Stateira (wife of Artaxerxes II.)

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Stateira († around 400 BC) was the wife of Artaxerxes II. Persian queen.

Life

The early years

Stateira was the daughter of the Persian nobleman Hydarnes . She married Artaxerxes (II.), The eldest son of the Persian king Darius II and his wife Parysatis . Apparently this marriage was supposed to help the king to have good relations with the important noble family from which Stateira came, because their brother Terituchmes married a daughter of Darius II named Amestris. But because Terituchmes preferred one of his half-sisters to his royal wife and prepared for a revolt, Parysatis had all of Hydarnes' children killed and only spared Stateira because her husband stood up for their lives.

404 BC Artaxerxes II took over the government after the death of his father. Despite his numerous concubines, Stateira appears to have been his only legitimate wife. She bore him the heir to the throne Artaxerxes III. and probably more children. The Queen Mother Parysatis, like Stateira, tried to gain the greatest possible political influence over the king, so that the two women became bitter enemies. Since Stateira presumably gave her husband many children, this strengthened her position.

Public action

Stateira was very popular with the people, allegedly because she left the curtains open when her carriage rides and did not appear aloof to the simple Persian women, but talked to them. She supported her husband in the quarrel with his brother Cyrus the younger and also sharply reproached her mother-in-law Parysatis for helping her favorite son Cyrus in his struggle for power on the Persian throne against Artaxerxes II. The deep hatred between the two women allegedly prompted Parysatis to favor Artaxerxes II's extramarital relationships in order to meet his wife. Stateira also openly opposed the cruelty of the Queen Mother at the Persian court, such as the brutal treatment of the eunuch Masabates, and thereby exacerbated the conflict with Parysatis.

assassination

The reasons for Stateira's murder by her mother-in-law were given in various ways in ancient lore. According to a variant, Parysatis wanted to save the Spartan strategist Klearchus and his fellow generals, who had been captured by Tissaphernes , but Stateira thwarted this plan and was able to persuade her husband to execute the prisoners. That is why Stateira was poisoned by Parysatis. The biographer of Artaxerxes II, Plutarch , does not believe this version . According to another tradition, Stateira's murder is said to have been due to the Parysatis realizing that their son felt true love only for his wife. About the execution of the deed, Plutarch reports that Parysatis had used the support of a loyal servant named Gigis to cut up a bird prepared for eating with a poisoned knife so that only half of the animal was poisoned. She then gave them to Stateira at the common feast, who had to die in agony from it.

Chariton's novel

Stateira plays an important role in the novel by the author Chariton , who probably lived in the 1st or 2nd century AD , and which revolves around the lovers Chaireas and Kallirrhoë . In this work, Stateira initially engaged with other noble women to underline the beauty of the Persian women compared to the immensely attractive Kallirrhoë, who had arrived in Babylon , by contrasting her with the Rhodogune, who is considered the most beautiful woman in Asia, as a competitor. Although Stateira even provided the Rhodogune with her own jewelry in the beauty competition, Kallirrhoë emerged as the winner.

In the further course of the novel, Stateira becomes a close friend of the Kallirrhoë and takes her under her supervision during the dispute between Dionysius and Chaireas, because the king wills it. As the comforter of the unhappy Kallirrhoë, she now unconditionally recognizes her superior beauty. But the king tries to deceive Stateira in order to win the love of the Kallirrhoë.

When her husband wants to subdue rebellious Egypt militarily, Stateira, Kallirrhoë and other noble Persian women accompany him on the campaign. All of these women are brought to Syria during the war and billeted in Arados . But the Egyptians can win a sea victory and then take Arados. Stateira and Kallirrhoë also fall into their hands. The leader of the Egyptians, Chaireas, but recognizes his wife Kallirrhoë, who can now obtain the release of Stateira. The Persian king, who has not found his wife in the devastated Arados and has almost given up, now gets her back.

literature

Remarks

  1. ↑ Ktesias of Knidos , Persika 55f. (in the extract from Photios ).
  2. ↑ Plutarch , Artaxerxes 5f .; 17-19; based mainly on Ktesias.
  3. ↑ Chariton 5.3.
  4. ↑ Chariton 5.8f.
  5. ↑ Chariton 6,6f.
  6. ↑ Chariton 6.8; 7.4; 7.6; 8.3; 8.5.
personal data
SURNAME Stateira
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Consort of the Persian King Artaxerxes II.
DATE OF BIRTH 5th century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH around 400 BC Chr.