Deidamia II of Epirus
Encyclopedia
Deidamia or Deidameia or Laodamia (died c. 233 BC) was a princess
, daughter of Pyrrhus II of Epirus
, king of Epirus
. She had a sister, Nereis
, who married Gelo of Syracuse
. During a rebellion in Epirus her sister send her 800 mercenaries from Gaul
. Part of the Molossians supported her, and with the aid of the mercenaries she briefly took Ambracia. After the death of her father and that of her uncle Ptolemy
, she was the last surviving representative of the royal Aeacid dynasty. She threw herself into Ambracia
, but was induced by the offer of an honourable capitulation to surrender. The Epirotes, however, determining to secure their liberty by extirpating the whole royal family, resolved to put her to death; she fled for refuge to the temple of Artemis
, but was murdered in the sanctuary itself by Milo, a man already responsible of matricide, who shortly after this crime committed suicide. The date of this event cannot be accurately fixed, but it occurred during the reign of Demetrius II
in Macedon
ia (239–229 BC), and probably in the early part of it.
Another Deidamia was a daughter of Lycomedes
, king of Scyros, and mother of Pyrrhus
by Achilles
.
Princess
Princess is the feminine form of prince . Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or his daughters....
, daughter of Pyrrhus II of Epirus
Pyrrhus II of Epirus
Pyrrhus II was the son of Olympias II and Alexander II of Epirus. He was a brother of Ptolemy and Phthia of Macedon. He ruled as king of Epirus from 255 BC to 237 ВС...
, king of Epirus
Epirus
The name Epirus, from the Greek "Ήπειρος" meaning continent may refer to:-Geographical:* Epirus - a historical and geographical region of the southwestern Balkans, straddling modern Greece and Albania...
. She had a sister, Nereis
Nereis of Epirus
Nereis of Epirus was a daughter of Pyrrhus II. She was married, apparently long after her father's death, to Gelo, son of Hiero II, king of Syracuse, by whom she became the mother of the king Hieronymus of Syracuse. It appears that she outlived her sister Deidamia, and was thus the last surviving...
, who married Gelo of Syracuse
Gelo, son of Hiero II
Gelo, son of Hiero II was the eldest son of Hiero II, tyrant of Syracuse. After the huge defeat suffered by the Romans at Cannae, Gelo went over to the Carthaginian side and began making friendly overtures to the cities allied to Rome. Not long after these events, in 216 BC Gelo died. Livy suggests...
. During a rebellion in Epirus her sister send her 800 mercenaries from Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
. Part of the Molossians supported her, and with the aid of the mercenaries she briefly took Ambracia. After the death of her father and that of her uncle Ptolemy
Ptolemy of Epirus
Ptolemy ; 237 BC-died 234 ВС), king of Epirus, was the second son of Alexander II, king of Epirus, and Olympias, grandson of the great Pyrrhus and brother of Phthia of Macedon. He was named in honor of his late uncle Ptolemy, a late brother of his parents...
, she was the last surviving representative of the royal Aeacid dynasty. She threw herself into Ambracia
Ambracia
Ambracia, occasionally Ampracia , was an ancient Corinthian colony, situated about 7 miles from the Ambracian Gulf in Greece, on a bend of the navigable river Arachthos , in the midst of a fertile wooded plain.-History:...
, but was induced by the offer of an honourable capitulation to surrender. The Epirotes, however, determining to secure their liberty by extirpating the whole royal family, resolved to put her to death; she fled for refuge to the temple of Artemis
Artemis
Artemis was one of the most widely venerated of the Ancient Greek deities. Her Roman equivalent is Diana. Some scholars believe that the name and indeed the goddess herself was originally pre-Greek. Homer refers to her as Artemis Agrotera, Potnia Theron: "Artemis of the wildland, Mistress of Animals"...
, but was murdered in the sanctuary itself by Milo, a man already responsible of matricide, who shortly after this crime committed suicide. The date of this event cannot be accurately fixed, but it occurred during the reign of Demetrius II
Demetrius II of Macedon
Demetrius II Aetolicus son of Antigonus Gonatas and Phila, reigned as king of Macedonia from the winter of 239 to 229 BC. He belonged to the Antigonid dynasty and was born in 275 BC. There is a possibility that his father had already elevated to him to position of power equal to his own before his...
in Macedon
Macedon
Macedonia or Macedon was an ancient kingdom, centered in the northeastern part of the Greek peninsula, bordered by Epirus to the west, Paeonia to the north, the region of Thrace to the east and Thessaly to the south....
ia (239–229 BC), and probably in the early part of it.
Another Deidamia was a daughter of Lycomedes
Lycomedes
Lycomedes , in Greek mythology, was the King of Scyros during the Trojan War.-Lycomedes and Achilles:Before the war, Thetis sent her son Achilles, disguised as a girl, to Lycomedes's court, as a prophecy had decreed that he would die at Troy. It was there that Achilles married Lycomedes' daughter...
, king of Scyros, and mother of Pyrrhus
Pyrrhus
Pyrrhus or Pyrrhos or Pyrros may refer to the following figures from Greek history and mythology:* Pyrrhus or Neoptolemus, son of Achilles* Pyrrhus of Epirus , famous king, to whom the term Pyrrhic victory alludes...
by Achilles
Achilles
In Greek mythology, Achilles was a Greek hero of the Trojan War, the central character and the greatest warrior of Homer's Iliad.Plato named Achilles the handsomest of the heroes assembled against Troy....
.