Philip II and Alexander the Great: Father and Son ... - Historia Antigua

THE ROLE OF THE ARGEADAI 131
One of the recurring features of the dynastic organization of the
Macedonian monarchy was the formal association of its kings with
more than one wife. Plutarch informs us that making “many marriages”
was “customary for the Kings of Macedon from Philip and
Alexander.” 57 In fact, the “custom,” as Plutarch calls it, extended backward
well beyond the reign of Philip II. 58 The practice of concurrent
marriages to more than one wife, commonly referred to as Macedonian
royal polygamy, featured also in early Ptolemaic Egypt. 59 Ptolemy I
is associated with no less than four wives, while Ptolemy II is known
to have had two. 60
Marriage in Argead Macedonia was used as a way of concluding
political alliances. Satyrus the Peripatetic is explicit in his account of
Philip II’s list of marriages that these took place with a view to
strengthening the Kingdom. 61 Philip II, with his seven known marriages,
may represent an anomaly with regard to the number of women
a Macedonian monarch would normally marry, but his situation must
be seen as refl ecting a kingdom under expansion. Alliances through
marriage did not necessarily involve the king as the groom. Female
members of the Argead royal family were frequently wed to prominent
individuals of other political units. 62 In the same vein, Ptolemy I is
known to have married no less than four of his daughters to other
rulers. 63 Seibert argued that the bulk of Macedonian dynastic marriages
took place in order to satisfy the political and military exigencies
of the period, as rulers expected to have more control of their
diplomatic counterparts through their wives and daughters than
through a peace treaty. 64 This becomes evident when one considers
the frequency of dynastic marriages in conjunction with the shifting
balance of power. When Antipater was appointed regent for Philip
Arrhidaeus and Alexander IV in 321 B.C., his daughters became the
most popular brides, alongside Alexander’s sisters. 65 Ptolemy himself
chose to marry the daughter of Antipater, Eurydice, in order to cement
the decision at Triparadeisos to join forces against Perdiccas. 66 Similarly,
in the years following the battle of Ipsus, in 301 B.C., when the
territorial claims of the various Successors were largely crystallized
into recognized political units, the Successors exhibited an interest in
reinforcing their standing in the international community by conducting
dynastic intermarriages. Accordingly, when Seleucus reaffi rmed
his claims over Koile Syria, which was already occupied by Ptolemy
in 301 B.C., the latter sought the support of the new ruler of Asia Minor,
Lysimachus of Thrace. 67 He married one of his daughters to Lysimachus
and another to his heir. The alliance between Egypt and Thrace
was further bolstered in Lysimachus’ lifetime by the marriage between
Ptolemy I’s successor and Lysimachus’ daughter Arsinoe I. 68