Parysatis II
Encyclopedia
Parysatis, the youngest daughter of Artaxerxes III of Persia
, married Alexander the Great in 324 BC at the Susa weddings
. She may have been murdered by Alexander's first wife, Roxana
, in 323 BC.
. After her father's murder in 338 BC, her brother Arses
ruled briefly, before being succeeded by their second cousin, Darius III
, in 336 BC. It is likely that after her father's death, Parysatis and her sisters continued to live at the Persian court. During Darius's campaign against the invasion by Alexander the Great, Parysatis and her sisters, along with many other members of the Persian elite, accompanied the Persian army. Following the Battle of Issus
in 333 BC, Parysatis and many of her relatives were captured in Damascus by Macedonian general Parmenion
.
with the women of Darius's family while Alexander led a campaign in India. According to Arrian
, in 324 Parysatis married Alexander at Susa. On the same day, Alexander married Darius's eldest daughter, Stateira
. By wedding both women, Alexander cemented his ties to both branches of the royal family of the Achaemenid Empire
. The marriage celebration
lasted five days. During that time, 90 other Persian noblewomen were married to Macedonian and other Greek soldiers who were loyal to Alexander.
After the marriage, there are no further written accounts that refer to Parysatis by name; however, some historians, including Elizabeth Donnelly Carney, believe that in an account of the death of Stateira, Plutarch
misidentified Parysatis as Stateira's sister Drypetis. In Plutarch's history, after Alexander's death in 323 BC, his first wife, Roxana
, ordered the murder of Stateira and her sister in order to cement her own position and that of her son, Alexander
. Carney maintains that Parysatis "makes more sense as a murder victim". If Parysatis were Alexander's wife, then, like Stateira, there was a possibility that she could be – or could claim to be – pregnant with his child, and thus pose a threat to Roxana.
Artaxerxes III of Persia
Artaxerxes III of Persia , was the Great King of Persia and the eleventh Emperor of the Achaemenid Empire, as well as the first Pharaoh of the 31st dynasty of Egypt. He was the son and successor of Artaxerxes II and was succeeded by his son, Arses of Persia...
, married Alexander the Great in 324 BC at the Susa weddings
The susa weddings
The Susa Weddings was a mass wedding arranged by Alexander of Macedon in 324 BC in the Persian city of Susa.Alexander intended to symbolically unite the Persian and Macedonian cultures, by taking a Persian wife himself and celebrating a mass wedding with Persian ceremony along with his officers,...
. She may have been murdered by Alexander's first wife, Roxana
Roxana
Roxana sometimes Roxane, was a Bactrian noble and a wife of Alexander the Great. She was born earlier than the year 343 BC, though the precise date remains uncertain....
, in 323 BC.
Early life
Parysatis was the youngest daughter of Artaxerxes III of PersiaArtaxerxes III of Persia
Artaxerxes III of Persia , was the Great King of Persia and the eleventh Emperor of the Achaemenid Empire, as well as the first Pharaoh of the 31st dynasty of Egypt. He was the son and successor of Artaxerxes II and was succeeded by his son, Arses of Persia...
. After her father's murder in 338 BC, her brother Arses
Arses of Persia
Artaxerxes IV Arses was king of Persia between 338 BC and 336 BC. He was the youngest son of King Artaxerxes III and Atossa and was not expected to succeed to the throne of Persia...
ruled briefly, before being succeeded by their second cousin, Darius III
Darius III of Persia
Darius III , also known by his given name of Codomannus, was the last king of the Achaemenid Empire of Persia from 336 BC to 330 BC....
, in 336 BC. It is likely that after her father's death, Parysatis and her sisters continued to live at the Persian court. During Darius's campaign against the invasion by Alexander the Great, Parysatis and her sisters, along with many other members of the Persian elite, accompanied the Persian army. Following the Battle of Issus
Battle of Issus
The Battle of Issus occurred in southern Anatolia, in November 333 BC. The invading troops, led by the young Alexander of Macedonia, defeated the army personally led by Darius III of Achaemenid Persia in the second great battle for primacy in Asia...
in 333 BC, Parysatis and many of her relatives were captured in Damascus by Macedonian general Parmenion
Parmenion
Parmenion was a Macedonian general in the service of Philip II of Macedon and Alexander the Great, murdered on a suspected false charge of treason....
.
Alexander
It is possible that Parysatis remained at SusaSusa
Susa was an ancient city of the Elamite, Persian and Parthian empires of Iran. It is located in the lower Zagros Mountains about east of the Tigris River, between the Karkheh and Dez Rivers....
with the women of Darius's family while Alexander led a campaign in India. According to Arrian
Arrian
Lucius Flavius Arrianus 'Xenophon , known in English as Arrian , and Arrian of Nicomedia, was a Roman historian, public servant, a military commander and a philosopher of the 2nd-century Roman period...
, in 324 Parysatis married Alexander at Susa. On the same day, Alexander married Darius's eldest daughter, Stateira
Stateira II
Stateira II , possibly also known as Barsine, was the daughter of Stateira I and Darius III of Persia. After her father's defeat at the Battle of Issus, Stateira and her sisters became captives of Alexander of Macedon. They were treated well, and she became Alexander's second wife at the Susa...
. By wedding both women, Alexander cemented his ties to both branches of the royal family of the Achaemenid Empire
Achaemenid Empire
The Achaemenid Empire , sometimes known as First Persian Empire and/or Persian Empire, was founded in the 6th century BCE by Cyrus the Great who overthrew the Median confederation...
. The marriage celebration
The susa weddings
The Susa Weddings was a mass wedding arranged by Alexander of Macedon in 324 BC in the Persian city of Susa.Alexander intended to symbolically unite the Persian and Macedonian cultures, by taking a Persian wife himself and celebrating a mass wedding with Persian ceremony along with his officers,...
lasted five days. During that time, 90 other Persian noblewomen were married to Macedonian and other Greek soldiers who were loyal to Alexander.
After the marriage, there are no further written accounts that refer to Parysatis by name; however, some historians, including Elizabeth Donnelly Carney, believe that in an account of the death of Stateira, Plutarch
Plutarch
Plutarch then named, on his becoming a Roman citizen, Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus , c. 46 – 120 AD, was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia...
misidentified Parysatis as Stateira's sister Drypetis. In Plutarch's history, after Alexander's death in 323 BC, his first wife, Roxana
Roxana
Roxana sometimes Roxane, was a Bactrian noble and a wife of Alexander the Great. She was born earlier than the year 343 BC, though the precise date remains uncertain....
, ordered the murder of Stateira and her sister in order to cement her own position and that of her son, Alexander
Alexander IV of Macedon
Alexander IV Aegus was the son of Alexander the Great and Princess Roxana of Bactria.-Birth:...
. Carney maintains that Parysatis "makes more sense as a murder victim". If Parysatis were Alexander's wife, then, like Stateira, there was a possibility that she could be – or could claim to be – pregnant with his child, and thus pose a threat to Roxana.