Olympias (in Greek, Ολυμπιάς; ca. 376–316 BC) was an Epirote princess, the fourth wife of the king Philip II of Macedon, the mother of Alexander the Great and queen consort of Macedon. A devout worshipper of the Greek god Dionysus, she was said to have kept pet snakes. Olympias apparently was originally named Myrtale (or 'Mistilis'^[1]). Later she may have been called Olympias as a recognition of Philip's victory in the Olympic Games of 356 BC.^[2] As a child she was called Polyxena and then, at marriage, Myrtale; later she was also known as Olympias and Stratonice.^[3] Epirus, spanning Greece and Albania. ... For other uses, see Princess (disambiguation). ... Philip II of Macedon: victory medal (niketerion) struck in Tarsus, 2nd c. ... Ancient Macedons regions and towns Macedon or Macedonia (Greek ) was the name of an ancient kingdom in the northern-most part of ancient Greece, bordered by the kingdom of Epirus to the west and the region of Thrace to the east. ... For the film of the same name, see Alexander the Great (1956 film). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... God, as a male deity, contrasts with female deities, or goddesses while the term goddess specifically refers to a female deity, words like gods and deities can be applied to all gods collectively, regardless of gender. ... This article is about the ancient deity. ...

Life

Olympias was daughter of Neoptolemus, king of Epirus,^[4] descent from the lineage of Aeacidae (a well respected family of Greece). Neoptolemus was named after the son of Achilles, from whom the family claimed descent. Her brother was Alexander I of Epirus,^[5] a kingdom ruled later by Pyrrhus. When her father died ca. 360 BC, his brother and successor Arymbas (grandfather of Pyrrhus) made a treaty with the new king of Macedonia, Philip II of Macedon. The alliance was cemented with a diplomatic marriage: Arymbas' niece Olympias became queen of Macedonia in 359 BC. The name Epirus, from the Greek Ήπειρος meaning continent may refer to: // Epirus (region) - a historical and geographical region of the southwestern Balkans, straddling modern Greece and Albania Epirus (periphery) - one of the thirteen peripheries (administrative divisions) of Greece. ... Aeacidae refers to the descendants of Aeacus, most notably Peleus, son of Aeacus, and Achilles, grandson of Aeacus. ... For other uses, see Achilles (disambiguation). ... Alexander I of Epirus (c. ... Pyrrhus of Epirus Pyrrhus (318-272 BC) (Greek: Πύρρος) was one of the most successful ancient Greek generals of the Hellenistic era. ... Armbas was the king of Epirus and suceeded Neoptolemes in the year 360 bc who made an treaty of alliance with Philip of Macedonia,future father of Alexander the Great by giving his niece,OLympias ,mother of the demigod Alexander the Great. ... Pyrrhus of Epirus Pyrrhus (318-272 BC) (Greek: Πύρρος) was one of the most successful ancient Greek generals of the Hellenistic era. ...

It is said that Philip II had first fallen in love with Olympias when they were among the initiates into the Kabeiria Mysteries of Dionysus in the Greek island of Samothrace. Their marriage was stormy, however, and Olympias returned to Epirus in the fall of 357 BC, wintering there and having an adulterous affair.^[6] Late in spring 356 BC, under pressure from her uncle, the Epirotan king Arymbas, she returned to Pella, the Macedonian capital. Upon her return, she was pregnant, and she bore her son Alexander in late July 356 BC. Not long afterwards (late spring 355 BC) she also bore Philip a daughter, Cleopatra. This article is about the ancient deity. ... Coordinates 40°29′ N 25°31′ E Country Greece Periphery East Macedonia and Thrace Prefecture Evros Population 2,723 source (2001) Area 178. ... Location of Pella Pella (Greek Πέλλα) is a city in Greece founded by the ancient Macedonians. ... Cleopatra of Macedonia (ca. ...

Despite the arrival of his first legitimate son (he had already fathered another illegitimate son, Philip III), Philip II was scorned for having a child not of "pure Macedonian blood". Angry at her husband for not accepting Alexander, Olympias insisted it was Zeus, King of the Gods, who had impregnated her while she slept under an oak tree (which were sacred to him). Alexander appeared to have believed the tale, as he later sought confirmation of his divine descent at the sanctuary of Zeus Ammon (of the sands) in the Siwa Oasis in Egypt. Philip III (Arrhidaeus) (c. ... For other uses, see Zeus (disambiguation). ... The Siwa Oasis is an oasis in Egypt, located between the Qattara Depression and the Egyptian Sand Sea in the Libyan Desert. ...

Olympias was angered by Philip's marriage to Cleopatra Eurydice, in 337 BC. She was not angry because Philip had chosen a new woman to be his wife — indeed, he had several lovers, both male and female, and multiple wives — but because upon marrying Eurydice he divorced Olympias and disowned their son, Alexander. At the wedding banquet, Cleopatra Eurydice's guardian Attalus wished that the new couple would produce "legitimate heirs" together. Eurydice (Ευρυδικη), née Cleopatra (Κλεοπάτρα). Mid. ... Attalus (in Greek Άτταλος, c. ...

ruins of the Temple of Apollo

Accompanied by Alexander, Olympias withdrew for approximately a year to Epirus, where her brother Alexander I of Epirus was now king. She and her son returned to Pella after an apparent reconciliation, or at least cessation of hostilities; Philip had cemented his ties to Alexander I by offering him the hand of his and Olympias' daughter Cleopatra in marriage. At the wedding soon afterwards, Philip was murdered; it is unclear whether Olympias had anything to do with its planning or that Alexander, her son, was in on the murder. It is only known for sure that Alexander had the body of Philip's assassin (Pausanias of Orestis) crucified and left on public display as a criminal for many days. The head of the body of Pausanias was found to have on it a golden crown, supposedly put there by Olympias. Pausanias' body was ultimately taken down from the crucifixion cross and placed over Philip's body. The two were cremated together in a typical Macedonian rite. Olympias dedicated a memorial to Pausanias. The sword used by Pausanias to kill Philip was hung in the temple of Apollo at Delphi, per special orders from Olympias herself, under the name Mistilis.^[7]
Photo of temple of Apollo at Delphi, taken October 1992 by Stan Shebs and licensed under GFDL, 650px across File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Photo of temple of Apollo at Delphi, taken October 1992 by Stan Shebs and licensed under GFDL, 650px across File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Epirus, spanning Greece and Albania. ... Alexander I of Epirus (c. ... Location of Pella Pella (Greek Πέλλα) is a city in Greece founded by the ancient Macedonians. ... Cleopatra of Macedonia (ca. ... Pausanias of Orestis was a member of Philip II of Macedons somatophylakes, his personal bodyguard. ...

Delphi Sarcophagus

Olympias murdered Caranus, son of Philip and his last wife, Cleopatra Eurydice. She also murdered Caranus's sister, Europa, and forced Cleopatra Eurydice to hang herself. During the absence of Alexander, with whom she regularly corresponded on public as well as domestic affairs, she wielded great influence in Macedon, causing trouble to the regent, Antipater.^[8] Antipater (Greek: Αντίπατρος Antipatros; c. ...

Upon Alexander's death in 323 BC, Olympias withdrew again into Epirus. She supported her grandson Alexander, son of Alexander the Great, and in 317 BC, allied with Polyperchon who had succeeded Antipater in 319 BC. Olympias took the field with an Epirote army in an attempt to drive Cassander, Antipater's son, from power in Macedon. Alexander IV Aegus (in Greek, Aλέξανδρος Aιγός — 323–309 BC) was the son of Alexander III of Macedon and the princess Roxana, of Bactria. ... Polyperchon (394 - 303 BC) was a Macedonian general who served under Philip II and Alexander the Great, accompanying Alexander throughout his long journeys. ...  Kingdom of Cassander Other diadochi  Kingdom of Seleucus  Kingdom of Lysimachus  Kingdom of Ptolemy  Epirus Other  Carthage  Rome  Greek colonies Cassander (in Greek, Κάσσανδρος — Kassandros, ca. ...

When she engaged Eurydice III (Philip's granddaughter through his wife Audata) in battle, Eurydice's troops defected to Olympias, unwilling to fight against the mother of Alexander. Olympias imprisoned Eurydice and her husband Philip Arrhidaeus; he was executed and Eurydice was forced to hang herself. For a short period Olympias was mistress of Macedonia. Eurydice (in Greek Eυρυδικη; died 317 BC) was daughter of Amyntas IV, son of Perdiccas III, king of Macedonia, and Cynane, daughter of Philip II. Her real name appears to have been Adea1; at what time it was changed to that of Eurydice we are not... Philip III (Arrhidaeus) (c. ...

Cassander hastened from Peloponnesus, and, after an obstinate siege, compelled the surrender of Pydna, where Olympias had taken refuge. One of the terms of the capitulation had been that Olympias' life should be spared. In spite of this, she was brought to trial for the numerous and cruel executions of which she had been guilty during her short span of power. Condemned without a hearing, she was put to death in 316 BC by the friends of those whom she had slain. Cassander is said to have denied her remains the rites of burial. Peloponnesos (Greek: Πελοπόννησος, sometime Latinized as Peloponnesus or Anglicized as The Peloponnese) is a large peninsula in Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Isthmus of Corinth. ... Pydna is also an rocket station of the American Army in Germany, see Pydna (rocket station) Pydna (in Greek: Πύδνα, older transliteration: Púdna), also Pidna was a Greek city in Ancient Macedonia, the most important in Pieria. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

Olympias in the modern world

• Angelina Jolie portrayed Queen Olympias in Oliver Stone's 2004 biopic Alexander, opposite Colin Farrell as Alexander the Great and Val Kilmer as Philip II.
• Olympias is a character in Mary Renault's historical novels Fire from Heaven and Funeral Games.

Angelina Jolie (born Angelina Jolie Voight on June 4, 1975) is an American film actor, a former fashion model, and a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency. ... William Oliver Stone (born September 15, 1946), known as Oliver Stone, is a three-time Academy Award winning film director and screenwriter. ... A biographical film or biopic is a film about a particular person or group of people, based on events that actually happened. ... Alexander is a 2004 epic film, based on the life of Alexander the Great. ... Colin James Farrell (born May 31, 1976) is an Irish actor who has appeared in several high-profile Hollywood films including Daredevil, Miami Vice, Minority Report, Phone Booth, Alexander, In Bruges. ... Val Edward Kilmer[1] (born December 31, 1959) is an American actor. ... Mary Renault (pronounced Ren-olt[1]) (4 September 1905 – 13 December 1983) born Mary Challans, was an English writer best known for her historical novels set in Ancient Greece. ... Look up historical fiction in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Fire From Heaven is a historical novel by Mary Renault about the childhood and youth of Alexander the Great. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

See also

• Olympias, reconstruction of Greek trireme.

Olympias is a reconstruction of an ancient Athenian trireme. ...

Further reading

• Robin Lane Fox, Alexander the Great. 1994 ISBN 0-14-008878-4

External links

• Olympias at Livius - articles on ancient history
• Death of Philip: Murder or Assassination?

Footnotes

References

Primary sources

• Orosius, Historiae adversus paganos iii.14, 23.30-32
• Justinus, Epitome Historiarum philippicarum Pompei Trogi vii.6.10, ix.5-7, xiv.5-6

Secondary sources

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.