The Babylonian War, fought between Seleucus and Antigonus from 310-309 BCE, is a challenge to cover due to limited literary sources. Cuneiform tablets, the Chronicle of the Diadochi and the Astronomical Diaries provide key dates and events, while Plutarch and Diodorus offer descriptions of the war’s beginning and Seleucus’s strategic moves. Despite Antigonus’s initial position of dominance, Seleucus’s bold return from the east in 311 BCE led to Antigonus’s expulsion from the east, and the founding of a dynasty that would last for 250 years. This victory marked the beginning of the Seleucid Dynasty, which would play a pivotal role in the Hellenistic period. Meanwhile, Ptolemy fought against Antigonus’ forces in Cilicia and the Hellespontine region, setting the stage for further conflicts.
Sources:
Ancient Sources:
Appian, The Syrian Wars
Diodorus, Library of History
Justin, Epitome
Plutarch, Demetrius
Polyaneus, Stratagems
The Diadochi Chronicle, https://www.livius.org/sources/content/mesopotamian-chronicles-content/bchp-3-diadochi-chronicle/
The Astronomical Diaries, https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/adsd/adart1/X103090?srch=s.gzz98l
Modern Sources:
Anson, Edward M.. Alexander's Heirs : The Age of the Successors, John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2014.
Erskine, Andrew. A Companion to the Hellenistic World, edited by Andrew Erskine, John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2003.
Jean-Jacques Glassner, Mesopotamian Chronicles, edited by Benjamin R. Foster, BRILL.
Joanna, Francis, and Neville, Antonia, From the Seleucids to the Parthians (331 BC to AD 75), in The Age of Empires, Edinburgh University Press.
Meeus, Alexander “DIODORUS AND THE CHRONOLOGY OF THE THIRD DIADOCH WAR.” Phoenix, vol. 66, no. 1/2, 2012, pp. 74–96.
Parker, Victor. A History of Greece, 1300 to 30 BC : 1300 to 30 BC, John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2014.
Pietrykowski, Joseph. Great Battles of the Hellenistic World, Pen & Sword Books Limited, 2009.
Waterfield, Robin. Dividing the Spoils : The War for Alexander the Great's Empire, Oxford University Press, Incorporated, 2011.
Wheatley, Pat, Antigonus Monophthalmus in Babylonia, 310-308 B. C., http://www.jstor.org/stable/546060.