Eurydice and Her Sons

Abstract

Our extant sources are full of contradictions and obscurities about Eurydice’s career. I will assess the available evidence relating to a series of questions about her public career and actions. Was she an adulterer? Was she the murderer (or would be murderer) of her husband and any of her sons? Who was the man named Ptolemy who played such an important part in her life and that of her sons? Did she marry Ptolemy? If she married him, when did she do so, in relation to what events? The chapter will conclude with a discussion of the nature, likely origin, and credibility of our extant sources and with a reflection on the role of fourth-century propaganda in what our extant sources say about Eurydice and an examination of Eurydice’s role as a political actor and faction leader during the 360s.