IPSUS, BATTLE OF, 301 B.C. This, named "the battle of the kings," was the great clash in the wars of Alexander the Great's "Successors," which shattered Antigonus's attempt to reconsoli date the Macedonian empire. Hard-pressed in Thessaly by Deme trius, the son of Antigonus, Cassander turned the tables by a stroke of true genius. Keeping only a minimum of force, he des patched his ally, Lysimachus, to invade Asia Minor and arranged with Seleucus to advance from Babylon on Antigonus's rear. The combination and concentration against the heart of the opposing power succeeded, and forced Demetrius to evacuate Greece and sail home to his father's aid. The armies of Antigonus and Deme trius on the one hand, and of Lysimachus and Seleucus on the other met at Ipsus in Phrygia. Antigonus had 70,000 foot, 10,000 horse and 75 elephants; the allies only 64,00o foot, 10,500 horse, but 48o elephants. At the outset of the battle Demetrius
with the cavalry charged and dispersed the opposing cavalry, but, pressing the pursuit too far, found himself cut off by the enemy's elephants. But instead of assaulting Antigonus's army, thus stripped of his cavalry, Lysimachus demoralized it by threat of attack and by fire until it began to melt—part going over to the allies. Then only did Seleucus launch a strong body at the posi tion occupied by the enemy's command. Borne down by this charge, Antigonus died, crying vainly "Demetrius will come and save me." If the victory is memorable in military history as one of the outstanding triumphs of the war elephant, its greater politi cal consequence was to ensure the disappearance of any central power and the dismemberment of the Graeco-Macedonian world. (See DrADOCHI, WARS OF.)