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I,m reading,"The Legacy of Alexander"by Brian Bosworth and I came across something interesting and a bit puzzling.The book deals with the thirty years after Alexander,s death and there,s a footnote about Heracles,son of Barsine.The footnote says,
Quote:
Heracles was resident at Pergamum at the time of Alexander,s death,and he was still there when Polyperchon invited him to Macedon in 310.For the last eight years of his stay he was directly under the control of Antigonus. It seems that Antigonus One Eyed had kept him just in case he could use him as a political pawn in his struggles with the other successors.What I don,t understand is that the time-line in my Plutarch says that Cassander had thrown Polyperchon out of Macedon in 317,so how could he invite Heracles there in 310?Is there a mistake here with the dates? Does anyone know what age Heracles would have been when he was murdered and was Barsine killed at the same time?Can anyone suggest why Antigonus would allow him to leave and go to Macedonia where Cassander could eliminate him?Surely it would have been more sensible to keep him under his control in case he could be useful in claiming to be Alexander,s heir,especially after Cassander murdered Alexander 1V and Roxane in 310.
I,d be grateful for any clarification on this problem.Thanks.

Polyperchon still controlled some areas of Southern Greece in 310/9BC, especially the Peloponnese. He was allied with Antigonus, obtained Heracles from him as a puppet and launched an assault upon Cassander in Macedon via his home territory of Stymphaea on the SW border. He was suborned there by Cassander, so he betrayed and murdered the 17 year old prince. He killed Barsine at the same time.Best wishes,Andrew

Andrew,thanks so much for the information.That,s helped to clear up the confusion.Can you recommend anything else I can read on the age of successors?
Many thanks,
Janie

Diodorus 18-20 is the best source down to 302BC. He is available in English translation in volumes IX and X of the Loeb "Diodorus Siculus". Modern works will give you a lot of modern spin, e.g. scheming Ptolemy, misunderstood Cassander etc. Justin 13 onwards is also useful, but full of crass errors.Best wishes,Andrew

Thank you Andrew,I,ll follow that up.I have to confess,I,m finding the period quite complicated,but very fascinating.

Regards,
Janie

Andrew HaILYTour point about Cassander poisoning people pulls a string with me.Some time ago A scotland yard invesigator concluded and dismissed the Alexander poisoning.He stat4ed it wasnt the Macedonian way.Yet we have many accounts of the greasy little snake poisoning people. So the Scotland Yard guy aught to reopen the case.Kenny