The fight of Eumenes of Cardia against Neoptolemus, Wars of the Diadochi

Craterus or Krateros ( el, Κρατερός; c. 370 BC – 321 BC) was a

Macedonian Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia. Macedonian(s) may specifically refer to: People Modern * Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North M ...

general under

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, wikt:Ἀλέξανδρος, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Maced ...

and one of the

Diadochi The Diadochi (; singular: Diadochus; from grc-gre, Διάδοχοι, Diádochoi, Successors, ) were the rival generals, families, and friends of Alexander the Great who fought for control over his empire after his death in 323 BC. The War ...

. Throughout his life he was a loyal royalist and supporter of Alexander the Great.Anson, Edward M. (2014)p.24 Craterus was the son of a Macedonian nobleman named Alexander from Orestis and brother of admiral Amphoterus. Craterus commanded the phalanx and all infantry on the left wing in Battle of Issus in 333 BC. In Hyrcania he was sent on a mission against the

Tapurians The Mazanderani people ( mzn, مازرونیون or mzn, تبریون) or Tabari people ( mzn, تپورون, links=no) are an Iranian peoples, Iranian peopleAcademic American Encyclopedia By Grolier Incorporated, page 294 who are indigenous to ...

, his first independent command with the Macedonian army. At the Battle of the Hydaspes in 326 BC, near modern

Jhelum Jhelum ( Punjabi and ur, ) is a city on the east bank of the Jhelum River, which is located in the district of Jhelum in the north of Punjab province, Pakistan. It is the 44th largest city of Pakistan by population. Jhelum is known for p ...

, he commanded the rearguard, which stayed on the western bank; his men crossed the river only during the final stages of the battle. At the festivities in Susa, Craterus married princess Amastris, daughter of Oxyathres, the brother of

Darius III Darius III ( peo, 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁 ; grc-gre, Δαρεῖος ; c. 380 – 330 BC) was the last Achaemenid King of Kings of Persia, reigning from 336 BC to his death in 330 BC. Contrary to his predecessor Artaxerxes IV Arses, Dar ...

. Craterus left Alexanders troops in Opis in 324. Craterus and Polyperchon were appointed to lead 11,500 veteran soldiers back to Macedonia and replace

Antipater Antipater (; grc, , translit=Antipatros, lit=like the father; c. 400 BC319 BC) was a Macedonian general and statesman under the subsequent kingships of Philip II of Macedon and his son, Alexander the Great. In the wake of the collaps ...

who was ordered to lead a fresh contingent of soldiers to join Aexanders army in the east. But Craterus arrival to Macedonia was delayed by a lack of vessels for the transport over the sea. Craterus stayed in

Cilicia Cilicia (); el, Κιλικία, ''Kilikía''; Middle Persian: ''klkyʾy'' (''Klikiyā''); Parthian: ''kylkyʾ'' (''Kilikiyā''); tr, Kilikya). is a geographical region in southern Anatolia in Turkey, extending inland from the northeastern coa ...

, where he was building the fleet, when Alexander unexpectedly died in

Babylon ''Bābili(m)'' * sux, 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 * arc, 𐡁𐡁𐡋 ''Bāḇel'' * syc, ܒܒܠ ''Bāḇel'' * grc-gre, Βαβυλών ''Babylṓn'' * he, בָּבֶל ''Bāvel'' * peo, 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢 ''Bābiru'' * elx, 𒀸𒁀𒉿𒇷 ''Babi ...

. In case Craterus wouldn't be able to govern in Macedonia due to his health, his successor was to be Polyperchon.Pitt, E. M.; Richardson, W. P. (May 2017), p.80 At the time, he had about 10,000 veterans with him.Anson, Edward M. (2014)p.24 Craterus eventually crossed into Europe when Antipater requested assistance from several commanders in the Lamian war, but leaving the supreme command in possession of Antipater.Pitt, E. M.; Richardson, W. P. (May 2017), pp.82–83 He sailed with his Cilician navy to Greece and led troops at the

Battle of Crannon The Battle of Crannon (322 BC), fought between the Macedonian forces of Antipater and Craterus and the forces of a coalition of cities including Athens and the Aetolian League, was the decisive battle of the Lamian War. The Macedonian victory, t ...

in 322. When Antigonus rose in rebellion against

Perdiccas Perdiccas ( el, Περδίκκας, ''Perdikkas''; 355 BC – 321/320 BC) was a general of Alexander the Great. He took part in the Macedonian campaign against the Achaemenid Empire, and, following Alexander's death in 323 BC, rose to becom ...

and

Eumenes Eumenes (; grc-gre, Εὐμένης; c. 362316 BC) was a Greek general and satrap. He participated in the Wars of Alexander the Great, serving as both Alexander's personal secretary and as a battlefield commander. He later was a participant in t ...

, Craterus joined him, alongside Antipater and

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importanc ...

. He married Antipater's daughter

Phila Phila may refer to a shortened name for the City of Philadelphia, U.S. It may also refer to: *Phila of Elimeia, sister of Derdas and wife of Philip II of Macedon *Phila (daughter of Antipater), wife of Balacrus, Craterus and Demetrius Poliorcetes ...

, with whom he had a son, also called

Craterus Craterus or Krateros ( el, Κρατερός; c. 370 BC – 321 BC) was a Macedonian general under Alexander the Great and one of the Diadochi. Throughout his life he was a loyal royalist and supporter of Alexander the Great.Anson, Edward M. (20 ...

. He was killed in battle against

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

when his charging horse fell over him, somewhere near the

Hellespont The Dardanelles (; tr, Çanakkale Boğazı, lit=Strait of Çanakkale, el, Δαρδανέλλια, translit=Dardanéllia), also known as the Strait of Gallipoli from the Gallipoli peninsula or from Classical Antiquity as the Hellespont (; ...

, in 321.

In popular media

*Named with the phonetically accurate spelling of ''Krateros'', Craterus is one of the minor characters in the historical novel ''Roxana Romance'' by A.J. Cave. *Also named as ''Krateros'', Craterus is a major character in the two Alexander novels by Mary Renault, ''

The Persian Boy ''The Persian Boy'' is a 1972 historical novel written by Mary Renault and narrated by Bagoas, a young Persian from an aristocratic family who is captured by his father's enemies, castrated, and sold as a slave to king Darius III, who makes him ...

'' and '' Fire From Heaven''. *In the film '' Alexander'', he is played by British actor Rory McCann.

References

External links

Craterus
(in ''

Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology The ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'' (1849, originally published 1844 under a slightly different title) is an encyclopedia/biographical dictionary. Edited by William Smith, the dictionary spans three volumes and 3,700 p ...

'')
Biography from livius.org
{{Alexander's Generals 370s BC births 321 BC deaths Ancient Macedonian generals Generals of Alexander the Great Ancient Orestians Ancient Macedonians killed in battle Trierarchs of Nearchus' fleet