.
Antigonus ordered his newly-acquired maritime Phoenician cities with the building of a great
armada.
At the same time, he dispatched several of his generals to fight enemies on other key
battlegrounds.
He sent his nephew Ptolemaus to fight against Asander in Asia Minor; and Aristodemus to
Greece, to aid Polyperchon’s remaining forces against Cassander.
As for Antigonus himself, he pressed south through the Levant, capturing the cities of
Gaza and Joppa from Ptolemy.
Fresh from this success, Antigonus fortified the two captured cities and returned to Tyre
in Phoenicia, which had been resisting defiantly with the aid of Ptolemy’s navy.
By then, however, a large portion of Antigonus’ new fleet was ready.
Under the command of Dioscurides, Antigonus dispatched his ships to the Aegean, intending
to gain naval domination.
Antigonus remained near Tyre until its eventual capitulation in the Summer of 314 BC and news
then reached him of events in Asia Minor: his nephew Ptolemaeus, had fought a very successful
campaign in Caria against the forces of both Asander.
Further good news was to follow, as he learnt that his navy now dominated the Aegean.
Antigonus sensed a great opportunity; this was the time to crush Cassander, Asander and
the rest of his rivals for good.
In the summer of 314 BC, his son Demetrius, who had been by his father’s side ever since
the death of Alexander, was left to defend the holdings in Levant with a substantial
force, while Antigonus started moving the main army north across the Taurus mountains.
The young Demetrius was now in charge of protecting his family’s new-won lands in the Levant
from an increasingly active Ptolemy.
Antigonus did not leave him completely unaided however.
The revered admiral of Alexander - Nearchus and a capable commander Pithon, the son of
Agenor, were left with him, along with a force of 18,000 men and 43 elephants.
Demetrius remained in Coele Syria, awaiting news of any aggression by Ptolemy that was
sure to come.
In 313 BC, Ptolemy made his move.
Crossing from Cyprus, he raided the coastline of Cilicia with a small force.
Demetrius, having been expecting an attack from Egypt, was caught oof-guard.
He quickly force-marched his lighter forces north - to Cilicia.
Before he could arrive however, Ptolemy had already departed, sailing back to Egypt.
Having returned to Egypt, Ptolemy was now encouraged by Seleucus to reconquer Coele
Syria.
Knowing Antigonus was far away in Asia Minor, Ptolemy was easily persuaded, and he gathered
a large army of Macedonians, Egyptians and various mercenaries.
In the early spring of 312 BC, Ptolemy lead his army out of Egypt towards Gaza.
There, Demetrius was waiting for him.
Ignoring the advice of his counsellors to avoid open battle against Seleucus and Ptolemy,
two of the greatest generals of the time, the young Demetrius was determined to protect
his father’s territory.
On a large plain somewhere between the city of Gaza and the Besor river, the forces would
clash.
Demetrius’ army was smaller than that of Ptolemy’s with the young Antigonid having
18,000 men compared to Ptolemy’s 22,000.
Yet Demetrius remained undeterred and deployed his forces for battle.
On his left-wing Demetrius deployed almost 3,000 of his strongest cavalry along with
himself and his advisors.
Among these horsemen were 800 of the elite Macedonian Companion cavalry and 100 specialised
Tarentines, the lightly-armed horsemen with javelins and swift mounts.
In front of his left wing, Demetrius deployed 30 elephants with 1,500 light infantry, armed
with javelins and bows, interspaced between the beasts.
In his centre, Demetrius deployed his 11,000 men strong phalanx.
2,000 of them were Macedonians with the rest being mainly mercenaries.
He placed his 13 remaining elephants in front.
The remainder of his army, some 1500 cavalry, were positioned on his right wing.
As for Ptolemy and Seleucus, they initially placed their strongest cavalry on their left
wing.
Seeing Demetrius’ deployment however, these two veteran commanders quickly reorganised,
placing themselves and 3,000 of their strongest cavalry on their right, directly opposing
Demetrius.
In front of them, Ptolemy placed his engineers, armed with large, metal spikes, designed specially
to counter any elephant charge.
These they placed at regular intervals, upright in the ground in front of Ptolemy’s left
wing.
Light-armed javelinmen and archers were also stationed behind these traps.
In the centre, he deployed his 18,000 infantry, consisting of Macedonians, mercenaries and
Egyptians, with his remaining 1,000 cavalry on his left.
The battle commenced with a cavalry charge on the extreme left of Demetrius’ wing.
At first Demetrius’ cavalry managed to get the better of their opponents and caused Ptolemy’s
horsemen to retreat.
Quickly adapting their strategy however, Ptolemy and Seleucus then led the remaining cavalry
on their right wing into battle, riding around Demetrius’ left flank and charging in with
their sarissae.
The cavalry battle lasted a long time and many distinguished figures fell on either
side, most notably Demetrius’ advisor, Peithon.
Yet neither side was able to gain an advantage.
Finally, Demetrius ordered his elephants forward, hoping to panic Ptolemy’s infantry and win
the battle.
It was not to be.
As these tanks of ancient warfare advanced towards Ptolemy’s right, they came under
a hail of javelins and arrows from Ptolemy’s light infantry.
Under fire, many of their handlers now desperately charged their beasts forwards, right into
the sharp spikes Ptolemy’s engineers had deployed.
Carnage ensued.
The handlers were shot down and almost all the elephants were either captured or killed.
Seeing the death of the elephants, Demetrius’ army panicked.
Various units of his cavalry now peeled off and began to flee towards Gaza.
Demetrius’ attempts to rally his forces proved in vain; reluctantly, he was forced
to order his army to commence an ordered retreat.
His infantry phalanx however, which had never even engaged the enemy, had different ideas.
Many threw down their arms, abandoning their formations and any remaining order they had,
becoming easy prey for Ptolemy and Seleucus’ victorious army.
In one move, over 8,000 of Demetrius’ infantry was taken prisoner by Ptolemy.
The Antigonid army had suffered a crushing defeat.
Gaza fell to Ptolemy’s forces soon after the battle; Demetrius had been humiliated.
With the remnants of his army he withdrew into Phoenicia, while Ptolemy would march
further into the Levant, as far as Tyre.
Thanks to the defeat at Gaza, the fortune of the Antigonids appeared to have turned,
and their demise seemed close…
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