Death Time of Olympias

[LeGrandAriel]

Which one do you prefer,316 or 315?
Any more original sources except for Diodorus?

[marcus]

Which one do you prefer,316 or 315?
Any more original sources except for Diodorus?

It depends on what you mean by "original", as Diodorus himself is hardly "original". If you mean ancient sources, however, there's always Justin:

Justin, Book 14, Chap 6:
But neither did Olympias reign long; for having committed great slaughter among the nobility throughout the country, like a furious woman rather than a queen, she turned the favour with which she was regarded into hatred. Hearing, therefore, of the approach of Cassander, and distrusting the Macedonians, she retired, with her daughter-in-law Roxane, and her grandson Hercules, to the city of Pydna. Deidamia, the daughter of king Aeacides, and Thessalonice, her step-daughter, rendered illustrious by the name of Philip, who was her father, and many others, wives of the leading men, a retinue showy rather than serviceable, attended her on her journey. When the news of her retreat was brought to Cassander, he marched immediately, with the utmost expedition, to Pydna, and laid siege to the city. Olympias, distressed with famine and the sword, and the wearisomeness of a long siege, surrendered herself to the conqueror, stipulating only for life. But Cassander, on summoning the people to an assembly, to inquire “what they would wish to be done with Olympias,” induced the parents of those whom she had killed to put on mourning apparel, and expose her cruelties; when the Macedonians, exasperated by their statements, decreed, without regard to her former majesty, that she should be put to death; utterly unmindful that, by the labours of her son and her husband, they had not only lived in security among their neighbours, but had attained to vast power, and even to the conquest of the world. Olympias, seeing armed men advancing towards her, bent upon her destruction, went voluntarily to meet them, dressed in her regal apparel, and leaning on two of her maids. The executioners, on beholding her, struck with the recollection of her former royal dignity, and with the names of so many of their kings, that occurred to their memory in connexion with her, stood still, until others were sent by Cassander to despatch her; she, at the same time, not shrinking from the sword or the blow, or crying out like a woman, but submitting to death like the bravest of men, and suitably to the glory of her ancient race, so that you might have perceived the soul of Alexander in his dying mother. As she was expiring, too, she is said to have settled her hair, and to have covered her feet with her robe, that nothing unseemly might appear about her.

Dates aren't clear in Justin, however.

ATB

[Paralus]

Diodorus is the most detailed source and his chronology, though confused at times, is correct. The year is definitely 316.

Eumenes died in early 316 - either just after or some weeks after Gabiene (very late December 317 / very early January 316 more likely the latter). Olympias died that same year (316) still awaiting a rescue mounted by Eumenes that would could not come from a dead man.

[LeGrandAriel]

But I still feel puzzled about the event from the death of Philip III&Eurydice II to the death of Olympias:
1.Part of the royal army deserted the regent and turned to Cassander because of Olympias' Terror in Macedonian?

2.If with a "Low Chronology" which Eumenes was executed in the end of BC 316,the empress dowager should be executed in BC 315?

[Paralus]

2.If with a "Low Chronology" which Eumenes was executed in the end of BC 316,the empress dowager should be executed in BC 315?

Philip III was executed in the autumn of 317. Cassander returned to Macedonia from the Peloponnese and locked Olympias up in Pydna over the winter 317/16. In Iran Eumenes and Antigonus fought each other to a standstill at Paraetecene in November 317 as Olympias retired to Pydna. At the time of the solstice (Dec 22 317) Antigonus set off for the showdown at Gabiene which took place most likely in the first week of January of 316. Eumenes is defeated and, eventually, executed. Olympias, in the late winter, is forced into surrender due to starvation. She - and others - are still unaware that Eumenes has been defeated and killed.

The "low" chronology is wrong here. Indeed, it is incorrect from spring 318 to mid 313 where the "high" should obtain. The crucial dates are Eumenes' defeat and death January 316; Seleucus' flight from Babylonia high / late summer 316 and Antigonus returns to Cilicia November 316. His seige of Tyre commences in the late spring of 315 and the Battle of Gaza takes place in December 312.

[LeGrandAriel]

And did Aristonus offer real help to Olympias in the process?

[Paralus]

And did Aristonus offer real help to Olympias in the process?

Not realy. He was deputed to command Olympias' forces against Kassanros. (19.33.4). In the end Aristonous appears to have decided to defend Amphipolis; something he achieved though what this this provided Olympias is debatable. He was clearly an adherent of the "royal house" and was one of those who defended Alexander in India (his crown awarded by Alexander would back up Curtius' testimony).

[ruthaki]

"Hercules" was the name of Barsine's son by Alexander (Herakles). Roxana's was referred to as Alexander IV.
Aristonous was killed on orders of Kassandros as he supported the royalty and had been a friend of Alexander.
I was also told by a classical scholar not to hold too firm on those dates and things were dated differently back then and most of those histories were written a hundred or more years after the facts so who really knows the exact dates for sure?

[Paralus]

I was also told by a classical scholar not to hold too firm on those dates and things were dated differently back then and most of those histories were written a hundred or more years after the facts so who really knows the exact dates for sure?

The Greeks certainly used different calendars - Macedonians and Greek city states. That does not mean that the dates of ancient events cannot be "transposed" into the modern calendar. Certain events for the period of the Diadochoi can be fixed via other chronographic sources (Babylonian Chronicle of the Diadochoi, Marmor parium, Idumaian Ostraca, etc).

Diodorus' synthesis of earlier sources occurred over two hundred years after the facts. For (Greek) events after Alexander Diodorus is argued to have used Hieronymus of Cardia - either directly or via another source based largely upon him - who was coeval with the events he describes. It is unarguable that the quality of Diodorus' work in books 18-20 is remarkably better than earlier books (including 17). Diodorus' narrative contains many chronographic pointers - some of which are astronomical - which can help lay out a chronology.

For much of the last century there existed two fiercely defended chronological camps: the "high" and the "low". The high sees Perdiccas dead in 321; the battles of Paraetecene and Gabiene over winter 317/16; Seleucus' flight in 316 and Gaza in early spring 312. The low 320; 316/15; 315 and late 312 respectively. As so often happens, neither is completely correct. The "eclectic chronology" (so called by Tom Boiy to whom it owes much) dates Perdiccas' death to 320; the battles in Iran over 317/16; Seleucus' flight to 316 and Gaza late 312. This is by far the best fit for the evidence with the crucial component - 317-315 - being clearly correct.

The most accessible demonstration is Seleucus' flight as Stylianou demonstrated back in 1994 (Stylianou, P.J., "The Pax Macedonica and the Freedom of the Greeks of Asia" [with an Appendix on the Chronology of the Years 323-301]). This occurred in summer (either 316 or 315 in the high or low). Antigonus then returned west in the autumn of the same year. The following spring he sends Aristodemus to Greece to shore up alliances and then begins a siege of Tyre. The same year that Aristodemus arrives in Greece Cassander presides over the Nemean games. These games are celebrated every two years and in odd years. Thus Cassander presided over the games of either 317, 315 or 313. The first is a non starter. The latter (313) would then mean that Antigonus' settlement with Eumenes was over 315/14 and that the siege of Tyre lasted from summer 313 til late 312 - wherefore to fit Gaza?

Clearly the games in question are those of 315. Thus Seleucus fled Babylon the previous summer (316), Eumenes fought Antigonus over 317-16 and Olympias died in early 316.