Susa weddings
The mass wedding at Susa was a BC by Alexander the Great in the Persian city of Susa held in the spring of 324 five-day marriage ceremony in which he himself and joined about 80 of his leading followers make marriages with Persian women.
Course
On the way back from his expedition to India, Alexander the Great came including 324 BC to Susa. There he met comprehensive measures to consolidate be greatly magnified by the Asia campaign empire. He was governor and other senior administration officials who had proven to be inadequate or corrupt settle, and punish, if possible, so that as the treasurer Harpalus fled to Athens. On the other hand, the king drew from deserving friends and comrades in arms by he handed them some golden honor wreaths. He also adopted to control the conditions in Greece a decree that all the Greek exiles to return home should be allowed. In order to more closely tie his Macedonian and Persian subjects together, and so to make the unity of his empire on a more secure basis, he finally ordered the mass marriage of his senior companions and women of the Persian aristocracy to as well as the legitimacy of existing connections of his soldiers with women they had met on their campaigns.
The lavish celebrations lasted five days. In a huge, equipped with luxurious dining sofas and purple carpets marquee, which was based on gold and gemstone decorated pillars and provided space for hundreds of people, took Alexander and his distinguished guests to the wedding. To get the whole tent expensive curtains were hung. Beginning and end of this feast were announced by trumpet blasts. Actors led to the Entertainment tragedies and comedies on, musicians played on flutes and other instruments, Indian jugglers showed off their skills and also famous Greek dancers and orators had. Many of the names of these artists have been handed down.
The weddings were celebrated by Persian rite. The Grooms settled on for they prepared chairs down and held a round of drinks, and then the brides appeared, put them each to the particular husband and of these received a kiss. The first is now married Alexander himself He had already taken Roxane, the daughter of the Sogdian and Bactrian nobleman Oxyartes to wife. Since, according to the Macedonian king and oriental custom of polygamy was allowed for him but respected him for more marriages are no obstacles in the way. To establish a family relationship with the hitherto ruling Persian dynasty of the Achaemenids, Alexander married now with Stateira, the eldest daughter of the conquered him by the great king Darius III. At the same time he celebrated his wedding with Parysatis, the youngest daughter of the late 338 BC the Persian king Artaxerxes III. These new wives were, however, not shown much. His him particularly related friend Hephaestion, with whom he wanted to intermarry, Alexander married with Drypetis, another daughter of Darius III. and younger sister of his own wife new Stateira.
Seleucus, who later became the founder of the Seleucid empire, married in mass wedding on the orders of his king Apame, the daughter of the Bactrian princes Spitamenes, Ptolemy, the later king of Egypt, Artakama, a daughter of the Persian nobles Artabazus, and Eumenes of Cardia, the head of the royal Chancery, Artonis, another daughter of Artabazus. More especially traditional marriages are those of Craterus, who with Amastris, daughter of Oxyathres, a brother of Darius III. , Married, also those of the general Perdiccas, one of the daughters of Atropates, the satrap of Media, took her to wife, and finally, those of the admiral Nearchus, who married a daughter of the Greek mercenary leader and mentor of Barsine, a former lover of Alexander. Overall, such weddings took place about 80.
All married people received rich gifts as dowry. The fact that Alexander senior confidante their wives had not even allowed to choose, they seem to have accepted readily; the only form of marriage according to Persian custom displeased some of them.
Simultaneously with the mass wedding legitimized Alexander also several thousands of concubinage, which had already received his soldiers with Asian women. Allen also he gave a dowry and also paid all the debts of his warriors.
Reception
In celebration of the 28th birthday of the Prussian Queen Luise a hochadlig occupied enactment of the mass wedding at Susa found two days later (12 March 1804) at the Royal National Theatre to Berlin before 2,000 spectators.
Swell
- Arrian, Anabasis 7, 4, 4-8; 7, 6, 2
- Athenaeus, Deipnosophistai 12, 538b - 539a ( by Chares of Mytilene, FGrH 125 F 4) and Deipnosophistai 12, 539b - 540a (after Phylarchus, FGrH 81 F 41)
- Diodorus, Libraries historike 17, 107, 6
- Marcus Iunianus Justin, Epitoma historiarum Philippicarum Pompei Trogi 12, 10, 9f.
- Plutarch, Alexander 70, 3