Alexander’s relationship with Philip seemed affectionate but competitive. What kind of father do you think he (Alexander) would have been to any children of his? Did he really intend to marry any of them to Hephaistion's potential children?

I’ve got a couple prior asks that address this question (except the last), in case you haven’t already found them. Then I’ll discuss the kid thing:

How do you think Philip may have felt about Alexander? Review of the evidence for why the supposed conflict between father and son is overblown, at least until the last year. “Affectionate but competitive” is, indeed, more accurate (and the asker may already have read this one).

What sort of father would Alexander have been? Also addresses the question of Alexander IV.

Philippos, Amyntor, and Fathering in Dancing with the Lion. While this addresses the novels, in particular, it also gets at what I think were some of (the real) Philip’s shortcomings as a father (and how I created Amyntor to be his foil).

Bonus! Not a question asked, but it might be a follow-up question….

Why did Alexander take so long to father an heir? A common question/criticism of Alexander’s apparent lack of concern for continuing his own dynasty. Tries to take the 20/20 hindsight out of the equation and adds some (early) political considerations as to why he didn’t marry sooner.

Now, as to the bit about Alexander and Hephaistion’s hypothetical children marrying…. Our ancient sources specifically say that Alexander married Hephaistion to Drypetis, the younger sister of his own bride Statiera,* so their children would be cousins. Those sources do not say he planned to marry any of those cousins to each other. Sure, cousin-marriage was fairly common among the upper classes. BUT.

A son, especially one intended to be heir, would need to make political marriages. The daughter of his father’s most loyal retainer does not count. Ha. (Something Kleopatra bemoans in DwtL: Rise, that Amyntor’s loyalty is not in question, so Philip would never in a million years give her to Hephaistion.)

Couldn’t a daughter of Hephaistion be an “extra” bride, as both Persia and Macedonia practiced royal polygamy? Perhaps. But the heir would need to make several of these political marriages, and to be “just another wife” could be awkward and potentially insulting to her honor (timē) and, thus, to Hephaistion’s. She might get Alexander’s second son, but he’s still the “spare,” so a third son is more likely.

Also, Hephaistion could need to marry off a daughter to create diplomatic ties for himself. His status would be extremely high (if not Alexander/King of Asia-high). So, his second (or third) daughter and a third son of Alexander would be the most likely pairing. (Assuming they each had that many kids.)

Why couldn’t Hephaistion’s son get a daughter of Alexander? Because daughters (and sisters) were alliance commodities.** Alexander would want to keep his unmarried. If Alexander had wanted a sentimentality betrothal, it would likely be a spare daughter of Hephaistion’s to a spare son of his.

I’ve seen some folks comment that Alexander and Hephaistion married the two sisters as a marriage by proxy for themselves, the cousin-offspring as close as they could get to having children together.

This is (semi-)modern thinking. Unquestionably, Alexander’s affection for Hephaistion is the reason Hephaistion was given Drypetis. But the basic concept of two dear friends marrying sisters, or one marrying the sister of the other, in order to unite families is as old as the hills. It’s about creating blood-kinship. Throughout much of history, one’s strongest ties were not to a marriage partner, but to blood kin. Such ties were so important, in fact, one could be executed for the treasonous behavior of one’s (close) blood kin.*** This expectation of kinship debt still colors our legal system today in inheritance, and guardianship of offspring.

Alexander wasn’t creating a proxy-marriage to Hephaistion. He was literally making Hephaistion part of his family. You might be thinking…but isn’t that the same thing? No. Because marriages weren’t for love but (among the upper classes) for politics, and might be dissolved at some future point. Divorce was, if not common, also not uncommon. Girls were considered “loaners” from one family to another for the begetting of legitimate offspring. If her husband divorced her, she went home to Daddy. But any children of the match stayed with the father; they were his, not hers. Thus, becoming uncle to Hephaistion’s children would be a blood tie. Much more significant than a mere (proxy-)marriage tie.

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*Just a reminder that Persian women seem to have taken regnal names, so Statiera’s daughter (Barsine) became Statiera at her marriage to Alexander. In fact, this is probably from where Macedonian royal wives adopted the practice.

**See the article by Beth Carney “The Sisters of Alexander the Great: Royal Relics” that I linked in a prior blog entry on Alexander’s siblings, as to why he never married them off once he was consistently winning/became King of Asia. He stood so far above others that his sisters effectively did, as well. In ancient thinking, men married the women of the conquered; they didn’t marry their own women to them. That’s why the Susa Weddings were all one-way: Macedonian Elite men to Persian noble/royal women. The ultimate power-move (and dick-move) was to marry their women but withhold your own in order to demonstrate who has power in any alliance. 😉

***As with Parmenion after the fall/execution of Philotas.

"Stratonike’s marriages in the Seleukid dynasty were further steps in experimenting with legitimacy. Her role as an Antipatrid and Antigonid basilissa brought authority in the Mediterranean sphere, just when relationships between the royal families needed to be redefined after her father’s defeat and Seleukos’ victory at Ipsos in 301. Plutarch gives the account of her marriage, how Seleukos requested Stratonike in marriage because he needed an alliance with Demetrios to counterbalance other marriage-alliances being forged by Ptolemy I. Phila joined her daughter and the two kings at Rhosos, Syria for several days of festivities before departing to handle a political dispute with her brother Kassandros, and then Seleukos helped the already polygamous Demetrios broker another marriage with Ptolemaïs, daughter of Ptolemy. Turmoil between the kings erupted almost immediately after; nevertheless it is clear that Stratonike’s first marriage fits into a complex sequence of inter-state negotiations, for which the physical and familial movements of basilissai were integral.

Stratonike’s second marriage [to her stepson Antiochus] was an experiment internal to the Seleukid family, laying the basis for the representation of dynastic cohesion and a stable succession. Setting aside the romantic reading of motivations, in purely political terms, Stratonike transferred all her weight as basilissa to Antiochos, bringing it to bear on his new responsibility for ruling the eastern Seleukid empire. This in itself is interesting: that the Seleukids at this time saw feasibility in dispatching a western basilissa to become a very successful Eastern leader. Stratonike had had [several] years already in which to grow into her role as a Seleukid dynasty founder. Her move to be with Antiochos perhaps represents the point when those years of work came to fruition for her own benefit, plus the benefit of both her husbands, and Apama too."

-Gillian Ramsey, "Apama and Stratonike: The first Seleukid basilissai," "The Routledge Companion to Women and Monarchy in the Ancient Mediterranean World" (edited by Elizabeth D. Carney and Sabine Müller)

Pomegranate: Health Benefits in Diabetes, Hypertension, Pregnancy Pomegranate is one of the healthiest fruit. It has a high nutritional value as it is a rich source of multivitamins, minerals, antioxidants. It also works as an antibiotic and anti-viral. The new research shows that it has anti-cancerous properties too. Its botanical name is Punica Granatum belongs to Lythraceae family. The pomegranate tree is a deciduous shrub or small tree generally growing up to 6-10 meter. What is Pomegranate? Pomegranate (Punica granatum) is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub or small tree growing between five and eight meters high. The pomegranate plant belongs to the genus Punica in the family Lythraceae, which also includes flame trees, loosestrife, pomegranate's close relatives. Its flowers have bright red petals that open into five pointed star shapes. Pomegranate is native to the region from eastern Europe to western Asia, north of the Himalaya where it was known in ancient times (in Iran, etc.) and widely cultivated. Today pomegranates are commonly cultivated throughout Turkey, India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, the Himalayas and South America. Pomegranates grow well in a hot climate up to about 50° latitude, but thrive between 30° N and 30° S. They can be grown in cooler climates if protected from winter cold and frost by a wall or fence. Pomegranate trees have been cultivated for 3,000 years or more in south-west Asia, northern Africa and southern Europe. The pomegranate (Punica granatum) is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub or small tree growing between five and ten meters tall. The pomegranate is of great historical, religious, and cultural importance in many parts of the globe. Its many varieties have been cultivated since ancient times throughout regions around the Mediterranean Basin and Northern India, where pomegranates grow well in hot climates such as Iraq and Iran. The pomegranate was brought to England from its native Persia by Mary Queen of Scots when she returned home from France in 1561 after her marriage to Dauphin Francis II, who died soon afterward. Illustrations accompanying this engraving show that pomegranates were grown in the greenhouses of pomological enthusiasts soon after this time. The pomegranate was introduced to California by Spanish settlers in 1769, who planted it along the El Camino Real (the Royal Road) from Mexico City to San Diego. It was probably introduced into Florida by the same means and subsequently spread northward by birds and animals that eat its fruit and then excrete or regurgitate seeds near water sources. The pomegranate is now cultivated throughout many warm-winter areas of the world where crop production and marketing conditions allow for economic feasibility. Many pomegranate cultivars are grown; some are purple, others red, pink, yellow or orange; most common pomegranates usually grow one to three meters tall, but pomegranate trees are also known to grow up to ten meters at times. Nutrition of Pomegranate: Nutrition in Pomegranate has been described below: 100 gm of pomegranate contains about 80 gm of calories. An average size of fruit contains around 50 gm of carbohydrate, 3 gm of fat and 5 gm of protein. It has almost zero amounts of cholesterol. The fruit has high fibers as 100 gm of it provides around 12 gm of fiber which is 1/3rd of the daily requirement of a person. It is a high source of vitamins. It has vitamin B complex, vitamin K, vitamin C and Folic Acid. 100 gm of fruit provides about 80% of daily requirement of vitamin C. It also contains good amount of minerals, Calcium, Copper, Magnesium, Phosphorous, Zinc, Sulphur etc. Pomegranate has a very small amount of iron. There is a myth regarding iron. People generally think that it is a great source of iron because of its red color. It also has some amount of electrolyte. The bark, stem, skin, and juice of the fruit contains high amount of Tannin which is known to accelerate

blood clotting, reduce blood pressure, decrease the serum lipid level, produce liver necrosis, and modulate. Pomegranate bark powder contains Pelleterine and Isopelleterine active contents, which work as antibiotic and anti-helminths. Read more: Top 11 Amazing Health Benefits Of Eating Grapes Health benefits of pomegranate: What is pomegranate good for? Pomegranates are a fruit that is often overlooked, but they are actually packed full of antioxidants and health benefits. In this post, we will explore some of the ways that pomegranates can benefit your health. We will also discuss how to incorporate pomegranates into your diet. So, if you are looking for a nutritious and delicious fruit, be sure to give pomegranate a try! 1. For Digestive Problems: It is very much effective to treat anorexia, hyperacidity, diarrhea, and dysentery. Acidic value of it stimulates the liver to produce and secrete bile juice thus it is also used to treat hepatitis. The decoction of Bark and fruit skin is used to treat worm infection of the intestine, especially tapeworms. 2. Pomegranate and Diabetes: Oriental medicine practitioners are using it to treat diabetes for ages. Newly research by modern medicine practitioner also supports it. Pomegranate juice has active contains Gallic, Punicagallic, Oleonic acid, Urosolic acid and others, which stimulates pancreas beta cells to produce the increased amount of insulin. Sugar in it takes longer time to digest thus it does not increase the level of blood sugar. It is effective for diabetes type 2 that is insulin resistance diabetes. It is a question of doubt that does it also treats diabetes type 1. 3. For Hypertension: High amount of natural antioxidant and effective contents like Catechine and Tannin reduce plaques in blood vessels and Atherosclerosis (hardening of blood vessels). Researchers have found pomegranate reduces LDL cholesterol and produces no effect on HDL cholesterol. It also improves cardiac muscle tone, hence reduces chances of Cardiac Stroke (Cardiac Attack). 4. Pomegranate for Cancer: On the basis of the clinical trial on animal, extract of pomegranate reduces the size of prostate, colon, lung, skin and breast tumors. Its effectiveness in human cancer is still under trial. Anti-oxidant property of it reduces side effects of chemotherapy. For a cancer patient, it is advisable to consume 100ml of pomegranate juice regularly. 5. Pomegranate for Skin: Pomegranate leaves are used to treat eczema and urticarial. Direct application of the paste of young leaves or decoction of leaves purify blood and improves blood circulation. In oriental medicine, pomegranate is effectively used to treat all sorts of skin problems. Application of bark and leaves paste on face works as a facial scrub. 6. Pomegranate in Pregnancy: Multivitamins and multimineral property of it make it extremely beneficial for pregnancy. It also reduces the symptoms of the first trimester of pregnancy like morning sickness, nausea and constipation. Pomegranate for Dogs: Dogs are human’s best friends. it is very important to know which human fruits and vegetables are good for them because some of the human diet item shows the poisonous property to them. Pomegranate has low amount of fat but high amount of fiber and our canine friends do not need high fiber diet. So sharing a small amount of it, is good. For Cats: It does not show any life-threatening condition in cats but as fruits are not a natural diet for cats, avoiding or sharing only small amount without sugar and preservative is advisable. In Oriental Medicine: Oriental medicine practitioners are using it for thousands of year. Ancient Ayurvedic Classics like Charak Samhita, Sushrut Samhita, Ashtang Hraday describe several benefits of it. It shows anti-inflammatory properties, improves the general weakness. It is good for male sexual problem, diacritic, improves muscle tone and cardiac activity. Uses of Pomegranate: Fruit: Fruit juice with seeds or without seed.

Fruit skin: Dry powder of fruit skin Leaves: Extract of leaves, decoction of leaves, cold decoction of leaves, Paste of young leaves Bark: Only decoction Root: Only decoction Side effects of Pomegranate: Some people have allergy from it, but it is very rare and very mild. However, very rarely, pomegranate extract can cause the anaphylactic reaction. Excessive consumption of it can upset your stomach because of high fiber diet and some specific enzyme reaction. Use only prescribed amount of it for diabetes and weight loss due to its high sugar content It lowers blood pressure if you consume high amount of it along with antihypertensive medicine it can cause a sudden decrease in blood pressure. Its leaves, root, and bark contain the high amount of Tannin. Some people are allergic to Tannin. So please consult oriental medicine practitioner before using any of it containing decoction or medicine. What is Pomegranate Juice Good For? Within pomegranates are small red seeds which are known as pomegranate arils. Pomegranate juice is made by squashing pomegranate fruit, and can be drunk on its own or used in various recipes. As pomegranates contain high levels of antioxidants they have many health benefits, some of which include: Increased energy: pomegranates help break down food into useable energy for the body Immunity booster: pomegrantes improve the function of white blood cells to reduce inflammation and therefore boost immunity Prevention of heart disease - pomengranates protect against free radicals that damage tissue, pomegranate has also been shown to increase 'good' cholesterol (HDL) and reduce 'bad' cholesterol (LDL). Some potential pomegranate juice side effects include: Heartburn: pomegranates may help protect against heart disease, but they can cause heartburn if you already suffer from it. Intestinal discomfort: pomegranate arils contain fiber which is great for your digestive system, but too much will result in intestinal discomfort. Like other high fibre foods such as bran and dried fruit, pomagranate should be eaten in moderation to prevent diarrhea and bloating. Diarrhea: pomegranate contains a lot of soluble fiber. Fiber absorbs water and speeds up the passage food through your intestine - that's good if you have stomach cramps, but it can cause diarrhea if pomegranate is eaten in excess. Potassium toxicity: pomegranates are high in potassium, which is a mineral that's essential for many aspects of human health. However, pomengranates aren't regulated to the same extent as pharmaceutical drugs, so don't take pomegranate juice supplements or prescription medicines within five hours of each other - this could lead to too much potassium in your blood stream, which may cause serious problems like paralysis and heart irregularities. You could also try using pomegranate seed oil on your skin; it has similar benefits to pomegranate juice plus potent antioxidants which help increase skin elasticity and combat free radicals. It's also great for puffy eyes, applying pomegranate seed oil to the under-eye area will de-puff and reduce dark circles by encouraging skin regeneration. You can purchase pomegranate seed oil from most health food stores or online retailers such as Amazon. Conclusion: Pomegranate is a fruit with many health benefits. A study has found that it may be beneficial in the treatment of diabetes, hypertension and pregnancy-related complications. It can also lower cholesterol levels, which helps to reduce risk factors for cardiovascular disease. If you're interested in some additional research on the potential benefits of pomegranates - there are plenty of resources available online or read our blog post! Read more: Pineapple: Health Benefits, Side Effects, Nutrition And Usage Disclaimer: Above article is only for knowledge purpose. Please contact your healthcare provider before using any of above medicine or method. For any query or personal consultation according to your health condition please contact your doctor.

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