Ada of Caria ( grc, Ἄδα) (

fl. ''Floruit'' (; abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for "they flourished") denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indicatin ...

377 – 326 BC)377 BC is the date of her father's death: was a member of the House of Hecatomnus (the

Hecatomnids The Hecatomnid dynasty or Hecatomnids were the rulers of Caria and surrounding areas BCE. The Hecatomnids were satraps (governors) under the Achaemenid Empire, although they ruled with considerable autonomy, and established a hereditary dynas ...

) and ruler of

Caria Caria (; from Greek: Καρία, ''Karia''; tr, Karya) was a region of western Anatolia extending along the coast from mid- Ionia (Mycale) south to Lycia and east to Phrygia. The Ionian and Dorian Greeks colonized the west of it and joine ...

during the mid-4th century BC, first as Persian

Satrap A satrap () was a governor of the provinces of the ancient Median and Achaemenid Empires and in several of their successors, such as in the Sasanian Empire and the Hellenistic empires. The satrap served as viceroy to the king, though with cons ...

and later as Queen under the auspices of Alexander III (the Great) of Macedon.

History

Ada was the daughter of

Hecatomnus Hecatomnus of Mylasa or Hekatomnos ( el, Ἑκατόμνος, Carian: 𐊴𐊭𐊪𐊵𐊫 ''k̂tmno'' “under-son, descendant(?)”) was an early 4th-century BC ruler of Caria. He was the satrap (governor) of Caria for the Persian Achaemenid k ...

satrap A satrap () was a governor of the provinces of the ancient Median and Achaemenid Empires and in several of their successors, such as in the Sasanian Empire and the Hellenistic empires. The satrap served as viceroy to the king, though with cons ...

, sister of

Mausolus Mausolus ( grc, Μαύσωλος or , xcr, ��𐊠��𐊸𐊫𐊦 ''Mauśoλ'') was a ruler of Caria (377–353 BCE) and a satrap of the Achaemenid Empire. He enjoyed the status of king or dynast by virtue of the powerful position created by ...

, Pixodarus, Artemisia, and

Idrieus Idrieus, or Hidrieus ( grc, Ἱδριεύς, Hidrieús; died 344 BC) was a ruler of Caria as a Satrap under the Achaemenid Empire. Alongside his sister and wife Ada, he enjoyed the status of king or dynast by virtue of the powerful position h ...

.Sears, Matthew A. (2014). p.213 Four of the siblings intermarried: Mausolus wed Artemisia, while Ada was married to her brother Idrieus. Pixodarus married outside of the family. Every child of Hecatomnus would govern over Caria at some point. Mausolus and Artemisia first ruled together, and after Mausolus' death, Artemisia ruled alone until she died in 344 BC. Idrieus and Ada ruled together for four years, until his death. During their rule, they kept close ties to the Hellenic world.Sears, Matthew A. (2014). p.217 The joint regents were mentioned as donors to the Temple of

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded as the patron and protectress of v ...

Tegea Tegea (; el, Τεγέα) was a settlement in ancient Arcadia, and it is also a former municipality in Arcadia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the Tripoli municipality, of which it is a municipal un ...

, and seem to have also been major patrons of

Delphi Delphi (; ), in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), in ancient times was a sacred precinct that served as the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient classical world. The orac ...

. After the death of her husband, Ada became the sole

of Caria, but was expelled by her brother Pixodarus in 340 BC. Upon his death in 335 BC, was succeeded by his own son-in-law, the Persian

Orontobates Orontobates (Old Persian: , Ancient Greek: ; lived 4th century BC) was a Persian, who married the daughter of Pixodarus, the usurping satrap of Caria, and was sent by the king of Persia to succeed him. Biography On the approach of Alexander ...

. Ada fled to the fortress of Alinda, where she maintained her rule in exile. When

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 ...

entered Caria in 334 BC, Ada adopted Alexander as her son and surrendered Alinda to him. Alexander accepted her offer and, in return, gave Ada formal command of the

Siege of Halicarnassus The siege of Halicarnassus was fought between Alexander the Great and the Achaemenid Persian Empire in 334 BC. Alexander, who had no navy, was constantly being threatened by the Persian navy. It continuously attempted to provoke an engagement ...

. After the fall of

Halicarnassus Halicarnassus (; grc, Ἁλικαρνᾱσσός ''Halikarnāssós'' or ''Alikarnāssós''; tr, Halikarnas; Carian: 𐊠𐊣𐊫𐊰 𐊴𐊠𐊥𐊵𐊫𐊰 ''alos k̂arnos'') was an ancient Greek city in Caria, in Anatolia. It was locate ...

, Alexander returned Alinda to Ada and made her queen of all of Caria. Ada's popularity with the populace in turn ensured the Carians' loyalty to Alexander. She was under the protection of Asander, Hellenistic satrap of

Lydia Lydia ( Lydian: ‎𐤮𐤱𐤠𐤭𐤣𐤠, ''Śfarda''; Aramaic: ''Lydia''; el, Λυδία, ''Lȳdíā''; tr, Lidya) was an Iron Age kingdom of western Asia Minor located generally east of ancient Ionia in the modern western Turkish pro ...

. File:Alinda Agora.JPG, Agora of Alinda, Ada's Stronghold. File:The siege and capture of Halicarnassus under Alexander the Great.jpg, The siege and capture of Halicarnassus under Alexander the Great

Ada sarcophagus

According to Turkish archaeologists, the tomb of Ada has been discovered, although this claim remains unresolved. Her remains are on display in the archaeological museum of Bodrum. Skeleton of Ada, Caria.jpg, Purported skeleton of Ada,

Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology Bodrum Castle ( tr, Bodrum Kalesi) is a historical fortification located in southwest Turkey in the port city of Bodrum, built from 1402 onwards, by the Knights of St John (Knights Hospitaller) as the ''Castle of St. Peter'' or ''Petronium''. A ...

File:Ada Bodrum Museum.jpg, Reconstruction of Ada, Bodrum Museum. She was 1.62m tall, and about 40 years old when she died. File:Bodrum Museum Carian Princess 3664.jpg, Wreath of Ada, Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology File:Bodrum Museum Carian Princess 3656.jpg, Room dedicated to the Carian Princess in the Bodrum Museum. File:Bodrum Museum Carian Princess 3661.jpg, Jewelry worn by the princess in the sarcophagus. File:Bodrum Museum Carian Princess 3659.jpg, Jewelry worn by the princess in the sarcophagus. File:Bodrum Museum Carian Princess 3665.jpg, Reconstruction of the head of the deceased, aged about 40.

Notes

References

*E.D. Carney, "Women and Dunasteia in Caria", ''American Journal of Philology'' 126 (2005), pp. 65–91. *W. Heckel, ''Who’s Who in the Age of Alexander the Great'', Oxford (Blackwell), 2006, p. 3 *Attilio Mastrocinque, ''La Caria e la Ionia meridionale in epoca ellenistica, 323-188 a. C.'' (Rome, 1979) *Stephen Ruzicka, ''Politics of a Persian dynasty : the Hecatomnids in the fourth century B.C.'' (1992) *

Simon Hornblower Simon Hornblower, FBA (born 1949) is an English classicist and academic. He is Professor of Classics and Ancient History in the University of Oxford and senior research fellow of All Souls College, Oxford. Biography Born in 1949, he was educate ...

, ''Mausolus'' (1982) *
Livius
by Jona Lendering

from Smith, ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'' (1867)

Includes a picture of the skeleton of Ada. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ada of Caria Carian people People from Muğla Achaemenid satraps of Caria Satraps of the Alexandrian Empire 4th-century BC women rulers Hecatomnid dynasty