Stateira, Who was she?

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What do you know about Stateira (Barsine)? How was her relationship with Alexander? Did she have any children with him (or anyone else)? Did she get along with Alexander's other wife, Roxane? Please send me any information you have about Stateira and her relationship with Alexande

-- Anonymous, February 13, 2003

Answers

I am mightily impressed by the amount of Alexander the Great trivia "Aimless" appears to know, that and the amount of time "Aimless" spends in this forum. "Aimless" by name....

-- Anonymous, November 24, 2003

Send you any information? If you asked to be emailed any responses from this forum, then I suppose such an email will be sent. Otherwise not.

Stateira was the daughter of Darius, the king of Persia whom Alexander had defeated. She became his second wife after Alexander had already conquered his way to the gates of India and then come back to Persia, acquiring his first wife, Roxanne, along the way. By that time Darius was dead and Alexander was firmly in power, with no rivals to be seen.

It was your straight dynastic marriage for political reasons. When Alexander died, it was rumored that Stateira was pregnant. Roxanne already had a boy baby and Stateira's child would be a formidable rival, if it were a boy. So Roxanne forged a message from Alexander (who was dead) summoning Stateira from Ecbatana to Babylon. She came accompanied by her sister, the widow of Hephaistion. When they reached the court Roxanne had them both murdered and their corpses dumped in a well.

Politics was a dirty business even back then.

-- Anonymous, February 14, 2003


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