Olympias
(c. 375–316 BCE)
BIRTH
c. 375 BCE
PLACE
Epirus
DEATH
316 BCE
PLACE
Unknown
FAMILY
HUSBAND
Philip II of Macedon
(c. 382–336 BCE)
CHILDREN
Alexander the Great
(356 BC-323 BC)
HOMES
RELIGIOUS VIEWS
RELIGION NOT DOCUMENTED
DENOMINATION NOT DOCUMENTED
MEMBERSHIPS
AWARDS
Olympias was an Epirote princess, a wife of Philip II of Macedon and the mother of Alexander the Great and Cleopatra of Macedon. She remained politically active during the wars that followed Alexander’s death.
EARLY LIFE
Born in Epirus, she was a daughter of King Neoptolemus. She was also known as Myrtale. She married Philip around 357 BCE; sources differ on her ordinal place among his wives.
Olympias remained a political actor after Alexander the Great’s death, taking part in the struggles over his succession.
CAREER
DEATH
After her forces were defeated, Olympias was captured at Pydna and killed in 316 BCE on the orders of Cassander.
POPULAR BIOGRAPHIES
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