BMVB1452-Justus Sustermans-La familia de Darius davant Alexandre el Gran

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, Dari ...

of the

Achaemenid dynasty The Achaemenid dynasty (Old Persian: ; Persian: ; Ancient Greek: ; Latin: ) was an ancient Persian royal dynasty that ruled the Achaemenid Empire, an Iranian empire that stretched from Egypt and Southeastern Europe in the west to the ...

. 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, 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 ...

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 Issus may refer to: * Issus (Cilicia), an ancient settlement in the modern Turkish province of Hatay ** Battle of Issus, in 333 BC, in which Alexander the Great defeated Darius III * Issus (river), a river near the town and battle site * Issus (di ...

.Arrian, The Anabasis of AlexanderPlutarch, Parallel Lives: Life of Alexander Her husband abandoned his entire family at the site as he fled from Alexander, including his mother Sisygambis 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. 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 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 Hephaestion ( grc, Ἡφαιστίων ''Hephaistíon''; c. 356 BC – October 324 BC), son of Amyntor, was an ancient Macedonian nobleman and a general in the army of Alexander the Great. He was "by far the dearest of all the ...

. 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 ...

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 become ...

, one of Alexander's generals. Upon hearing the news of Alexander's death, Sisygambis 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