Antigonus II

Antigonus II (Antigonus Gonatas) (ăntig'unus gōnā'tus) [key], c.320–239 B.C., king of Macedon, son of Demetrius I. He took the title king on his father's death (283) but made good his claim only by defeating the Gauls in Thrace and by taking Macedon in 276. His rule was very troubled; Pyrrhus attacked him, and so did Ptolemy II. A confederation of Greek cities headed by Athens waged (c.266–c.262 B.C.) the so-called Chremonidean War against him. Antigonus won the war, captured Athens, and restored the Macedonian state. However, the Achaean League, under Aratus, gained power c.251. Nevertheless Antigonus maintained himself and for a brief period united Greece. He was himself a scholar and a patron of philosophy and poetry. Upon his death he was succeeded by his son, Demetrius II.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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