logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2019
42m 54s

Queen Olympias & Alexander the Great's W...

Kate J. Armstrong, Carly A. Quinn
About this episode

Season 2, Episode 12. In Part 1 we met Olympias, Alexander the Great's mother, and saw her navigate some savage drama to get her and her son to the top. Now let's see what she does when he goes off conquering. When he dies, she and several of Alex's women will battle with the men around them for power - often a battle to the death - in a war for an empire that would put Game of Thrones to shame. Get ready for a whole lot of stabbing.

Check out the show notes for a transcript, images, a list of my research sources, and more. To support the show, become a patron or go and nab something from my brand-new Exploress Etsy shop.

Up next
Oct 2019
A History of Female Hair Removal
Season 2, Episode 13. Our grooming habits are a contested issue, no more so than the question of what we do with our hair down below. This is especially true for women, for whom the question of whether or not to keep the hair down there has been always been charged with social an ... Show More
37m 13s
Nov 2019
A Lady's Life in the Ancient Roman Empire, Part 1
<p>Season 2, Episode 14. Let's travel back to ancient Rome and meet the women who lived amid this ancient-world juggernaut. Many are Roman citizens: the wives and daughters and sisters of influential men who use every tool at their disposal to leave a lasting mark on their fast-c ... Show More
1h 1m
Nov 2019
A Lady's Life in the Ancient Roman Empire, Part 2
Season 2, Episode 15. Welcome to a day in the life of an ancient Roman matrona. Now that we've learned a bit about Rome's overarching history, woken up, visited the bathroom, and gotten dressed and ready for the day in Part 1, let's explore our domus, meet our husband, and talk a ... Show More
1h 2m
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2025
Ancient History Fangirl's Boudicca 1: the Seeds of Rebellion
Liv's off to the UK and realized she's never covered Boudicca! Presenting episode 1 of Ancient History Fangirl's 2021 series on Britain's warrior queen. The story of Boudicca’s revolt is as epic as you can get. It’s got murder and pillage, Romans behaving badly, cities on fire, a ... Show More
1h 10m
Sep 2024
Women Leaders, part 3: Boudica (Literally) Burned London Down (Rerelease)
It's a rerelease of a classic Vulgar History episode, now with better editing! Boudica was Queen of the Iceni, a Celtic tribe during the Roman conquest of Britain. She led a rebellion of united tribes against their Roman invaders, leaving a path of death and bloodshed in her wake ... Show More
58m 22s
Jul 2024
Alexander the Great | Conqueror of the World (Republish)
<p>During the summer break, the 15-Minute History podcast team are republishing some of their favorite episodes. This episode and discussion on Alexander the Great originally aired on January 31, 2022.</p> <p>___</p> <p>He looked out across the field and then back at his formatio ... Show More
52m 2s
Dec 2024
521. Warlords of the West: Killer Queens (Part 2)
Following the death of the legendary Frankish King Clovis, his son Clothar I divided the mighty realm his father had hacked out from the warring warlords of Europe between his four sons. But peace was not to reign…the most ambitious of his brood - Chilperic - seized Paris, his br ... Show More
1 h
Oct 2024
Pyrrhus: Warlord of Ancient Greece
<p>It’s 279 BC. On a large plain in Southern Italy near the town of Asculum, a famous Greek warlord likened to Alexander the Great faces down the legions of the Roman Republic. His name was Pyrrhus of Epirus. And the victory that he won at Asculum would come to define his legacy. ... Show More
1h 7m
Sep 2024
Love, Betrayal, and the Battle for Rome (Replay)
HISTORY This Week returns with new episodes starting September 16th! In the meantime, listen to a favorite classic from the archives. September 2, 31 BCE. Two camps prepare for battle off the coast of Greece. On one side is Octavian, Julius Caesar’s heir apparent. On the other, ... Show More
40m 48s
Oct 16
Alexander the Great, with Mary Beard
No one was like him, terrible were his crimes… Where was Alexander the Great born, and who were his parents? What drove him to go beyond the Aegean empire he had already carved out for himself, and conquer lands beyond the limits of the Greek world? Why did Alexander eventually t ... Show More
10m 52s
Feb 2025
The Persian Wars: Darius, Athens and the Battle of Marathon
<p>490 BC. On the plains of Marathon, Athens faced down a mighty army of the Persian Empire - the superpower of the time It was an underdog clash that would echo throughout history. But how did it all begin?</p><br><p>In this episode of <em>The Ancients</em>, Tristan Hughes kicks ... Show More
58m 21s
Jun 2023
History of Everything: The Mad Queen of Madagascar
In 1828, after the death of her husband, Queen Ranavalona I. came into power by killing all other potential regents (wives, sons, mothers). At that time, she was between 30 and 40 years old. Ranavalona I. went down in history rather ingloriously and bears the surname “the cruel”. ... Show More
1h 2m
Sep 30
She Crashes into the Scene, Wine Skin Filled with Human Blood (Herodotus The Histories Bk 1, Part 4)
We've finally made it to the end of the first book of Herodotus' Histories. It's been a wild ride folks, with all those twists and turns, but it ends with a bang. God it ends to well, I'm so happy. Thank you all for having me! And here's the the next time I see you all <3Submit y ... Show More
36m 55s