Editing Demetrius I Poliorcetes (section)

== Legacy ==

=== Military legacy ===

==== Besieger and logistician ====
{{See also|List of sieges conducted by Demetrius I Poliorcetes}}
During his 30-year military career, from the [[Battle of Paraitakene]] in 317 BC to his final defeat, Demetrius proved to be a hugely effective commander during [[siege]]s.<ref name=":0" /> Notably, he managed to use the innovations introduced by [[Alexander the Great|Alexander]], scaling them up to greater extents.<ref name=":0" /> Thus, besides the massive and widespread use of [[siege engine]]s, which he standardized in [[Hellenistic armies|Hellenistic warfare]], Demetrius was an excellent [[Logistics|logistician]], able to maintain sieges on unprecedented scales.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Ferguson |first=W. S |date=1948 |title=DEMETRIUS POLIORCETES AND THE HELLENIC LEAGUE |url=https://www.ascsa.edu.gr/uploads/media/hesperia/146849.pdf |url-status=live |journal=Hesperia |pages=112–133 |jstor=146849 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207201038/https://www.ascsa.edu.gr/uploads/media/hesperia/146849.pdf |archive-date=2023-12-07 |access-date=2024-06-04}}</ref> The Antigonid also engaged in [[Amphibious warfare|amphibious siege warfare]], frequently conducting sieges both by sea and land.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> Finally, despite some failed sieges, especially the [[Siege of Rhodes (305–304 BC)|siege of Rhodes]] where Demetrius did not appear to make significant tactical or strategic errors, he employed a siege warfare strategy sometimes described as 'blitzkrieg'.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> During his campaigns in 304-303 BC and 294-291 BC in [[Greece]], after rapid 'bursts', he captured cities one after another in a matter of months; for example, in 304-303 BC, he successively seized [[Panactum]], [[Phyle (Attica)|Phyle]], [[Kechries]], [[Epidaurus]], [[Sicyon]], [[Corinth]], [[Bura (Achaea)|Bura]], [[Skiros|Scirus (Arcadia)]], [[Argos, Peloponnese|Argos]], and [[Orchomenus (Arcadia)|Orchomenus]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> According to Plutarch, Demetrius would have commanded 110,000 soldiers under his leadership in 288 BCE before facing complete defeat.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last=Vujcic |first=Nemanja |date=2018-01-01 |title=The Grand Army of Demetrius Poliorcetes, in: Lj. Maksimović, M. Ricl, ΤΗ ΠΡΟΣΦΙΛΕΣΤΑΤΗ ΚΑΙ ΠΑΝΤΑ ΑΡΙΣΤΗ ΜΑΚΕΔΟΝΙΑΡΧΙΣΣΗ: Students and Colleagues for Professor Fanoula Papazoglou (International Conference, Belgrade, October 17-18, 2017), Belgrade 2018, pp. 221-241 |url=https://www.academia.edu/38652272/The_Grand_Army_of_Demetrius_Poliorcetes_in_Lj_Maksimovi%C4%87_M_Ricl_%CE%A4%CE%97_%CE%A0%CE%A1%CE%9F%CE%A3%CE%A6%CE%99%CE%9B%CE%95%CE%A3%CE%A4%CE%91%CE%A4%CE%97_%CE%9A%CE%91%CE%99_%CE%A0%CE%91%CE%9D%CE%A4%CE%91_%CE%91%CE%A1%CE%99%CE%A3%CE%A4%CE%97_%CE%9C%CE%91%CE%9A%CE%95%CE%94%CE%9F%CE%9D%CE%99%CE%91%CE%A1%CE%A7%CE%99%CE%A3%CE%A3%CE%97_Students_and_Colleagues_for_Professor_Fanoula_Papazoglou_International_Conference_Belgrade_October_17_18_2017_Belgrade_2018_pp_221_241 |journal=Lj. Maksimović, M. Ricl, ΤΗ ΠΡΟΣΦΙΛΕΣΤΑΤΗ ΚΑΙ ΠΑΝΤΑ ΑΡΙΣΤΗ ΜΑΚΕΔΟΝΙΑΡΧΙΣΣΗ: Students and Colleagues for Professor Fanoula Papazoglou (International Conference, Belgrade, October 17–18, 2017)}}</ref> This figure is almost certainly exaggerated by the ancient author and would represent the largest concentration of manpower in the entire [[Hellenistic period]], more than two times larger than the force Alexander led in his initial conquests.<ref name=":2" /> Even if the figure is overstated, it demonstrates that Demetrius was capable of assembling significant armies, some of which were remembered as the largest of the era.<ref name=":2" />

==== Military engineer and builder ====
Demetrius also emerged as an important [[Military engineering|military engineer]] and [[Fortification|fortifier]] of cities.<ref name=":0" /> Firstly, he established effective strategies and developed new siege engines to address specific challenges during certain sieges or to experiment with new methods of siege warfare.<ref name=":0" /> In addition to his interest in military engineering, Demetrius distinguished himself by constructing and erecting numerous [[fortification]]s, significantly influencing this discipline and leaving his mark on the history of the Greek world.<ref name=":0" />

For instance, in 307-306 BC, after his first capture of [[Athens]], he undertook one of the most significant fortification projects in the city's history.<ref name=":0" /> In 303 BC, after capturing [[Sicyon]] and noticing the weaknesses in its defenses, he decided to completely relocate the city to a more defensible position and, according to [[Plutarch]], personally worked on the construction of the new city.<ref name=":0" />

[[Corinth]] also appears to have undergone substantial fortification work initiated by Demetrius after he conquered the city, as suggested by archaeological discoveries related to the urbanization of the city at that time.<ref name=":0" /> These elements also highlight his impact on the history of defensive siege warfare and paint the picture of a builder king.<ref name=":0" />

=== Literary references ===

==== Plutarch ====
[[Plutarch]] wrote [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Lives/Demetrius*.html a biography of Demetrius], in which he is paired with [[Mark Antony]].

==== Hegel ====
[[File:Attack of Rhodes.jpg|thumb|The [[Siege of Rhodes (305-304 BC)]], led by Demetrius.]]
[[Hegel]], in the ''[[Lectures on the History of Philosophy]]'', says of another Demetrius, [[Demetrius Phalereus]], that "Demetrius Phalereus and others were thus soon after [Alexander] honoured and worshipped in Athens as God."<ref>Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, ''Lectures on the History of Philosophy'', volume 2, ''Plato and the Platonists'', p. 125, translated by E. S. Haldane and Frances H. Simson, Lincoln, Nebraska:  University of Nebraska Press, 1995.</ref>  What the exact source was for Hegel's claim is unclear.  Diogenes Laërtius in his short biography of Demetrius Phalereus does not mention this.<ref>[[Diogenes Laërtius]], [[Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers]], Book V.</ref> Apparently Hegel's error comes from a misreading of [[Plutarch]]'s ''[https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Lives/Demetrius*.html Life of Demetrius]'' which is about Demetrius Poliorcetes and not Demetrius of Phalereus. Plutarch describes in the work how Demetrius Poliorcetes conquered Demetrius Phalereus at Athens.  Then, in chapter 12 of the work, Plutarch describes how Demetrius Poliorcetes was given honors due to the god [[Dionysus]]. This account by Plutarch was confusing not only for Hegel, but for others as well.<ref>Kenneth Scott, "The Deification of Demetrius Poliorcetes:  Part I", ''The American Journal of Philology'', 49:2 (1928), pp. 137–166.  See, in particular, p. 148.</ref>

==== Others ====
Plutarch's account of Demetrius's departure from Macedonia in 288 BC inspired [[Constantine Cavafy]] to write "King Demetrius" (ὁ βασιλεὺς Δημήτριος) in 1906, his earliest surviving poem on an historical theme.

Demetrius is the main character of the opera [http://wiki-score.org/doku.php?id=demetrio:index Demetrio a Rodi] (Turin, 1789) with libretto<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=H6OcHAAACAAJ Demetrio a Rodi: festa per musica da rappresentarsi nel Regio teatro di Torino per le nozze delle LL. AA. RR. Vittorio Emanuele], 48p. Published by Presso O. Derossi, 1789.</ref> by Giandomenico Boggio and Giuseppe Banti. The music is set by [[Gaetano Pugnani]] (1731-1798).

Demetrius appears (under the Greek form of his name, Demetrios) in [[L. Sprague de Camp]]'s historical novel,'' [[The Bronze God of Rhodes]]'', which largely concerns itself with his siege of Rhodes.

[[Alfred Duggan]]'s novel ''Elephants and Castles'' provides a lively fictionalised account of his life.