Apama ( grc, Ἀπάμα, Apáma), sometimes known as Apama I or Apame I, was a

Sogdia Sogdia ( Sogdian: ) or Sogdiana was an ancient Iranian civilization between the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya, and in present-day Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Sogdiana was also a province of the Achaemenid Emp ...

n noblewoman and the wife of the first ruler of the

Seleucid Empire The Seleucid Empire (; grc, Βασιλεία τῶν Σελευκιδῶν, ''Basileía tōn Seleukidōn'') was a Greek state in West Asia that existed during the Hellenistic period from 312 BC to 63 BC. The Seleucid Empire was founded by the ...

Seleucus I Nicator Seleucus I Nicator (; ; grc-gre, Σέλευκος Νικάτωρ , ) was a Macedonian Greek general who was an officer and successor ( ''diadochus'') of Alexander the Great. Seleucus was the founder of the eponymous Seleucid Empire. In the po ...

. They married at Susa in 324 BC. According to

Arrian Arrian of Nicomedia (; Greek: ''Arrianos''; la, Lucius Flavius Arrianus; ) was a Greek historian, public servant, military commander and philosopher of the Roman period. ''The Anabasis of Alexander'' by Arrian is considered the best ...

, Apama was the daughter of the Sogdian baron

Spitamenes Spitamenes (Old Persian ''Spitamana''; Greek ''Σπιταμένης''; 370 BC – 328 BC) was a Sogdian warlordHolt, Frank L. (1989), ''Alexander the Great and Bactria: the Formation of a Greek Frontier in Central Asia'', Leiden, New York, Cope ...

. Apame was the only of the Susa wives to become queen as, unlike the other generals, Seleucus kept her after Alexander's death. Apama had three children with her husband:

Antiochus I Soter Antiochus I Soter ( grc-gre, Ἀντίοχος Σωτήρ, ''Antíochos Sōtér''; "Antiochus the Saviour"; c. 324/32 June 261 BC) was a Greek king of the Seleucid Empire. Antiochus succeeded his father Seleucus I Nicator in 281 BC and reigned d ...

who inherited the Seleucid throne, Achaeus, and a daughter also called Apama. Circa 300-297 BC, Seleucus married Stratonice, daughter of Demetrius I of Macedon, Seleucus had a daughter by Stratonice, who was called

Phila Phila may refer to a shortened name for the City of Philadelphia, U.S. It may also refer to: * Phila of Elimeia, sister of Derdas and wife of Philip II of Macedon *Phila (daughter of Antipater), wife of Balacrus, Craterus and Demetrius Poliorcete ...

.Chronicle of Johannes Malalas
/ref> According to Malalas's chronicle, he married her after the death of Apama but, according to other sources, she was still alive, as the people of Miletus honored her with a statue that year. According to

Appian Appian of Alexandria (; grc-gre, Ἀππιανὸς Ἀλεξανδρεύς ''Appianòs Alexandreús''; la, Appianus Alexandrinus; ) was a Greek historian with Roman citizenship who flourished during the reigns of Emperors of Rome Trajan, Ha ...

(57–8), her husband named three cities Apamea after her. Modern scholars consider them to be Apamea on the Orontes River, Apamea in the Euphrates and Apamea in Media.

Notes

4th-century BC women 4th-century BC Iranian people Seleucid royal consorts Sogdian people {{MEast-hist-stub