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TOMBOIY
regnalyearsofAlexanderIVasifnothinghappened.Itwasnotuntil306BCthatAn-
tigonusMonophthalmusadoptedtheroyaltitle(forhimselfandforhisson)afterhisson
DemetriusdefeatedthePtolemaicfleetatSalamis.SoonafterwardstheotherHellenistic
rulersLysimachus,SeleucusandPtolemyfollowedhisexample.TheunifiedAlexander
empirewasnowforeverathingofthepast(thoughsomeofhissuccessorsstilldreamed
ofaunifiedempireundertheirrule,especiallyAntigonus,butalsoPtolemy)andthe
imperialyear-countingsystemwasreplacedbyayear-countingsystemwiththename
ofthenewdynasts.27
WiththeemergenceofseveralHellenistickingdomsintheareaonceconqueredby
Alexanderandunitedunderhisrule,ouroverviewofearlyHellenisticimperialdating
systemsmighthavecometoanendifitwasnotforAntigonusMonophthalmus.He
wasnotonlythefirsttoadopttheroyaltitlebutsometenyearsearlierhehadalready
usurpedanotherroyalprerogative:hereplacedAlexander,snameinthedateformulas
withhisown(andsometimeswithhistitle„strategos”),inthepartsoftheAlexander
empireunderhisdirectorindirectinfluence:fromAsiaMinoroverSyria,Palestine,
BabyloniaallthewaytoAfghanistan.OnlyforBabyloniaandIdumaeadowehavein-
formationaboutthischange.ForBabyloniathelasttabletdatedtoAlexanderIVisCT
49,13,datedAlexIV.02.03(June/July315BC).TheoldesttabletdatedtoAntigonus(CT
49,34)originatesfromBorsippaandisdatedAntig.03.09(December/January315/314
BC).28ThechangeinthedateformulasoftheBabyloniandocumentsmusttherefore
havetakenplacebetweenJune/July315andDecember/January315/314BC.TheAra-
maicostracafromIdumaeaprovideamuchcloserdate:inJuly315BCthechangefrom
AlexanderIVtoAntigonustookplace.29EveniftheostracanamingAlexandershould
bedatedearlier(duringthereignofAlexandertheGreat,seeaboveforLemaire,spo-
27Antigonushadalreadystartedbeforewithanewyear-countingsystem(seebelow).Onthemoment
ofhis(andhisson,s)adoptionoftheroyaltitle,heprobablysimplyaddedDemetrius,nametohisyearsin
thedateformula.Grzybek(1993)proposedthisprocedurebyinterpretingthe27thyearofkingDemetrius,
thedateofaGreekinscriptionfromBeroia,as291/290BC.
AsshownabovetheregnalyearsofPtolemyIwerecountedasacontinuationofhissatrapalyearsin
theGreekdocuments.DemoticdocumentsontheotherhandmentionPtolemy,s„royalyears”aspharaoh.
Seleucus,yearsdidnotstartalloveragainfromthemomentheadoptedtheroyaltitleeither.Although
sometextsmention305/304BCashisfirstyearasking,thedateformulasantedatedhisrulefromhis
returntoBabyloniain311BC.Itisthereforenosatrapalyear-countingsystemeither(asforPtolemyI)
becausehehadalreadybeensatrapinBabyloniabeforefrom320until315BC.Inthedateformulasfrom
documentsdatedtotheperiod311–305BCnormallykingAlexanderIVappearsalone,butintwoastro-
nomicaldiariesalsoSeleucusismentionednexttoAlexanderwiththetitle„strategos”(lúgaleren
2.meš;AD
1-309:‘rev.11,andU.E.1andAD1-308:‘rev.17,andU.E.1).SinceSeleucusappearsherewiththesame
titleasAntigonusMonophthalmususedinthedatesbyhisownname,heprobablyimitatedhisrivalwhom
heoustedin311BC.ItisnotcompletelycamparabletoAntigonus,methodofdating,sinceitisinthesetwo
casesonlyandsincetheregnalyearsofkingAlexanderIVareprominentlypresent.Itisnotcomparableto
thedateformulainP.Eleph.1(seen.18)forAlexanderIVandPtolemyeithersincenoyearnumberforthe
strategosSeleucusismentionedinthedateformulasoftheastronomicaldiaries.Forthisreasonweprefer
tointerpretSeleucus,countasanantedatingfromthemomenthereturnedtoBabyloniain311BC(andtook
thetitleofstrategos?)whereasAntigonusMonophthalmusandPtolemycontinuedtocounttheiryearsas
strategosandsatraprespectively(seealsovanderSpekinprint).
28AntigonusdidnotstarttocountwithAntig.01.BystartingwithAntig.03heprobablywantedtolink
hisantedatedreigntotherealmomentofPhilipArrhidaeus,death.BecauseAlexIV.01replacedPhilip,s
posthumousyearPhil.01,itwasAlexIV.02thatwasreplacedbyAntig.03.
29ThereareostracadatedtoAlexanderIVfrom7,10and21JulyanddatedtoAntigonusfrom20July
and7and19August.
