Ghost on the Throne by James Romm was not an easy book to read. I have been reading it since the holidays and just finished it. I thought this book would go more into Ptolemy and the connection to Alexandria. The book just superficially touched upon the subject matter. (That is why I picked this one up in the first place. Cmon, Egypt is a big deal and Ptolemy really had a good thing going.) This book was more into the wars of succession between Peithon, Antipater and then Antigonus One Eye, Cassander and Eumenes. I must say that history is way better then TV as I did not like how it ended. If I were the author, I would have made Olympius the victor, not Cassander. Really??? Hollywood will back me up. But all kidding aside, this is a really good book. It breaks the events down into morsel sized bites so the reader can understand what is going on.
The book spans the time of Alexander's death in 323 BC to 316 BC. You are introduced to characters that you did not know just by reading Alexander's biography. Papers could be written on them all. Things that caught my attention:
Olympias and Philip II role in Alexander (The Great's) Life -
1. Further reading on Philip II is required.
2. Olympias - A very strong female role model! Girls take heed, nothing is too small for you to accomplish!
p284 - "Greek writers loved to contemplate women who resembled tragic heroines, and in Olympias they found all the parallels they could ask for. Born a neo-Trojan princess named Polyxena, she seemed to them to have lived her whole life in mythic roles. As Philip's wife, she had morphed into Medea, murderess of the princess who stole her Husband's affections; as mother of the dead Alexander, she resembled Hecuba grieving for the fallen Hector. As ruler of Macedonia, she evoked Clytemnestra, the iron-fisted queen of Argos, as well as Antigone, but an Antigone in reverse, driven by her passionate devotion to kin and unbury the dead. Whichever of these roles we cast her in, Olympias is undeniably a tragic figure."
p309 - "Olympias died at age 56 or 57. She had exercised more power than any woman in Europe up to her time, with the possible exception of her rival and victim Adea."
What happens in between is after Alexander's death, Olympias and her daughter Cleopatra flee Alexandra to Epirus. Olympias tries to get Cleopatra to marry one of Alexander's Companion generals, but that falls through. She then takes over as regent for her grandson, Alexander (Rhoxane's son) and allies with Polyperchon.
In the end, she makes a fierce stand, but was not able to withstand the siege put on by Cassander. Her royal party is starved out and she is finally taken prisoner by Cassander run through with a sword by his men. But the life and the example she led up to that point were phenomenal. Almost like Terentia, Cicero's wife, but wielding more power. [The book says Adea also had power, married to Alexander's half-brother, but it evident that Olympias wielded equal power for a much longer period of time.]
What influence did this have over Alexander? What influence did both parents have over Alexander? Those are some pretty big shoes to fill.
Which leads me to the next question which popped onto my radar this morning. Olympias's, Philip II and most of all,Alexander's life was quite extraordinary.
The book spans the time of Alexander's death in 323 BC to 316 BC. You are introduced to characters that you did not know just by reading Alexander's biography. Papers could be written on them all. Things that caught my attention:
Olympias and Philip II role in Alexander (The Great's) Life -
1. Further reading on Philip II is required.
- Unified Greece during 23 year reign
- Made first constitution
- Established a monarchy - Empire for his son to inherit
- Military advancements - many successful battles to enlarge empire's boundaries & military advancements
2. Olympias - A very strong female role model! Girls take heed, nothing is too small for you to accomplish!
- Born a Molossian [Greek] Princess named Polyxena in Epirus (southern Albania today)
- Descended from Trojan war heros
- Ritualistic and tribal society
- Philip II 5th bride
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| Olympias |
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| Angelina Jolie as Olympias |
p284 - "Greek writers loved to contemplate women who resembled tragic heroines, and in Olympias they found all the parallels they could ask for. Born a neo-Trojan princess named Polyxena, she seemed to them to have lived her whole life in mythic roles. As Philip's wife, she had morphed into Medea, murderess of the princess who stole her Husband's affections; as mother of the dead Alexander, she resembled Hecuba grieving for the fallen Hector. As ruler of Macedonia, she evoked Clytemnestra, the iron-fisted queen of Argos, as well as Antigone, but an Antigone in reverse, driven by her passionate devotion to kin and unbury the dead. Whichever of these roles we cast her in, Olympias is undeniably a tragic figure."
p309 - "Olympias died at age 56 or 57. She had exercised more power than any woman in Europe up to her time, with the possible exception of her rival and victim Adea."
What happens in between is after Alexander's death, Olympias and her daughter Cleopatra flee Alexandra to Epirus. Olympias tries to get Cleopatra to marry one of Alexander's Companion generals, but that falls through. She then takes over as regent for her grandson, Alexander (Rhoxane's son) and allies with Polyperchon.
In the end, she makes a fierce stand, but was not able to withstand the siege put on by Cassander. Her royal party is starved out and she is finally taken prisoner by Cassander run through with a sword by his men. But the life and the example she led up to that point were phenomenal. Almost like Terentia, Cicero's wife, but wielding more power. [The book says Adea also had power, married to Alexander's half-brother, but it evident that Olympias wielded equal power for a much longer period of time.]
What influence did this have over Alexander? What influence did both parents have over Alexander? Those are some pretty big shoes to fill.
Which leads me to the next question which popped onto my radar this morning. Olympias's, Philip II and most of all,Alexander's life was quite extraordinary.
- What makes a extraordinary life?
- Could our lives be considered extraordinary on a smaller scale?
- Or must accomplishments be grand and stand the test of time for this to be true?
I must think about this one! More later/P
