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

40 FATHER, SON, AND COURT
The peplos is reserved for goddesses, e.g., Cephisodotus’ Eirene. 35 The
formulaic inscription, moreover, giving the name of the dedicant in
the nominative, not the accusative, indicates that the statue on the
Eukleia base is not a portrait but a divine image. 36 Portrait statues were
usually dedicated by a third party, often by family members. A good
example from the fourth century is offered by a statue base from Athens,
datable around 360 and signed by the sculptor Praxiteles that carried
the portrait statue of a priestess, dedicated by her brothers. 37 The
names of the donors are in the nominative, whereas that of the person
portrayed is in the accusative.
In conclusion, the identifi cation of Philip’s Eurydice in the
Philippeum with his last wife, commonly known as Cleopatra, is, I
think, a viable possibility. The shape and size of the surviving four
cavities for the insertion of the statues’ plinths on the pedestal tell us
two things. The trapezoidal shape of the fi rst cavity on the right suggests
that it must have held the plinth of a draped female fi gure,
whereas the comparatively small cavity in the second block from the
left indicates the statue of a youthful male fi gure, namely Alexander,
who was only in his teens at the time. 38 Even though most scholars
have argued that Alexander stood at the center of the composition
because Pausanias mentions him second after Philip, the reduced
size of the plinth places him here. 39 Olympias’ place is clearly beside
him, on the now missing fi rst block on the left (fi gure 4.2). The two
royal women were thus standing on the edges of the composition; it
was therefore possible to remove them to the Heraeum without damaging
the overall composition. But who stood at the center? This
position was assigned to Philip by Treu, followed by Schultz, who
assumed that the donor dominated the composition, and that Amyntas
III should stand next to his wife, Eurydice. 40 If, however, Eurydice
was not Philip’s mother but his last wife, she belonged to his side,
which left the center open for Amyntas, who was thus identifi ed as
head of the family. We should bear in mind that in statuary groups of
the classical period the donor did not necessarily stand in the middle.
Examples are offered by two groups at Delphi. First, Lysander’s naval
commanders, dedicated after the battle at Aegospotami in 405, where
Lysander was portrayed near the edge of the pedestal (Paus. 10.9.7),
and second, by the Daochos dedication, dedicated after 338, where
Daochos II’s portrait is again placed close to the edge. 41
Cleopatra/Eurydice’s inclusion modifi es the message conveyed by
the dynastic group. In addition to Amyntas III, on whom depended
Philip’s right to the throne, Philip portrayed himself; Alexander, his
heir; Olympias, the heir’s mother; and the potential mother to a new
heir, Cleopatra/Eurydice. 42 This would have amounted to a public