The Daughter Of Neoptolemus : A Biography Of Olympias, The Mother Of Alexander The Great

The Daughter Of Neoptolemus : A Biography Of Olympias, The Mother Of Alexander The Great

The Daughter of Neoptolemus: A Biography of Olympias, the Mother of Alexander the GreatPublication date: July 1993Edition: FirstSpecifications: 418 pages, timeline of important dates in early Macedonian history, glossary, genealogy, 5.5 x 8.5 trim with blue glossy cover, black and white letteringCIP/LC: 93-073512ISBN: 1-884191-01-0From the AuthorAs an undergraduate student of Macedonian history, I became enamored of Olympias, the mother of Alexander the Great. What fascinated me most was the way she was vilified as a witch-like character, a murderess, and an immensely destructive force at one of the most fascinating points in human history; yet, at the same time she was a devoted wife and mother, a national leader who was left behind as regent while her husband, Philip II and son, Alexander the Great, were away at war for years, and an intellectual who practiced medicine and engaged in dialog with individuals like Aristotle. What struck me most was learning that she began her life as a priestess at Dodona who met her future husband on a pilgrimage to Samothraki. Finally, I discovered that at 62-years-old, Olympias rode a horse at the head of an army at the request of the Macedonian people to take back the rule of Macedonia from the usurper, Cassander. When Olympias rode toward the Macedonians and the army of her enemy, all were silent and fell to their knees with heads bowed and weapons lowered. This was no ordinary woman nor could she possibly be the demoness that historians depict her as. When I stood near the spot where scholars found a tombstone they believe may be hers, I promised to speak for her, to tell the story of this great lady and leader in Macedonian history.From the Back CoverShe was the daughter of King Neoptolemus of Epirus, a descendant of the Trojan, Phthian, and Olympian dynasties, a priestess of the Oak-god at Dodona, an initiate into the Sacred Mysteries of the great gods of Samothrace, the wife of Philip II of Macedonia, and the mother of Alexander the Great.