A publication of the Archaeological Institute of America
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| Who's Who & What Happened When? | November 23, 2004 |
| by Mark Rose | |
A quick guide to the main characters in Alexander's life, and a basic chronology
We don't know how Oliver Stone is going to slice and dice history in his film, but the real story is complicated enough in terms of people, events, and dates. To help you navigate the story, here is ARCHAEOLOGY's guide to the most important characters and outline of the chronology of Alexander's life.
| People | |
| Alexander | king of Epiros, brother of Olympias and uncle of Alexander |
| Amyntas | son of Perdiccas III and heir to Macedonian throne (usurped by Philip in 359), married to Cynnane, Philip's daughter (through Illyrian woman Audata); both executed for an alleged plot against Alexander |
| Antigonus Monophthalmus (One-eyed) | Macedonian general, father of Demetrios Poliorcetes |
| Antipater | Macedonian nobleman and Alexander's regent |
| Arrhidaeus (Philip) | son of Philip (and Thessalian woman Philinna), born in 358/357; Plutarch blames Arrhidaeus' disability on a botched poisoning attempt by Olympias; married Adea Eurydice (daughter of Amyntas and Cynnane); both killed through machinations of Olympias |
| Attalus | Macedonian nobleman, uncle of Philip's last wife, Cleopatra (Eurydice), and brother-in-law of Philotas; killed by Parmenion on Alexander's orders. |
| Bagoas | eunuch in court of Darius III, became influential with Alexander |
| Barsine | daughter of Persian nobleman Artabazus, chief courtier of Darius, and wife of Rhodian mercenary captain Memnon; became mistress of Alexander and mother of his son Herakles (both later killed by Cassander) |
| Bessus | Persian governor of Bactria under Darius III, whom he later killed |
| Callisthenes | nephew of Aristotle, opposed Alexander's assumption of divine status and later executed for supposed complicity in plot led by Hermolaus |
| Cassander | son of Antipater; suggested as possible poisoner of Alexander (an unlikely thought); certainly responsible for the deaths of Olympias, Roxane and Alexander IV, and Barsine and Herakles; used his marriage to Thessalonike, Alexander's half-sister, to legitimize his claim to Macedonian throne |
| Cleopatra (1) | niece of Attalus married Philip II, precipitating breach with Olympias and Alexander; death of Cleopatra and infant daughter contrived by Olympias after Philip assassinated; Cleopatra is called Eurydice in one ancient source and is called that in Oliver Stone's movie as well |
| Cleopatra (2) | daughter of Philip and Olympias, Alexander's full sister; married to uncle, Alexander of Epiros |
| Clitus | commander of Alexander's cavalry; saves Alexander at Granicus, but killed by him in drunken rage at Maracanda in 327 |
| Craterus | perhaps Alexander's best general |
| Darius III | Persian king |
| Dymnus | Macedonian who plotted against Alexander |
| Eumenes | Greek secretary, and general, of Alexander |
| Hephaestion | general and closest of Alexander's friends; married Drypetis, daughter of Darius |
| Hermolaus | page in Alexander's court; conspired to kill Alexander, but the plot was exposed and he was tortured to death |
| Leonnatus | bodyguard and relative (through Philip's mother) of Alexander |
| Lysimachus | bodyguard of Alexander |
| Memnon | Rhodian mercenary in Persian service who began successful counterattack in Aegean and fostered rebellion among Greeks, but died of natural causes |
| Nearchus | commander of the fleet and Alexander's personal friend |
| Olympias | mother of Alexander and Cleopatra (2); arranged death of Cleopatra (1) (Philip's last wife) to protect Alexander's claim to the throne; after Alexandr died encompassed deaths of Arrhidaeus and Adea Eurydice to protect claim of Alexander IV, son of Alexander and Roxane; killed by order of Cassander in 315 |
| Oxyartes | Bactrian nobleman who surrenders to Alexander in 327, father of Roxane |
| Parmenion | chief Macedonian general until 330, father of Philotas; executed on Alexander's orders |
| Perdiccas | Macedonian general and friend of Alexander; missed opportunity to seize the throne after Alexander's death |
| Philotas | son of Parmenion and a cavalry commander. Aware of Dymnus' plot against Alexander, he did not expose it and was executed for complicity. |
| Polyperchon | Macedonian infantry officer |
| Ptolemy | Macedonian officer and friend of Alexander; diverted Alexander's funeral procession to Egypt; eventually established himself as king there (ancestor of Cleopatra, last to rule of his dynasty) |
| Roxane | daughter of Bactrian nobleman Oxyartes; married by Alexander and mother of his son Alexander IV, both killed ca. 310 by Cassander |
| Sisigambis | mother of Darius III; captured by Alexander and treated with respect by him |
| Spitamenes | Bactrian nobleman who leads revolt against Alexander |
| Stateira (1) | wife of Darius III; captured by Alexander |
| Stateira (2) | daughter of Darius III; captured by Alexander and married by him; likely killed by Roxane and Perdiccas after Alexander's death |
| Thais | Athenian courtesan and mistress of Ptolemy; instigated burning of Persepolis |
| Events & Dates | |
| 359 | Philip II becomes king of Macedonia |
| 358/57 | birth of Arrhidaeus son of Philip, later called Philip Arrhidaeus |
| 357 | Philip marries Olympias, sister of Alexander, king of Epiros |
| 356 | birth of Alexander |
| 338 | Macedonians defeat Greek coalition led by Thebes and Athens at Chaeronea |
| 336 | assassination of Philip; Alexander becomes king |
| 336/35 | executions of Amyntas (Alexander's cousin) and Attalus (uncle of Philip's last wife, Cleopatra) on Alexander's orders |
| 335 | revolt of Thebes; Alexander captures the city and orders its complete destruction, its citizens killed or enslaved |
| 334 | Alexander invades Asia Minor; victory at over Persians at Granicus; Sardis, Miletus, Halicarnassus captured |
| 333 | campaign in Asia Minor (Gordion), victory at over Darius at Issus in November (Darius' family captured) |
| 332 | sieges of Tyre and Gaza |
| 332/31 | Alexander visits temple of Ammon in the Siwa oasis |
| 331 | foundation of Alexandria in Egypt |
| 331 | Alexander defeats Darius at Guagamela on October 1; captures Babylon and Susa |
| 330 | burning of Persepolis; Darius killed; Philotas executed for conspiring against Alexander, Parmenion then killed |
| 329 | revolt of Spitamenes |
| 328 | capture of Sogdian Rock; Alexander kills Clitus at Maracanda |
| 328/27 | death of Spitamenes; Alexander marries Roxane |
| 327 | Alexander requires abasement of all who approach him, outraging some among the Macedonians; conspiracy of the pages against Alexander |
| 326 | battle with Indian king Porus; troops refuse to continue eastward |
| 326/25 | army travels down Indus River to coast |
| 325 | return to Persia |
| 324 | mass wedding at Susa of Macedonians to Persian women (Alexander marries Stateira and another princess); death of Hephaestion |
| 323 | Alexander dies at Babylon on June 10 |
 © 2004 by the Archaeological Institute of America archive.archaeology.org/online/features/alexander/whoswho.html |
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