Perdiccas: Map & History
Perdiccas was a Macedonian general and bodyguard (somatophylax) of Alexander the Great, and the regent of Alexander's empire after his death.
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Perdiccas was a Macedonian general and bodyguard (somatophylax) of Alexander the Great, and the regent of Alexander's empire after his death. When Alexander was dying, he entrusted his signet ring to Perdiccas, initially the most pre-eminent of the successors due to being second-in-command. Perdiccas effectively ruled Alexander's increasingly unstable empire from Babylon for three years until his assassination.
Modern Countries Once Part of Perdiccas
At its mapped extent, Perdiccas covered territory in 2 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Perdiccas's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Perdiccas in Depth
Legacy
The ancient accounts are largely negative toward Perdiccas, claiming that, though "outstanding on the battlefield", he was arrogant, high-handed, and imperious. Diodorus Siculus calls him phonikos (φονικός), a "man of slaughter". Perdiccas' "autocratic savagery" is contrasted in these sources with Ptolemy's "moderation and magnanimity". This may be due to the "surpassing rivalry" and enmity between Perdiccas and Ptolemy, whose now lost account served as the basis for the surviving sources (chiefly Arrian) we have for Perdiccas' career. The other characteristic regularly ascribed to Perdiccas by ancient sources is boldness.
Although Perdiccas was evidently a capable leader and effective soldier, a "military man", he is seen to have lacked the qualities his position as regent required.
Family background and early life
According to the 2nd-century historian Arrian, Perdiccas was the son of the Macedonian nobleman Orontes, a descendant of the independent princes of the Macedonian province of Orestis. While Perdiccas' actual date of birth is unknown, he would seem to have been of a similar age to Alexander; historian Tristan Hughes estimated that he was born around 361 BC and historian Waldemar Heckel described him as younger than Ptolemy, son of Lagus. He had a younger brother called Alcetas and a sister, Atalante, who married Attalus. Perdiccas may have had, through some distant relation, blood of the Argead royal family.
Little is known of Perdiccas' youth, but he was probably brought to the Macedonian court in Pella to serve as page like many other young nobles alongside Alexander.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Perdiccas (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Perdiccas Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Perdiccas appears, with the other states of the time.
Perdiccas Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 117,037 km² in 321 BCE.
Perdiccas: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Perdiccas exist?
Perdiccas is dated to 323 BCE – 319 BCE, in the Classical Antiquity era.
How large was Perdiccas at its peak?
At its peak in 321 BC Perdiccas covered about 117,037 km².