Olympias

by Elizabeth Carney

  Olympias

  Modern conventional wisdom knows Olympias as a pitiless and savage woman, a practitioner of barbaric Dionysiac rites compelled by jealousy and ruthless ambition to the murder of her rivals in order to secure her son’s succession to the throne of Macedon. In this way she is credited for Alexander the Great’s unprecedented achievements—yet the scale of her son’s epic story has obscured her own.

  Such critical accounts of Olympias’ actions have made unforgiving and often unfounded judgments of her motivations. This myth, however, originates from later ancient writers, to which her strength and tenacity represented an abhorrent contradiction to contemporary gender roles. Later historians have all too often perpetuated this ancient sexual stereotyping by failing to question these sources.

  In this, the first modern biography of Olympias, Elizabeth Carney penetrates myth, fiction and sexual politics to reveal a fascinating and wholly misunderstood figure. Through a close and critical assessment of the sources, Olympias is humanized as she is placed in the context of her own brutal political world.

  Olympias examines:

  •

  the role of Greek religion in Olympias’ life

  •

  literary and artistic traditions about Olympias found throughout the later ancient periods

  •

  varying representations of Olympias found in the major ancient sources.

  This book will be the definitive guide to the life of the first woman to play a major role in Greek political history as well as a compelling read for students, scholars and anyone with an interest in Greek, Classical or women’s history.

  Elizabeth Carney is Professor of Ancient History at Clemson University in South Carolina. She is the author of Women and Monarchy in Ancient Macedonia (2000).

  Women of the Ancient World

  Series editors: Ronnie Ancona and Sarah Pomeroy The books in this series offer compact and accessible introductions to the lives and historical times of women from the ancient world. Each book, written by a distinguished scholar in the field, introduces and explores the life of one woman or group of women from antiquity, from a biographical perspective.

  The texts will be authoritative introductions by experts in the field. Each book will be of interest to students and scholars of antiquity as well as those with little or no prior knowledge of ancient history or literature, combining rigorous scholarship with reader-friendly prose. Each volume will contain a guide to further reading, a brief glossary, and timelines, maps, and images, as necessary.

  Women of the Ancient World will provide an opportunity for specialists to present concise, authoritative accounts, uncovering and exploring important figures in need of historical study and advancing current scholarship on women of the past. Although there is a growing body of excellent scholarship on the lives and roles of women in the ancient world, much work remains.

  This series will be the first of its kind.

  Olympias, Mother of Alexander the Great

  Elizabeth Carney

  Julia Domna, Syrian Empress

  Barbara Levick

  Julia Augusti, The Emperor’s Daughter

  Elaine Fantham

  Olympias

  Mother of Alexander the Great

  Elizabeth Carney

  First published 2006

  by Routledge

  270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016

  Simultaneously published in the UK

  by Routledge

  2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN

  This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2006.

  “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.”

  Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

  © 2006 Elizabeth Carney

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

  Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data A catalog record for this book has been requested British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN10: 0–415–33316–4 (hbk)

  ISBN10: 0–415–33317–2 (pbk)

  ISBN10: 0–203–41278–8 (ebk)

  ISBN13: 978–0–415–33316–0 (hbk)

  ISBN13: 978–0–415–33317–7 (pbk)

  ISBN13: 978–0–203–41278–7 (ebk)

  In Memoriam

  James Francis Carney

  Contents

  Preface

  ix

  Significant events

  xi

  The Aeacid dynasty

  xiii

  The Argead dynasty

  xiv

  List of abbreviations

  xv

  Introduction

  1

  1

  Olympias the Molossian

  5

  2

  Olympias, wife of Philip II

  19

  3

  Olympias, mother of the king, Alexander the Great

  42

  4

  Olympias on her own, 323–316

  60

  5

  Olympias and religion

  88

  6

  Olympias’ afterlife

  104

  Appendix: Olympias and the sources

  125

  List of terms

  138

  Notes

  140

  Bibliography

  197

  Index

  213

  Preface

  I have written about Olympias, on and off, since the summer of 1979. That means that I have been living with Olympias longer than I have lived with my husband and that my interest in her is older than my daughter, by several years. Nonetheless, only in my first article on her did I attempt to construct a unified and self-contained analysis of her entire career. I am grateful to Ronnie Ancona and Sarah Pomeroy, the editors of this series, and to Richard Stoneman of Routledge, for the opportunity to write a monograph on this remarkable woman and for the encouragement to return, after so many years, to a comprehensive consideration of her life. There is no lengthy, modern, scholarly study of her career.

  No one accomplishes scholarly work without the assistance of many others. Stan Burstein was kind enough to read over and comment on the entire manuscript. Like everyone else who works on royal women in the late Classical and Hellenistic period, I owe a debt to my distinguished predecessor, Grace Harriet Macurdy. I was lucky enough to help to direct Kate Mortensen’s dissertation on Olympias. Conversations and letters with Kate, as well as her own scholarship, have often given me new ideas. Bob Milns, Bill Greenwalt, Peter Green and Waldemar Heckel have patiently read much of what I have written about Olympias, sometimes helping by disagreeing.

  Daniel Ogden and Jeanne Reames-Zimmerman have opened up new ways of looking at sexuality and competition at the Macedonian court. Gene Borza and Ernie Fredricksmeyer have always offered broad insight on matters Macedonian. John Oates and Philip Stadter, who gave me my initial understanding of the reign of Alexander, have continued to offer every assistance.

  Pierre Briant, Sylvie Le Bohec, Olga Palagia, Dolores Mirón-Pérez, Bruno Tripodi, Argyro Tataki, and Miltos Hatzopoulos have all offered help by email and kindly sent me material otherwise difficult to obtain. My colleagues in the history department have listened to and commented on my stories of ancient Macedonian melodrama. Without the efficient work of our inter-library loan l
ibrarians, this book would never have been possible.

  My family has always encouraged my research. My husband William Aarnes has often functioned as an editor of my more wordy pieces and my daughter, Emma Aarnes, so empathized with her mother’s work that, as a

  x Preface

  third grader, she produced an entertaining and accurate report on Olympias.

  But I would like to offer particular thanks to my father, to whose memory this book is dedicated. His love of Latin led to my first interest in the ancient world.

  Significant events

  382

  Philip II born in Macedonia

  c. 373

  Olympias born in Molossia

  357

  Philip II marries Olympias

  356

  Alexander III, son of Olympias and Philip, born

  c. 355

  Cleopatra, daughter of Olympias and Philip, born

  340s

  Olympias’ brother, Alexander, becomes king of Molossia with the help of Philip

  343/2

  Aristotle becomes Alexander III’s tutor

  338

  Philip’s victory at Chaeroneia brings domination of Greek peninsula

  Philip decides to build Philippeum

  337

  Corinthian League; war against Persia determined

  Philip marries Cleopatra, ward of Attalus, and Alexander and Olympias leave Macedonia

  Alexander and Olympias return to Macedonia

  Pixodarus affair (possibly happened in early 336) 336

  Parmenio and Attalus lead advance party to Asia Minor Cleopatra, ward of Attalus, bears a daughter to Philip Alexander of Molossia marries Olympias’ daughter

  Cleopatra

  Pausanias assassinates Philip and Alexander becomes king Corinthian League accepts Alexander as hegemon 335

  Olympias (and Alexander?) have Cleopatra and her daughter killed

  Alexander has Attalus killed

  334

  (Spring) Alexander’s force crosses to Asia Minor

  Battle of Granicus

  332

  (Fall) Alexander captures Gaza and sends Olympias plunder

  xii Significant events

  331

  Alexander visits Siwah and begins to assert his divine sonship Battle of Gaugamela

  Revolt of Agis

  (Fall or winter 330) Death of Alexander of Molossia Olympias leaves Macedonia for Molossia

  330

  Antipater’s defeat of Agis

  Death of Darius

  Elimination of Philotas and Parmenio

  328

  Death of Cleitus

  327

  Alexander’s marriage to Roxane

  Hermolaus conspiracy

  326

  Alexander’s troops refuse to march further

  325

  (Or winter 324) Cleopatra leaves Molossia for Macedonia 324

  Alexander marries daughter of Darius amid mass marriages of Macedonians and Greeks to Asian women

  Alexander appoints Craterus to succeed Antipater

  323

  Cassander arrives in Babylon

  (June 10) Alexander dies

  Settlement in Babylon

  Birth of Alexander IV

  Outbreak of Lamian War

  Cleopatra (and Olympias) negotiate marriage alliance with Leonnatus

  322

  Leonnatus dies raising siege of Lamia

  (?) Aeacides becomes king (or co-king) of Molossia Cleopatra leaves for Sardis

  320

  Perdiccas killed

  Antipater regent

  319

  Antipater returns to Macedonia with the kings

  (Late summer) Antipater dies; Polyperchon regent

  317

  Cassander invades Macedonia and allies with Adea Eurydice (Fall) Olympias and Polyperchon return to Macedonia Deaths of Adea Eurydice and Philip Arrhidaeus

  Surrender and death of Eumenes (late fall or winter 316) 316

  (Spring) surrender and death of Olympias; Cassander takes over

  310–309 Murders of Alexander IV and Heracles

  c. 308

  Murder of Cleopatra, daughter of Olympias

  c. 295

  Murder of Thessalonice, half sister of Alexander the Great

  Cadme

  =

  Alexander

  Cleopatra

  (the Molossian)

  Neoptolemus

  =?

  ybbas

  Troas I

  =

  Ar

  Neoptolemus

  Alexander III

  (the Great)

  of Macedonia

  =

  Olympias

  yps

  Phillip II of Macedonia

  Thar

  Alcetas I

  Cleopatra

  ? = ?

  = ?

  Alcetas

  yrrhus

  ybbas

  A

  Ar

  roas I

  = T

  Aeacides

  = Phthia

  Troas II

  Deidameia

  The Aeacid dynasty in the era of Olympias

  Europa

  by Cleopatra

  Meda

  Cleopatra II

  2 children

  by Alexander

  the Molossian

  Parysatis

  by Olympias

  Stateira II

  Philip II

  (360/59–336)

  Alexander III

  (336–323)

  by Roxane

  Alexander IV

  (323–311/10)

  ydice I

  ydice

  by Eur

  Amyntas

  by Barsine

  Heracles

  Perdiccas III

  by Cynnane

  (365–360/59)

  Adea Eur

  Amyntas III

  (393–370/69)

  Stateira I

  Alexander II

  (370/69–367)

  ydice

  ynoe

  =

  =

  Eur

  Ptolemy

  (367–365)

  by Philinna

  (323–317)

  Adea Eur

  (Phillip) Arrhidaeus

  Menelaus

  3 sons

  by Nicesipolis

  Thessalonice

  by Cassander

  (315–297)

  by Gygaea

  Phila 1

  Arrhidaeus

  ydice

  The Argead dynasty in the era of Olympias

  Cynnane

  Archelaus

  by Audata

  by Amyntas

  dea EurA

  Abbreviations

  AAA

  Athens Annals of Archaeology

  AC

  L’Antiquité classique

  AE

  Archaiologika Ephemeris

  AEMTH

  To archaiologiko ergo ste Makedonia kai Thrake AHB

  Ancient History Bulletin

  AHR

  American Historical Review

  AJA

  American Journal of Archaeology

  AJAH

  American Journal of Ancient History

  AJP

  American Journal of Philology

  AM

  Archaia Makedonia/Ancient Macedonia, Proceedings of the International Symposia on Ancient Macedonia.

  AncW

  Ancient World

  AncSoc

  Ancient Society

  AnnPisa

  Annali della Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa AR

  Archaeological Reports

  ArchN

  Archaeological News

  BCH

  Bulletin de correspondance hellénique

  BSA

  Annual of the British School at Athens

  BSRAA

  Bulletin de la Société Royal d’Archéologie d’Alexandrie CA
/>   Classical Antiquity

  CAH

  Cambridge Ancient History

  Choix

  F. Dürrbach, Choix d’inscriptions de Délos, Paris, 1921

  CJ

  Classical Journal

  CP

  Classical Philology

  CQ

  Classical Quarterly

  CW

  Classical World

  EchCl

  Echos du monde classique/Classical Views

  Ergon

  Ergon tes archaiologikes Etaireias

  EtPap

  Études de papyrologie

  FGrH

  F. Jacoby, Die Fragmente der griechischen Historiker, Leiden, 1993

  FHG

  C. Müller, Fragmenta Historicorum Graecorum, Paris, 1849–51

  xvi Abbreviations

  FlorIlib

  Florentia Iliberritana

  G&R

  Greece and Rome

  GHI

  M. N. Tod, A Selection of Greek Historical Inscriptions, Vols. 1 and 2, Oxford, 1946 and 1948

  GRBS

  Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies

  HSCP

  Harvard Studies in Classical Philology

  HThR

  Harvard Theological Review

  ID

  F. Dürrbach, Inscriptions de Délos, Paris, 1929

  IG

  Incriptiones Graecae

  JHS

  Journal of Hellenic Studies

  LCM

  Liverpool Classical Monthly

  LSJ

  H. G. Liddell, R. Scott, and H. Stuart Jones,

  Greek–English Lexicon, 9th edn, Oxford, 1940

  MDAI(A)

  Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts Abteilung Athens

  NC

  Numismatic Chronicle

  OGIS

  W. Dittenberger, Orientis Graecae Inscriptiones Selectae, Leipzig, 1903–5

  PCPhS

  Proceedings of the Cambridge Philological Society P&P

  Past and Present

  PF

  Philosophical Forum

  PP

  La Parola del Passato

  RE

  A. Pauly, G. Wissowa, and W. Kroll, Realencyclopädie des classischen Altertumswissenschaft, Stuttgart, 1893–

  REA

  Revue des études anciennes

  REG

  Revue des études grecques

  RendIstLomb

  Rendiconti. Istituto lombardo, Accademia di scienze e lettere

  RFIC

  Rivista di filologia e d’istruzione classica

  RhM

  Rheinisches Museum

  RIDA

  Revue internationale des droits de l’antiquité RN

  Revue numismatique

  RSA

  Rivista storica dell’antichita

  SEG

  Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum

  SIG