Bibliotheca Historica

​Antipater and Craterus, having invaded Aetolia and seeing that the easily captured cities were deserted, set out against those who had retreated into the difficult terrain. At first, therefore, as the Macedonians forced their way toward the strong and rugged places, they lost many of their soldiers; for the boldness of the Aetolians, finding support in the strength of the terrain, easily repulsed those who, through their rashness, fell into helpless dangers. But after this, when Craterus and his men had constructed shelters and forced the enemy to remain through the winter and hold out in places swept by snow and lacking in food, they came into the extreme dangers;

​for it was necessary either to come down from the mountains and contend with forces many times larger and with illustrious generals, or, by remaining, to be destroyed by want and cold. And when they were already despairing of safety, a spontaneous solution to their troubles appeared, as if some one of the gods pitied their courage.

​For Antigonus, who had fled from Asia, having joined Antipater and his men, informed them of the entire plot of Perdiccas, and that after marrying Cleopatra he would come immediately with his army into Macedonia as king and strip them of their hegemony.

​Craterus and Antipater, dumbfounded by the unexpectedness of the announcement, held a council with the commanders. A consultation about these matters having been proposed, it was unanimously decided to come to terms with the Aetolians on whatever conditions were possible, to transport the forces with all speed into Asia, and to assign the hegemony of Asia to Craterus and that of Europe to Antipater, and also to send an embassy to Ptolemy concerning a joint action, since he was utterly hostile to Perdiccas, friendly to themselves, and common object of the plot.

​Immediately, therefore, they made a treaty of peace with the Aetolians, though they had resolved to subjugate them later and to transplant them with their entire households to some desert country lying in the furthest parts of Asia. As for themselves, having drafted a decree in accordance with what has been said, they prepared for the campaign.

​Meanwhile, Perdiccas, having assembled his friends and commanders, proposed for discussion whether they should march against Macedonia or first set out against Ptolemy. Since all leaned toward first crushing Ptolemy so that they might have no obstacle in their advance against Macedonia, he sent Eumenes with a considerable force, ordering him to lie in wait in the regions around the Hellespont and prevent the crossing, while he himself, taking up his army from Pisidia, made his march against Egypt. These, then, were the events that took place during this year.