Neoptolemus I of Epirus ( el, Νεοπτόλεμος Α' Ηπείρου) (370–357 BC) was a

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

king of

Epirus sq, Epiri rup, Epiru , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Historical region , image_map = Epirus antiquus tabula.jpg , map_alt = , map_caption = Map of ancient Epirus by Heinrich ...

and son of Alcetas I, and father of Troas, Alexander I of Epirus and Queen

Olympias Olympias ( grc-gre, Ὀλυμπιάς; c. 375–316 BC) was a Greek princess of the Molossians, and the eldest daughter of king Neoptolemus I of Epirus, the sister of Alexander I of Epirus, the fourth wife of Philip II, the king of Macedonia a ...

. He was the maternal grandfather of

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...

. He claimed he was a descendant of hero

Achilles In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus ( grc-gre, Ἀχιλλεύς) was a hero of the Trojan War, the greatest of all the Greek warriors, and the central character of Homer's '' Iliad''. He was the son of the Nereid Thetis and Pe ...

and King

Lycomedes In Greek mythology, Lycomedes ( grc, Λυκομήδης), also known as Lycurgus, was the most prominent king of the Dolopians in the island of Scyros near Euboea during the Trojan War. Family Lycomedes was the father of seven daughters in ...

, while Emperor

Caracalla Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (born Lucius Septimius Bassianus, 4 April 188 – 8 April 217), better known by his nickname "Caracalla" () was Roman emperor from 198 to 217. He was a member of the Severan dynasty, the elder son of Emperor ...

claimed that he was a descendant of Neoptolemus I. Olympias was originally known as ''Polyxena'' and it is possible that Neoptolemus gave her that name.

Etymology

Roman - Medallion with Olympias - Walters 592 - Reverse

His name means "new war". This was also a name of the son of the warrior Achilles and the Princess Deidamia in

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities of ...

, and also the mythical progenitor of the ruling dynasty of the Molossians of ancient Epirus.

Reign

On the death of Alcetas, Neoptolemus and his brother Arybbas agreed to divide the kingdom, and continued to rule their respective portions without any interruption of the harmony between them, until the death of Neoptolemus, which, according to

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

historian Johann Gustav Droysen, may be placed about 360 BC. The first epigraphical evidence of the

Molossian The Molossians () were a group of ancient Greek tribes which inhabited the region of Epirus in classical antiquity. Together with the Chaonians and the Thesprotians, they formed the main tribal groupings of the northwestern Greek group. On the ...

League goes back to 370 BC under Neoptolemus.Cabanes, L'Épire 534,1
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Notes

References

* Pausanias i. 11. §§ 1, 3 * Justin vii. 6. § 10, xvii. 3. § 14 * Droysen, Hellenismus, vol. i. p. 250 {{DEFAULTSORT:Neoptolemus 01 Of Epirus Rulers of Ancient Epirus 4th-century BC Greek people 4th-century BC rulers Year of birth unknown 350s BC deaths

Etymology

Reign

See also

Notes

References