Stateira II



Stateira II (died 323 BC) was daughter of Stateira I and Darius III of Persia, sister of Drypteis, and granddaughter of Sisygambis. Her name means "creation of the stars". The Macedonian forces captured Stateira II along with her family at the Battle of Issus when Darius was defeated. Although originally betrothed to Mazaeus, who died in 328 BC, she married Alexander the Great in 324 BC at Susa at a great wedding ceremony, where many officers of Alexander were married to noble Persians. After the death of Alexander, Perdiccas and Roxana induced Stateira, then at Susa, by means of a forged letter and murdered Stateira II and her sister in 323 BC at Babylon; their bodies were thrown into a well of starving cannibals.

Arrian, a later Greek historian (c. 86 - after 146), calls Stateira II, "Barsine," but she should not be confused with Barsine the wife of Memnon of Rhodes.