The Strange Afterlife of Alexander's Body

Seleucus Nicator and the Indian War Elephants

In this episode of What Happened After Alexander the Great Died, Lucas and Luna explore the remarkable career of Seleucus I Nicator, the Diadochi who founded the Seleucid Empire. They focus on his most daring gambit: trading vast territories in the east for 500 war elephants from the Mauryan emperor Chandragupta Maurya. The conversation traces how Seleucus, after the Battle of Ipsus in 301 BC, used those elephants to secure his throne and reshape Hellenistic warfare. They discuss the diplomatic treaty, the ambiguity of the Indus valley cession, and the cultural exchange that followed—including the spread of Indian ideas like the concept of a universal ruler, or chakravartin, into the Greek world. The episode also touches on the legacy of Seleucus's son Antiochus I, who continued his father's elephant corps. A donation segment in the middle reflects on the value of ad-free history content, with a link to support the show at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. #SeleucusINicator #ChandraguptaMaurya #MauryaEmpire #WarElephants #Diadochi #SeleucidEmpire #BattleOfIpsus #HellenisticHistory #IndianHistory #AlexanderTheGreat #Chakravartin #AntiochusISoter #ElephantCorps #HellenisticWarfare #AncientDiplomacy #History #FexingoHistory #AncientIndia Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Cassander and the Death of Alexander's Dynasty

In the chaos after Alexander the Great's death, one man methodically erased his bloodline. Cassander of Macedon — son of Antipater, rival of Olympias, and king of Macedon — orchestrated the murders of Alexander's mother, wife, and son. This episode explores how Cassander rose to power, his siege of Pydna, the execution of Olympias by stoning, the poisoning of Alexander IV and Roxane in Amphipolis, and the controversial story of Alexander's illegitimate son Heracles. We also examine Cassander's cultural legacy: he rebuilt Thebes, founded Cassandreia, and locked the philosopher Aristotle in a tense friendship that shaped early Peripatetic thought. Along the way, we separate historical evidence from propaganda, drawing on Diodorus Siculus, Justin, and Pausanias. A dark chapter in the Diadochi wars that saw the end of the Argead dynasty and the birth of Antipatrid rule. #Cassander #Antipater #Olympias #AlexanderIV #Roxane #Heracles #Pydna #Amphipolis #Thebes #Cassandreia #ArgeadDynasty #Diadochi #HellenisticPeriod #AncientMacedon #DiodorusSiculus #Justin #Pausanias #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Perdiccas and the Bloody Birth of the Diadochi Wars

When Alexander the Great died in Babylon on June 11, 323 BCE, his generals faced an impossible question: who should rule the largest empire the world had ever seen? This episode zooms in on the chaotic first weeks after Alexander's death, focusing on Perdiccas, the senior general who tried to hold the empire together. We explore the Babylon Settlement, the immediate power struggles between the infantry and the Companion cavalry, the role of Alexander's half-brother Philip Arrhidaeus, and the harsh reality that the empire's unity was a fiction from the start. Why did Perdiccas, once the most powerful man in Asia, fail so spectacularly? How did the ambitions of Ptolemy, Antipater, and Craterus unravel his plans? And what does the Partition of Babylon tell us about the nature of Alexander's empire? Drawing on the accounts of Diodorus Siculus, Arrian, and Curtius Rufus, we piece together the pivotal council where the Diadochi first drew their battle lines. No romance, no heroism — just the raw politics of succession that set the stage for forty years of war. #Perdiccas #Diadochi #AlexanderTheGreat #BabylonSettlement #HellenisticPeriod #PartitionOfBabylon #PhilipArrhidaeus #Craterus #Antipater #PtolemySoter #Meleager #Arrian #DiodorusSiculus #CurtiusRufus #MacedonianEmpire #SuccessionCrisis #FexingoHistory #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Agathocles of Syracuse and the Hellenistic West

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the remarkable career of Agathocles of Syracuse, the tyrant-king who brought the Hellenistic world to the shores of North Africa. From his rise as a radical democrat in Syracuse to his audacious invasion of Carthage in 310 BCE, Agathocles reshaped the western Mediterranean. They discuss his siege of Carthage, his use of mercenaries and brutal tactics, and how his story connects to the Diadochi in the east. The episode also examines the cultural and political impact of the Hellenistic model on Sicily and Carthage, including Agathocles' self-fashioning as a basileus and the legacy of his reign for later figures like Pyrrhus of Epirus and the Punic Wars. No prior knowledge of Agathocles is needed, but listeners familiar with the Hellenistic period will find new connections between east and west. #Agathocles #Syracuse #Carthage #HellenisticWest #Diadochi #GreekHistory #Sicily #AncientWarfare #Tyrant #Punic #Basileus #Mercenaries #NorthAfrica #310BCE #ClassicalHistory #Siege #FexingoHistory #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Lysimachus: The Last Diadochi Who Ruled Thrace

After Alexander's death, one of his most loyal bodyguards carved out a kingdom in Thrace and Asia Minor that rivaled the empires of Ptolemy and Seleucus. Lysimachus was a brilliant general who fought alongside Alexander, survived the brutal wars of the Diadochi, and built a wealthy realm centered on Lysimacheia. But his later years were marred by family tragedy: he executed his own son Agathocles on suspicion of treason, prompted by his ambitious wife Arsinoe II. The resulting civil war led to his defeat and death at the Battle of Corupedium in 281 BC. This episode explores Lysimachus's military campaigns, his innovative coinage featuring the deified Alexander, his rivalry with Demetrius Poliorcetes, and the strange story of how his kingdom's treasury was later found by modern archaeologists. We also touch on the cult of Lysimachus and how his fall opened the door for the Gallic invasion of Greece. #Lysimachus #Diadochi #Thrace #Hellenistic #AlexanderTheGreat #Lysimacheia #ArsinoeII #Agathocles #BattleOfCorupedium #DemetriusPoliorcetes #SeleucusINicator #Macedonian #Coinage #AncientHistory #FexingoHistory #History #AncientGreece #HellenisticKingdoms Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]