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Stateira ( gr, Στάτειρα; 370 BC - early 332 BC) was a queen of Persia as the wife of
Darius III of Persia
Darius III ( peo, 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁 ; grc-gre, Δαρεῖος ; c. 380 – 330 BC) was the last Achaemenid King of Kings of Persia, reigning from 336 BC to his death in 330 BC.
Contrary to his predecessor Artaxerxes IV Arses, Dariu ...
of the
Achaemenid dynasty.
She was possibly the sister of her husband. She accompanied her husband while he went to war. It was because of this that she was captured by
Alexander the Great
Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, wikt:Ἀλέξανδρος, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Maced ...
after the
Battle of Issus
The Battle of Issus (also Issos) occurred in southern Anatolia, on November 5, 333 BC between the Hellenic League led by Alexander the Great and the Achaemenid Empire, led by Darius III. It was the second great battle of Alexander's conquest of ...
, in 333 BC at the town of
Issus.
[Arrian, The Anabasis of Alexander][Plutarch, Parallel Lives: Life of Alexander] Her husband abandoned his entire family at the site as he fled from Alexander, including his mother
Sisygambis
Sisygambis (died 323 BCE) was the mother of Darius III of Persia, whose reign was ended during the wars of Alexander the Great. After she was captured by Alexander at the Battle of Issus, she became devoted to him, and Alexander referred to her a ...
and his daughters
Stateira II
Stateira ( el, Στάτειρα; died 323 BC), possibly also known as Barsine, was the daughter of Stateira and Darius III of Persia. After her father's defeat at the Battle of Issus, Stateira and her sisters became captives of Alexander ...
and
Drypetis
Drypetis (died 323 BCE; sometimes Drypteis) was the daughter of Stateira I and Darius III of Persia. Drypetis was born between 350 and 345 BCE, and, along with her sister Stateira II, was a princess of the Achaemenid dynasty.
Capture and marriage ...
. Alexander is reported to have treated them with great respect.
Stateira died giving birth to a son, Ochus in early 332 BC.
She was given a splendid burial by Alexander, befitting her status as the wife of the Great King of Persia.
Darius' mother
Sisygambis
Sisygambis (died 323 BCE) was the mother of Darius III of Persia, whose reign was ended during the wars of Alexander the Great. After she was captured by Alexander at the Battle of Issus, she became devoted to him, and Alexander referred to her a ...
had a lifelong respect and genuine friendship with Alexander.
In 324 BC, her daughter,
Stateira, married Alexander, and her other daughter, Drypetis, married one of his lifetime companions,
Hephaestion. When Alexander died one year later these royal Persian women mourned his death, further indicating personal relationships rather than merely diplomatic ones. According to Plutarch, both of her daughters were assassinated by another wife of Alexander,
Roxana
Roxana (c. 340 BC – 310 BC, grc, Ῥωξάνη; Old Iranian: ''*Raṷxšnā-'' "shining, radiant, brilliant"; sometimes Roxanne, Roxanna, Rukhsana, Roxandra and Roxane) was a Sogdian or a Bactrian princess whom Alexander the Great married a ...
and
Perdiccas
Perdiccas ( el, Περδίκκας, ''Perdikkas''; 355 BC – 321/320 BC) was a general of Alexander the Great. He took part in the Macedonian campaign against the Achaemenid Empire, and, following Alexander's death in 323 BC, rose to becom ...
, one of Alexander's generals. Upon hearing the news of Alexander's death,
Sisygambis
Sisygambis (died 323 BCE) was the mother of Darius III of Persia, whose reign was ended during the wars of Alexander the Great. After she was captured by Alexander at the Battle of Issus, she became devoted to him, and Alexander referred to her a ...
said farewell to her family, turned to the wall, and fasted herself to death.
Historical novels and film
* Stateira is a minor character in ''The Conqueror's Wife'' by Stephanie Thornton, 2015, Softcover
* In Oliver Stone's 2004 movie ''Alexander'', Stateira is played by
Annelise Hesme
Annelise Hesme (born 11 May 1976) is a French actress. Her older sister Élodie Hesme and younger sister Clotilde Hesme are also actresses.
Born in Beaumont, Puy-de-Dôme, Auvergne, France.
Hesme has appeared in many films such as '' Tanguy'' ...
References
External links
Pothos.org - Stateira, mother and daughter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stateira 01
4th-century BC births
330s BC deaths
4th-century BC women
Deaths in childbirth
Women in Hellenistic warfare
Women in ancient Near Eastern warfare
Queens of the Achaemenid Empire
4th-century BC Iranian people
Darius III