ПОЛИТИКА ПРВИХ АНТИГОНИДА ПРЕМА ЗАПАДНИМ СУСЕДИМА
THE POLICY OF THE FIRST ANTIGONID RULERS TOWARDS THEIR WESTERN NEIGHBORS

Summary/Abstract: There is a widespread tendency among the historians of Antiquity to view the western policy of Macedonian rulers as a longstanding continuity in both aims and methods. According to a widespread view, Argeadae and Antigonids shared the same general principles in their dealings with Epirus and the Illyrian kingdoms around Adriatic. In an earlier paper I suggested that Illyrian policy of Cassander is actually a departure from that of the previous rulers. Likewise, it can be argued that both Demetrius I Poliorcetes and Antigonus II Gonatas established their respective policies on the new principles. The alterations were partly due to the personal attitudes and aims of these rulers, but more important reason was the serious change in the political and military situation on the western frontier. Instead of medley of Illyrian tribal kings, individual Greek cities and a rather unstable and reclusive Molossian kingdom, a new, larger and much more powerful kingdom of Epirus rose under the energetic leadership of Pyrrhus. This former protégée of Demetrius, used civil war in Macedonia to annex several important regions in the western and central Greece. Probably just before or after Demetrius’ return to Greece, Pyrrhus extended his kingdom northwards, into southern Illyria, completely enclosing the western border of Macedonia. From this point on, the relation with this very belligerent neighbor becomes one of the greatest problems of Macedonian foreign policy.

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