Armies and manpower sources of the period of the Diadochi (323-281 BCE)

This thesis, which discusses all the military and naval units of the period of the Diadochi, argues that the tradition and manpower sources that supported these components were the decisive determinants in the partititon and failure in the reconsolidation process of the Macedonian dominions. It is clear that, following Aleanders death, the lands and the administrative capacities of the kingdom were divided among the prominent commanders and this process was completed with the first tacit and later explicit sharing of the military forces. Although this fragmented structure, enabled some stronger satraps to overpower neighbouring equals and swallow their sources, in some cases it also provided the ground for cooperation against them. Thus, even some Diadochs outgrew some others and accumulated more sources under their grips, remaining sources could be assembled to stop them and could reach the required magnitude for the task. Therefore, just as sharing of power and later legitimacy among the Diadochi developed the willingness to recognize opponents co-exist with them, sharing of the sources, but most importantly of the manpower sources that support the military strength, created a forcing impact on the consolidation of this attitude. The armies, which provided the most institutionalized component of the organization in the proto-states of the Diadochi was, at the same time, were assets which could be conferred or retrieved and earned, could even change their allegiances on their own choice and with a similar ease. It was this unreliable nature of the military forces at their possession, that caused the easy and permanent loss of the satrapies and later the kingdoms, that made the same protagonists utterly venturous in dire situations but conducted them to adopt an equally avoidant attitude in times of relative security and strength in their positions.