How the Island of Rhodes Overcame a Superpower
How the Island of Rhodes Overcame a Superpower In 306 BC, 17 years after Alexander the Great‘s death, his empire had fragmented into various large domains. At that time, the most powerful of these realms was ruled by a man called Antigonus, who was based in Syria. His son Demetrius had recently won a major naval battle off Cyprus against their major rival Ptolemy, the ruler of Egypt. Yet almost immediately, new obstacles would arise for this new-found dominance. Especially from a small island in the South Aegean: the island of Rhodes. King Antigonus News of Demetrius’ victory off Cyprus soon reached Antigonus at his namesake capital Antigoneia, situated on the Orontes River in Syria. Upon hearing of the success, Antigonus realised his power in the Eastern Mediterranean was now unmatched. And in his delight, he made an audacious proclamation to his Macedonians. He assumed the title of king and named his son Demetrius both as joint-king and successor. With the death of Alexander the