Notorious Women in the Age of Glorious Men: Influential Women of the Early Hellenistic Period

Phillip II and his son Alexander the Great created the Macedonian empire that stretched from the Danube to the Indus. After Alexander’s death, his generals dismantled the empire and established their own rule over certain territories. Their names and deeds are preserved in the sources together with a few mentions of their wives, mothers, sisters, or daughters. In the background of it all, women played important roles that are frequently overlooked by the sources due to their gender. They were mostly used by men to ensure alliances, but some were ambitious enough to strive for leadership. This article will portray the lives of these notable women who used their influence to gain power, or were used by others to secure their own position. Most influential are Olympias, Kleopatra, Antipater’s daughters, Kynane, Adaia-Eurydike, Thessalonike, Barsine, Roxane, Apama, Amastris, Stratonice, Berenike, Arsinoe II, and the hetairai. The article will determine the importance of these women and the role they played in the world of ambitious men