ABSTRACT
The system of garrisons and allies established by Antigonus left plenty of room for local maneuvering. The Greek cities and leagues, by themselves, could not directly threaten his position in Macedonia or his position as a “great power” in the hellenistic world after Alexander, but they could cause him nearly constant annoyance and require his frequent attention. That was the price he paid for being king, the price he especially had to pay for exercising a hegemony over Greece on the cheap. The loose system required very little in the way of manpower and did not require him to actually administer Greek cities. This meant that someone else (local politicians) would manage things. If their actions were inimical to his interests, he was in a position to intervene, but he took no overt action until or unless necessary.
