Ancient Coin Stories

The Battle of Krannon, which decided the fate of Greece in 322 BCE, was a bit like losing a game when the referee calls a dumb foul. Though the Macedonians won, it was on a technicality and since there weren’t instant replay cameras back then, the victory stood.

When Alexander the Great died, Athens and several other Greek states rose up against the Macedonians, who had most of their forces still in the East. Against just aging Antipater this should have been an easy victory, and initially things did go Greece’s way.

They bottled Antipater and his forces up in Lamia, then dispatched in stunning fashion the releaving forces from Leonnatos, who died in the battle. However, the Greeks farted around too long and eventually another force came with one of Alexander‘s most vaunted generals – Krateros.

Since the Greeks had defeated Leonnatos with cavalry, they went with that offense again. While the cavalry went at it, the Athenians faced the vaunted Macedonian phalanx, who pushed them back. When the Greeks regrouped on high ground, the cavalry mistakingly thought the battle was lost and fled.

For such a decisive battle, there were remarkably few casualties on either side. However, because Antipater and Krateros now commanded the battlefield, the referees ruled in their favor. While Athens did request a rematch, the Macedonians deftly took several Thessalian cities and the rest sued for peace. With their allies gone, Athens had no choice but to surrender unconditionally.