A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology

(Ῥωξάνη), a daughter of Oxyartes the Bactrian. According to Arrian, she fell into the hands of Alexander on his capture of the hillfort in Sogdiana, named "the rock," where the wife and daughters of Oxyartes had been placed for security; and the conqueror was so captivated by the charms of Roxana (who appeared to the Macedonians the most beautiful of all the Asiatic women they had seen, except the wife of Dareius), that he resolved to marry her--a design which induced Oxyartes, when he heard of it, to come and submit himself to Alexander, B. C. 327 (Arr. Anab. 4.18_20). The statements of Curtius (8.4), and of Plutarch (Plut. Alex. 47), differ in some points from the above account; but see Droysen, Alexander, p. 346. At the time of Alexander's death, in B. C. 323, Roxana was far advanced

in pregnancy, and within a few months she was delivered of a son (Alexander Aegus). who was admitted to share the nominal sovereignty with Arrhidaeus, under the regency of Perdiccas. Some time before the boy's birth she had, with the knowledge and concurrence of the regent, drawn Stateira, or Barsine, and her sister Drypetis to Babylon by a friendly letter, and then caused them to be murdered [BARSINE, No. 2]. In B. C. 321, Roxana and her infant son accompanied Perdiccas in his expedition against Egypt; and on his death in the same year, she became subject to the guardianship of Pithon and Arrhidaeus. [ARRHIDAEUS, No. 2.] In B. C. 320, site was removed over to Macedonia by Antipater. In B. C. 318, fearing probably the hostility of Eurydice, she fled with her son to Aeacides. ki,g of Epeirus, by whom they were restored to Macedonia, together with Olympias, in the following year. It was not long, however, before Olympias, hard pressed by Cassander, was obliged to throw herself into Pydna, whither Roxana and the youny prince accompanied her; and, when Pvdna was taken, and Olympias put to death by Cassander, early in B. C. 316, they were placed by him in Amphipolis, with a command that they should no longer be treated as royal persons. Here they were detained under the charge of Glaucias till B. C. 311, in which year, soon after the general peace then concluded, they were murdered by their keeper, and their bodies were secretly disposed of, in accordance with orders from Cassander. (Plut. Alex. 77, de Alex. Fort. 2.6; Arr. Anab. 7.27; Curt. 10.3, 6; Diod. 18.3, 39, 19.11, 52, 105; Strab. xi. p.517, xvii. p. 794; Just. 12.15, 13.2, xiv 5, 6, 15.2 ; Paus. 1.6, 11, 9.7.)

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