Stratonice I (c. 319–254 bce)

Seleucid queen. Name variations: Stratoniki or Stratonike. Born around 319; died in 254 bce; daughter of Demetrius Poliorcetes (a Macedonian general-king) and his first wife Phila I (daughter of Antipater); married Seleucus I Nicator (c. 360–280 bce, a Macedonian general and founder of the Seleucid Empire, covering most of Asia Minor, Syria, Persia, and Bactria), around 298 bce; married Antiochus I Soter (324–261 bce), in 294; children: (first marriage) daughter, Phila II (b. around 300 bce); (second marriage) Seleucus; Apama (born c. 290 bce, mother of Berenice II of Cyrene); Antiochus II Theos (286–247 bce); Stratonice II (c. 285–228 bce).

Stratonice I was the daughter of Demetrius Poliorcetes (a Macedonian general-king active in the generation following the death of Alexander III the Great) and his first wife Phila I (the well-respected daughter of Antipater). By the time Stratonice was a young woman, Alexander's short-lived empire, stretching from the Adriatic Sea to the Indian Ocean, had begun to disintegrate under the weight of political realities, not the least of which was the fact that Alexander had left no viable heir. As opportunity stoked the ambitions of Alexander's generals, the age of the Macedonian Successors began. This was an era of rapidly changing alliances that were embraced and abandoned as nearly every player sought political advantage against rivals attempting to carve independent realms out of Alexander's conquests. Eventually, three more or less stable Macedonian kingdoms emerged (one each in Europe, Asia and Africa) to dominate the many lesser states which comprised the remnants of Alexander's empire. A rough balance of power among the Macedonians, however, did not develop until Stratonice I was about 40 years of age. Thus, she matured during interesting times.

Stratonice's first marriage in 298 was to Seleucus I Nicator, the founder of the Macedonian dynasty which at the time laid claim to all of Asia (with the exclusion of Anatolia), from the Mediterranean to modern Pakistan. This union was contracted to link the interests of Seleucus with those of Demetrius Poliorcetes, although the two had only recently waged open war. At the time of Stratonice's marriage, Demetrius was looking for any friends he could find. Engaged in (another) war with the dynast Lysimachus, Demetrius was a "king" without a kingdom because only a few years before, an alliance of Macedonian rivals (of which Seleucus had been a member), jealous of the extent of Demetrius' then substantial power in Asia (held jointly with his father Antigonus I), coalesced to destroy it. This war concluded in 301 with the death of Antigonus and the expulsion of Demetrius from Asia. Thus, in 298 Demetrius was a kind of free-lance warlord, desperately hoping to create, or lay claim to, another realm. His reward for coming to terms with Seleucus was twofold: first, he regained diplomatic credibility; second, Seleucus ceded to Demetrius the region of Cilicia.

Phila I (fl. c. 320 bce)

Macedonian noblewoman. Flourished around 320 bce; daughter of Antipater; married Demetrius Poliorcetes (a Macedonian general-king); sister of Cassander, Eurydice (fl. 321 bce) and Nicaea ; children: Antigonus II Gonatus (who married his niece Phila II ); Stratonice I (c. 319–254 bce).

Phila was the well-respected daughter of Antipater, Alexander's designated general for Europe when Alexander invaded Asia, and the most influential Macedonian between Alexander's death in 323 and his own in 319.

Seleucus' motivation for marrying Stratonice I was as Machiavellian as was that of Demetrius. In the aftermath of the war which drove Demetrius from Asia, Seleucus had laid claim to the lion's share of the kingdom once ruled jointly by Antigonus and Demetrius. As a result of the sudden and dramatic increase in his holdings, his one-time allies were in the process of turning covetous eyes upon his recently acquired possessions. When Seleucus learned that Ptolemy I Soter (in Egypt) was forging marital-political alliances with Lysimachus (in southeastern Europe and Anatolia) and Cassander (in Macedonia), Seleucus decided that true wisdom demanded a rapprochement with the militarily talented Demetrius. Hence, his marriage to Stratonice I. The marriage itself is interesting for several reasons. First, Seleucus (born c. 360) was much older than Stratonice and already had an heir Antiochus I Soter (born c. 324) with his first, Bactrian wife Apama ; Antiochus I Soter was also older than Stratonice. Second, Seleucus remained married to at least Apama (and perhaps a second wife from India) when Stratonice came to his bed. Such polygamy was common among Seleucus' Macedonian contemporaries. And third, although Stratonice was to be her father's liaison with Seleucus, she also had close ties to her father's and husband's rivals: that is, Cassander was Phila's brother and thus Stratonice's uncle, while both Ptolemy and Lysimachus were themselves married to other daughters of Stratonice's grandfather Antipater (Eurydice and Nicaea , respectively). Clearly, this was not a time when kinship ties outweighed political ambitions.

Stratonice I remained married to Seleucus for four years, during which time she gave birth to a daughter, Phila II . Then, in 294, something extraordinary happened which shocked even the sensibilities of Stratonice's worldly contemporaries. The episode began when Seleucus' son Antiochus began to waste away, the victim of a mysterious illness. Although all due care was taken to discover the origin of Antiochus' malady, Antiochus himself would not speak to the issue, and no one could discover its source until Erasistratus, one of the most famous physicians of the day, was given the case. Erasistratus quickly determined that Antiochus was suffering not from a physical ailment but from a psychological disorder he attributed to unrequited love. Nevertheless, the physical ramifications of the passion were extremely serious, for Antiochus was indeed deteriorating before everyone's eyes. However, when the doctor attempted to pry from Antiochus the identity of his affection, he met with complete and utter silence. As a result, Erasistratus could only observe Antiochus' behavior in the hope that some change would come upon the patient when he was in the presence of his beloved. Through such observation, Erasistratus came to determine that it was Stratonice I whom Antiochus loved.

Of course, the situation was delicate. How would Seleucus react when Erasistratus revealed the nature of Antiochus' problem? Antiochus himself recognized the perversity of his emotion for Stratonice; hence the noble silence while his body withered. Would an enlightened Seleucus strike out in anger against his son and heir? Would the king punish the messenger who disclosed the cause of his son's debilitation? Yet, Seleucus had asked Erasistratus to heal Antiochus, and the doctor took this charge seriously, both because of his vocation and because of the status of his patient. To deal with the dilemma, Erasistratus decided that discretion was called for. He reported to Seleucus that Antiochus had fallen in love with an unattainable woman. When Seleucus pressed for the identity of the woman, Erasistratus dissembled by declaring that the woman Antiochus loved was Erasistratus' own wife. Hearing this, Seleucus implored Erasistratus to sacrifice his marriage for the good of the patient; in fact, he begged the physician to divorce his wife so that Antiochus could have her. Upon this suggestion Erasistratus feigned indignation, and charged that even though Seleucus loved Anti-ochus very much, he would never consider divorcing a beloved spouse just to save Antiochus' life. When Seleucus swore that he would do anything to save Antiochus—even render Stratonice to her stepson if that would effect a cure—Erasistratus revealed that it was not his own wife whom Antiochus loved, but Stratonice.

Apama (fl. 324 bce)

Bactrian mother of Antiochus I Soter. Name variations: Apame. Flourished around 324 bce; born in Bactria; first wife of Seleucus I Nicator, Seleucid king (r. 301–281 bce); children: Antiochus I Soter (born around 324). Seleucus I Nicator was also married to Stratonice I .

Phila II (c. 300 bce–?)

Seleucid princess and queen of Macedonia. Born around 300 bce; daughter of Stratonice I (c. 319–254 bce) and Seleucus I Nicator, Seleucid king; granddaughter of Phila I ; married her uncle Antigonus II Gonatus (son of Demetrius Poliorcetes and Phila I, and brother of Stratonice), king of Macedonia; children: Demetrius II of Macedonia (who married Stratonice II ).

The stunned Seleucus verified the doctor's assertion and then acted upon his promise to give Stratonice to Antiochus. Realizing that it would be unusual (to say the least) for Stratonice to become the wife of her erstwhile stepson, even though she was much closer to Antiochus' age than to his own, Seleucus acted decisively and audaciously to forestall any moral indignation and/or political backlash. This was easier said than done, because Seleucus not only had to convince his subjects that a father and a son could be intimate with the same woman, he also had to convince the principals themselves that their marriage would not violate taboos of intimacy. In addition, he had to convince Stratonice's father that her transfer to Antiochus was not intended as an insult either to Stratonice or himself. Demetrius Poliorcetes was a special problem for Seleucus, for that ambitious adventurer had only recently secured for himself the throne of Macedonia—Cassander's dynasty having become extinct, with a little help from Demetrius himself. Who could tell what Demetrius might do to "avenge" a perceived wrong done to his daughter, especially if he could undermine Seleucus' hold over Asia by arguing that Seleucus was morally depraved for even suggesting that Antiochus and Stratonice should wed?

What Stratonice thought about all of this is unknown, but it seems that she was not terribly put out by the turn of events, in part because of Seleucus' insightful enhancement of her public status at the time of her second marriage. Seleucus carefully explained that his divorce of Stratonice so that she could marry Antiochus was in the long-term interest of all concerned, and then he presided over a very public event in the presence of an assembly of Macedonians under arms. There, Antiochus and Stratonice were married with no apologies given, and with Seleucus justifying the unusual situation by tersely pronouncing, "what the king ordains is always right." So much for those who might attack Stratonice's second marriage as incestuous. Then, in a stunning announcement, Seleucus proclaimed that Antiochus and Stratonice would henceforth assume the status of "king" and "queen" and rule jointly over Seleucus' territories to the east of the Euphrates River. Thus, far from intending his divorce from Stratonice to indicate disfavor, Seleucus actually promoted her status beyond what it had been, for although Stratonice had been one of Seleucus' wives, she had never before publicly borne the title of "queen." This was a rare honor for a woman at that time, and it clearly went far in winning over Stratonice and her father to her new domestic arrangement. Further enhancing the status of Stratonice was the fact that Antiochus always treated her as his beloved equal, and the fact that, unlike most of his Macedonian contemporaries, he never took another wife.

As queen, Stratonice maintained a very high profile, being especially zealous in her dedications at such religious sites as Delos, particularly important to the Seleucids since it was believed to be the birthplace of Apollo, whom they claimed as the ancestor of their line. At least one city foundation was named after Stratonice, and throughout the Seleucid Empire her subjects even came to worship her, usually in association with the goddess Aphrodite. Thus, few were allowed to forget the special honors which both of her husbands had showered upon Stratonice.

The fact that Stratonice retained her elevated position throughout her life is a testament to her personality and to the loyalty she displayed towards the dynasty of her husbands, for although she originally came to Seleucus as part of a political pact with Demetrius Poliorcetes, this alliance was of relatively short standing. Set up by Seleucus in Cilicia in 298 bce, Demetrius used this base as a springboard for the conquest of Athens (295 bce), and eventually for his return to Macedonia as that realm's king (294 bce). There Demetrius ruled for seven years. However, he never held the interests of that land as his primary responsibility. Always remembering that he and his father had once ruled the majority of Macedonian Asia, and still angry at Lysimachus, Ptolemy and Seleucus for having deprived him of that realm (there was little room in Demetrius for any gratitude toward Seleucus), Demetrius spent his time as king of Macedon in creating a war machine with which he hoped to reunite Alexander's empire under his sole rule. Oblivious to the concerns of others, and putting Stratonice in an especially embarrassing position, Demetrius went about his business. By 288 bce, he was in possession of a huge army and fleet.

Discovering Demetrius' intention and motivated by fear, Seleucus, Ptolemy, and Lysimachus renewed their disbanded alliance. Thereafter, in conjunction with Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, they launched a preemptive strike on Macedon from both east and west. Not eager to endure the ruin of their kingdom or to fight once again against expatriated Macedonians just to support maniacal ambitions, the majority of Demetrius' subjects then rebelled against his authority and toppled him from his second throne. Although most of Demetrius' supporters abandoned him, not all did. With a considerably smaller force than he had intended, Demetrius, in suicidal fashion, invaded the Seleucid Empire. There, he met with defeat, capture, and imprisonment (287 bce), where he stayed until he drank himself to death two years later. During this period, despite Demetrius' selfish hope that Stratonice would somehow intervene and come to his rescue, she remained steadfast to the interests of Seleucus and Antiochus. Perhaps with a tinge of guilt, but certainly indicating where her loyalty then lay, when after Demetrius' death Stratonice inherited his jewelry, she dedicated that considerable legacy to the Delian Apollo—(again) the god claimed by the Seleucids as the founder of their line.

Upon Seleucus' death in 280, Antiochus and Stratonice assumed rule over the entire Seleucid realm, made all the larger by Seleucus' recent (281 bce) victory over Lysimachus (in yet another conflict between rulers seemingly incapable of remaining content with but a part of what had briefly been a unified whole). Most of the rest of Antiochus' reign was spent in consolidating the Seleucid control of Asia, founding cities, and putting down those revolts which challenged his policy of centralization. Throughout these years, Stratonice remained at her husband's side, doing what she could to foster the development of Seleucid power.

As for children, in addition to the daughter Phila II that Stratonice had with Seleucus, she gave birth to four more with Antiochus: Seleucus, Antiochus II Theos, Apama and Stratonice II . Their fates demonstrate the complexities of diplomacy and the perils of rule during the early Hellenistic period. In 276 bce, Phila II married Antigonus II Gonatus, the son of Demetrius Poliorcetes and Phila I, and thus the full brother of Stratonice I. This union was contracted soon after Antigonus II defeated an army of Celts who were despoiling Macedon, for which service he was elevated to the throne of Macedonia. It took some time for Antigonus II to establish his control of Macedon, largely because of his father's earlier irresponsible reign as king there. Seleucus, the older of Antiochus' and Stratonice's two sons, never came to the throne because he was executed in 268 bce on a conspiracy charge—it seems that he was loath to wait for his inheritance. Antiochus II Theos, therefore, succeeded to the Seleucid throne, reigning from 266 to 261 bce as a co-regent with his father, and from 261 to 246 bce as sole Seleucid monarch. Stratonice's daughter Apama married Magas of Cyrene and became the mother of Berenice II of Cyrene of Egypt. Finally, the younger Stratonice (II) married her cousin-nephew, Demetrius II of Macedonia (the son of Antigonus II and her half-sister Phila II), before returning to meet her death in Asia.

Stratonice I outlived her second husband (who died in 261 bce) by seven years. Although little is known of her activity during this period, she did maintain her rank as queen until her death in 254 bce. Thus her son, Antiochus II, acknowledged her worth in the projection of his royal authority. A stalwart supporter of her husbands' interests and an embodiment of both feminine and royal virtues, she lived on long after her death both in cult and in the dedications erected to her memory by her descendants.

William S. Greenwalt , Associate Professor of Classical History, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, California