#thessalonike

[wishesofeternity]

“Alexander the Great had three sisters - Cynnane, Cleopatra, and Thessalonice - and all three were eventually murdered. Since both' of Alexander's sons met similarly violent ends, it may appear at first glance that little distinguishes the pathetic life and death of each of these three royal sisters from the more pathetic and yet shorter lives of their nephews. Indeed, even earlier in the century, before the long and troubled demise of the Argead house had begun, very few male Argeads managed to die at home in bed.

On reflection, however, the very fact that a long dynasty was coming to an end should have meant that the sisters of the last king would have a better chance of survival than the minor male heirs of that king. After all, once the father is dead, the heirs are for practical purposes (assuming they are well below the age of maturity) no man's sons, and can do no would-be dynast any more than short-term good, whereas the king's sisters can be married and thus legitimize the seizure of royal or quasi-royal power. Better yet, a king's sister may produce children of the blood of the old royal house, as well as the new.

But two of Alexander's sisters did not realize the potential advantage seemingly inherent in their situation and ultimately all three died exactly because they were Philip II's daughters and Alexander's sisters. This failure to realize the potential to be the bridge between two dynasties is most surprising in the case of Alexander's full sister, Cleopatra. Analysis of the careers of Alexander's relatively obscure sisters, worthwhile as an end, in itself, should answer the question of why the Successors proved to prefer murder to marriage (in two of the cases) as well as produce important information about the nature of Macedonian monarchy in a period of great and rapid change. The significance of the similarity in ultimate fate of the three sisters and their nephews has been ignored for too long.  

“...   Calling Alexander's sisters his "relicts" is meant to convey two truths about  them: their similarity to the other relics of Alexander (his corpse, his tent, and,  of course, his empire) and their manipulation by various of the Successors  and (by means of allusion to the older meaning of "relict" as a female survivor  of some related and now departed male, with its implication of the lack of a  separate existence for such women) their peculiarly property-like quality in the  period after the death of Alexander. The answer to the question posed initially - why did Alexander's sisters fare so poorly and so similarly to their nephews - should now be clear. Alexander had no successor. Even Antigonus, although interested in the same land area as Alexander, was not a true successor to the curious monarchy Alexander had invented - a traditional national monarchy onto which a curious sort of personal monarchy had been grafted - Antigonus was, like the other generals, on the way to creating a personal monarchy. Thus even he did not really need Cleopatra. Cassander, with his marriage to Thessalonice and at least superficial attempt to imitate the traditions of Macedonian monarchy, could not really be Philip's heir because he could not be an Argead; he had murdered Argeads and would probably have liked to murder more. Until the death of Alexander, Macedonian kingship had been tied to one dynasty. This was so much the case that the kings used no title, but simply signed themselves as so and so, son of an Argead. Trying to decide whether Philip's or Alexander's reputation was greater after 323 is ultimately devoid of any real political meaning; neither had any real successors and thus Alexander's sisters and Philip's daughters, representing as they necessarily did continuity with what had come before, could have no future.  

Cynnane died in an ill-advised attempt to take royal power by military and quasi-military means; the army did not save her. Thessalonice died in the death throes of the pseudo-dynasty Cassander had fabricated, her death demonstrating that even her son did not need to see himself as the heir to the  Argeads. Cleopatra died making one last attempt to function as a symbol of continuity, and for that she was murdered. The sisters were expendable because continuity was neither needed nor genuinely desired.”

Elizabeth Carney, “The Sisters of Alexander the Great: Royal Relicts”

*I disagree that Cynnane's attempt to take royal power was ill-advised. As Carney herself points out in another book, "although this daring plan ultimately proved fatal for Cynnane, it succeeded in its object and was brilliantly conceived".

[jeannereames]

Hi! I wondered what Thessalonike's marriage/relationship to Cassander/Kassandros was like? She was clearly forced to marry him, but since he named a city after her and she had lots of influence with their sons, I really hope it wasn't particularly awful / it was, at the very least, manageable for her

Also, was she really killed by her own son? That's heartbreakingly sad.

I expect that, especially in the early years, it was unpleasant for her at best. He needed her alive to legitimize his rule by producing half-Argead sons. Otherwise, I doubt her comfort concerned him. Naming a city after her had less to do with her and more to do with emphasizing that his wife was a daughter of Philip II. It was the tie to Philip he wanted to emphasize more than to Alexander.

Once she had children, however, things may have got marginally better. She had at least four, the three boys and a girl who died as a toddler who we know about only because we got lucky and stumbled over her tombstone. We know Kassandros broke Greek naming precedent to call the first boy after his wife’s father, and left the second boy to be named after his own father (Antipatros). And the last? Alexandros—probably named by Thessalonike. That must really have stuck in his craw—and it might indirectly tell us both how much power Thessalonike had, and how much she hated her husband.

For more on Kassandros and Alexander, see my post below.

It’s always possible that Thessalonike hadn’t liked her step-family and was happy to marry Kassandros…but I doubt it. The details we know suggest otherwise, such as the name of that third boy.

Ancient sources only rarely tell us about the affective bonds between family members, and then only if really good—or really bad. Why? In antiquity, piety demanded that family members back each other up, so even quarreling siblings, or quarreling parents and children were expected to protect each other. To kill one’s siblings, much less parents was an especially heinous act. The Furies, among the oldest (and most terrifying) of the gods, had the job of pursuing children who committed matricide. But we probably don’t hear about whether Thessalonike loved her brother (or step-mother Olympias), because ancient authors assumed she’d be loyal to them, however she felt.

This matters because not only did Kassandros hate her brother, Alexander, but he married her shortly after he’d had Olympias murdered. Thessalonike had previously been with Olympias in Pydna. Several of us, starting with Beth Carney, believe that Olympias raised her after her own mother’s death 20 days after she was born.* So if technically, Alexander and Kleopatra were half-siblings and Olympias a step-mother, they were her family.

That means Kassandros forced her to marry him after letting a violent crowd tear her mother limb from limb. It was a common practice for a new king of a different line to marry the daughter/sister/even mother of the previous king he was replacing, often after killing him. Kassandros didn’t kill Alexander, but later Successor era gossip said he was involved in a plot to poison him. If almost certainly untrue, it may have been circulating by then and she might have heard and believed it. Certainly, he’d been an enemy of her family and had Olympias killed.

Her wedding night must have been a nightmare for her.

Yet as a symbol as Philip's daughter, she had a certain amount of power over Kassandros via her boys. We don’t know how she felt about the oldest, or how he felt about her, but clearly the youngest son loved her…and the middle son didn’t. That also points to a civil war in the royal house.

A king always needed “an heir and a spare.” The third boy was extra insurance, but by naming him Alexandros, Thessalonike pretty clearly marked him “hers.” Kassandros would have kept a close eye on the older two. As the eldest, Philip (IV) barely outlived him, dying from natural causes (a “wasting disease”). Chances are he was unhealthy for at least some years prior, maybe all his life, and Kassandros anticipated an early death for him, causing him to concentrate equally on the second boy, who he probably saw as the “real” heir.

In any case, Kassandros died (of illness) rather young, in 297, only a few years after the Battle of Ipsos had made him undisputed king of Macedon. Philip (IV) succeeded him, but then died himself just a few months later.

Then things got interesting.

Kassandros had married Thessalonike after 316/15—probably sooner, not later. That means Philip couldn’t have been born earlier than 315/14. Thus, when Kassandros died in 397, Philip was, at most, 18. But he ruled without a regency as Philip IV. When he died, both the younger sons appear to have been underage, if Antipatros barely. Thessalonike set herself up as regent.

And she insisted that Antipatros share rule with his younger brother Alexandros (V).

He probably assumed (perhaps fairly) that she intended to replace him with Alexandros eventually, so about two years later—when he was fully of age and newly married—he committed the unforgivable sin of killing his mother Thessalonike, and kicking his brother out of Macedonia.

Fleeing to Athens, Alexandros asked Demetrios Poliorketes for help. This was a golden opportunity for Demetrios (son of Antigonos Monophthalmos). He’d had really bad luck since Ipsos, where Antigonos had died (and they’d lost). He was a commander of…mixed…ability. He failed as often as he succeeded, but he shared Alexander the Great’s gumption, if not his raw talent. Now, he used Alexandros V as leverage, and brought his army up from Athens to expel Antipatros, returning Alexandros to Pella…but then he didn’t leave.

Meanwhile, Antipatros fled to the court of his wife’s father—Lysimachos, who’d been Alexander’s friend and guard. Killing his own mother was decidedly Not Okay, so Lysimachos had Antipatros killed in turn.

Demetrios still hadn’t left Pella. Alexandros knew damn well he had eyes on the throne, and tried to poison him. Demetrios “overlooked” it initially, but then murdered him and named himself king of Macedon, initiating the Antigonid line.

Gotta love Macedonian cut-throat politics.

---------------------

* We have no idea what killed Nikesepolis, but a very good bet, given the timeline, is a “retained placenta,” which caused either delayed hemorrhage and/or infection. This is, unfortunately, one of the more common causes of maternal morbidity after childbirth, happening in about 1-2 pregnancies in 100.

[er-cryptid]

[coffeenewstom]

Athener Kaffee-Tagebuch: Leoforos Nikis und Weißer Turm

Jetzt gilt es entlang der Leoforos Nikis am Meer zu flanieren. Der Boulevard beginnt als Fortsetzung der Navarchou Koundouriotou Pavlou an der Platia Eleftherias mit dem Shoa-Denkmal und führt in südöstlicher Richtung entlang der Küste vorbei an der Platia Aristotelous bis zum Weißen Turm, wo er in die Leoforos Megalou Alexandrou übergeht. Sie ist auch als Palea Paralia – Alte Uferpromenade –…

[babischaralamp]

Sunday in the city I to IV — #thessaloniki #thessalonikicity #citylife (at Thessaloníki) https://www.instagram.com/p/CncX7Fzorw9/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[askgametime]

🐜 Recommend a fic that makes you laugh! A crack fic, or something that's just really funny!

okay, i actually generally don't answer asks on this blog, i create/reblog ask games to be used by others since i'm not really open for prompts right now and this blog isn't fandom specific. however, i guess i could provide a rec/recs, but since there's no fandom listed it will be random. and since i don't normally do these i'm going all out with a really detailed answer.

...alright, briefly traversed my bookmarks for fics i remembered being hilarious, and ironically, this is not at all indicative of the fandoms i spend the most time reading in, especially like, currently, but it's a small variety and they were all memorably hilarious so:

still alive but i’m bearly breathing by thessalonike (starblessed) / @julies-butterflies

Fandom: Julie and the Phantoms; Rating: T; Categories: Gen, M/M - No Archive Warnings Apply - Complete (1/1)

So, Julie's got a possessed teddy bear. “It was just a flash of light, like a lava lamp exploded, and then, whoomph —“ Reggie mimes what, presumably, is a person getting sucked into a stuffed animal’s body. It involves a lot of flailing, a weird mermaid wiggle, and a moonwalk. “Alex was a bear.” CAN WE PLEASE STOP SAYING THAT, sings Alex — or Bearlex — into his plush microphone, with his tiny robotic voice. The sound box inside of the bear isn’t designed for speaking, only warbling… so every time Alex has something to say, he sounds like robot Freddie Mercury attempting karaoke. ALEX IS NOT A BEAR. ALEX IS INSIDE A BEAR. IT’S DIFFERENT. “Yeah, man, it sounds worse.”

Rec Notes: This one makes me cry laughing. Every single time. It's so funny. I believe after I watched JATP and binged a bunch of fics I read every single one of this person's works and they were all great. God, I need to rewatch that show, it's been a hot second.

Smoke Break by OrangeGaytor

Fandom: Disco Elysium; Rating: M; Category: Gen - No Archive Warnings Apply - Complete (1/1)

Shivers– Miles away, a young teenager takes his first ever hit of a joint. He inhales too deeply, and spit flies from his lips as he falls into a coughing fit. Pitifully, his friend pats him on the back, an embarrassed grimace on his face. Just as far away, a woman is locked to her couch, paralyzed by the 10 mg edible she took an hour and a half ago. The recommended dosage was half of a gummy, and yet, the chemicals overpower her, merging her into the cushions. Time passes as a dripping faucet, inconsistent, and runny. And here, in Martinese, a police officer has rolled the worst blunt known to all mankind. 

Rec Notes: Great grasp of game's format/feel, incredibly funny. I just love how it's worded. The summary is a great example--the pacing and punchline is just. chef's kiss.

No Speak, Only Batman by hitthedeck

Fandom: DC/Batman/Justice League; Rating: G; Category: Gen - No Archive Warnings Apply - Complete (1/1) (Part 5 of a series of oneshots)

Batman doesn't use words, those prehistoric, plebian things. Instead, he stares deeply into your eyes, waits for you to absorb his meaning, and leaves. Either that or he fights it out like a normal person. Or, in which Batman's unique communication style is spectacularly unhelpful.

Rec Notes: I don't even go here, but Batman produces so many excellent, excellent crack fics. This is one of the best. Honestly, this whole series is completely iconic. Please read them all.

Filet-O-Fish by moopyjoopy

Fandom: The Magnus Archives; Rating: T; Category: Gen - No Archive Warnings Apply - Complete (1/1)

Someone throws a Filet-O-Fish at Jon’s front door. Paranoia ensues. (rated teen for a few swears)

Rec Notes: Okay, I'm really not gonna have a lot to say for any of these other than "help please they're so fucking funny" but I cannot impress on you enough they truly are all so fucking funny. I don't even really go here, either and YET. Also, I just love this author. Master of humor, truly.

œuf ouch owie by miraculousunflower (ominousunflower)

Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug; Rating: T; Category: F/M - No Archive Warnings Apply - Complete (1/1)

Chat Noir enlists Rena Rouge's help to create an Aspik illusion. Absolutely nothing goes wrong. Ladybug smiles. “I wanted to drop by and welcome Aspik. I know it must be a little intimidating, being surrounded by so many veteran heroes…so, welcome! We’re glad to have you on board.” “I look like an egg!” Aspik announces, T-posing. Chat turns to Rena, feeling like he has been punched in the solar plexus. What the hell? he mouths. Rena grimaces, her eyes wide with panic. Stomach sinking, Chat remembers one of the first things he learned about the Fox Miraculous: that if Rena Rouge isn’t focused, her illusions go haywire. Oh, no.

Rec List: cannot emphasize enough this one makes me cry laughing every time. I don't know what it is, man. It's just so fucking funny. I haven't watched this show in years and still I go back and reread this when I remember it exists.

Sam Green and the Strange, Perplexing, Almost Bad, Very Confusing Night(s) by pukner

Fandom: Stranger Things; Rating: G; Category: Gen, M/M - No Archive Warnings Apply - WIP (1/2)

"'M I bein' kidnapped?" asked Harrington. "What," said Sam, alarmed, "No!" "Okay," said Harrington with terrifying agreeability, considering the words he was saying, "But like. If you were? It's cool, I've been kidnapped before." "Wh—" "It was, uh. A bunch of twelve-year-olds," said Harrington, sounding strangely pensive. Then, sadly, "They stole B'lly's car." Sam actually could not process anything being said right then. He started the car. "Hey, Harrington?" he said, voice strained. "Yeah?" "Let's stop talking for a while, yeah?" "'Kay." Or, in November 1984, Sam Green (or Freak, if he's at a gig) sees Steve Harrington stumbling home looking like roadkill. He drives him to the hospital, and never quite manages to get rid of him. In July 1985, Eddie Munson is very confused about this.

Rec Notes: Every work by this author is so, so good. I don't even go here--god, why is that a pattern on this list?--but I'm always excited to see them in my inbox. I only chose this particular one (a) by virtue of it being the most recent and therefore the one I remembered best and (b) Mall Goop.

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Epistolary Bullying Campaign by viramine / @mvshortcut

Fandom: The Mysterious Benedict Society; Rating: T; Category: Gen - No Archive Warnings Apply - Complete (1/1)

"To LD Curtain (I refuse to believe you actually earned your doctorate): When I opened the newspaper over my nutritious breakfast this morning, I was greeted by the most terrible and disgusting sight in the world (your face). Now I am going to take several moments of your time to express my displeasure." Or, how did Curtain know they called themselves the Society, anyway?

Rec Notes: Iconic as fucking always. Top-tier author, top-tier comedy; have my hand in marriage, etc. Constance terrorizing Curtain is always wonderful but this is probably the best version of that. Great characterization, deeply hilarious and so so funny, always worth rereading over and over. The best, ♾️/10 stars

Geoffrey M'Benga: Vulcan (Love??) Guru by WerewolvesAreReal

Fandom: Star Trek (TOS); Rating: T; Category: Gen - No Archive Warnings Apply - Complete (1/1)

Post-Amok Time. “The only conclusion M'Benga can draw, based on all McCoy's questions about Vulcans, is that the man is enamored with Commander Spock. Someone should really tell him that pigtail-pulling stops being cute when you're eight.” Misunderstandings, genfic, humor.

Rec Note: Yet another author I always and without fail am absolutely thrilled to see in my inbox. And this fic? Regular reread. Absolutely incredible.

A dis-ass-ter by normal_thoughts_official / @normal-thoughts-official

Fandom: Shadowhunters; Rating: M; Category: F/F, M/M, Multi, Other - No Archive Warnings Apply - Complete (1/1)

Simon and Maia find out what the Mark of Cain is in an... Alternate way. Namely, they can't get their spanking session on. The squad is called in to help.

Rec Notes: [announcer voice] FROM WRITING GENIUS NORMAL-THOUGHTS-OFFICIAL IT'S!!!! THE POLYCULE SPANKING ASS PORTAL FIC!!!! Truly so funny and from one of the best authors on this damn site, wonderful characterization, on point comedy, and impeccable taste as always. Blowing you a kiss. Tossing bouquets. Firing confetti cannons. Etc.

A Way Things Should Be by LullabyKnell / @lullabyknell

Fandom: The Hobbit (Movies); Rating: T; Category: Gen - No Archive Warnings Apply - Complete (16/16)

In the Shire, hobbits say, "What lovely weather we've having." They also stir their teacups for four and a half clockwise rotations, place their left elbow seven-eighths down the way of the arm rest, and sniffled pointedly, which roughly translates to: "This tea is over-steeped and bland, your furniture is both uncomfortable and horrifically tasteless, and you're a twit of a host." And I think that's beautiful. ~ Hobbitish is a language of manners and etiquette, the dwarves don't even know that Hobbitish is a thing, and Bilbo is trying to keep a straight face and his peace of mind while the Company unintentionally keeps sexually propositioning him and challenging him to pie-eating contests to the death. ~ Actions speak so much louder than words.

Rec Notes: Truly a stunning fic. An absolute masterpiece. Hilarious, touching, perfectly paced. Incredibly long and well-thought out, great characterization, and again, I cannot stress this enough, hilarious. I once recommended this to a person out loud irl in real life on purpose. A person who had never heard of fanfiction. Admittedly I was a high-schooler at the time, so it's not like I had much sense (not that I have any now), but I still didn't normally do that. He thought it was hilarious, by the way. Read some excerpts out loud at lunch and had them howling. Wonderful fic, cannot recommend enough; so fucking funny and the premise is just. so good.

--- --- --- ---

And now, because I'm selfish, here's a few crack fics I wrote, because. why not, am I right? I'm already putting way too much time into this probably.

-- -- -- -- --

Rupert Mannion Is Batman (He Isn't)

Fandom: Ted Lasso; Rating: M; Category: M/M - No Archive Warnings Apply - Complete (13/13)

A series of bizarre, loosely related events occur, all kicked off by Trent absently mentioning that he may or may not have once hooked up with Rupert Mannion.

Author Note: I had so much fun with this one. It's not my most popular crack fic--even my most popular Ted Lasso crack fic--but it amuses me.

dreams of falling

Fandom: House MD; Rating: M; Category: M/M - No Archive Warnings Apply - Complete (1/1)

House and, among other things: green couches, being kissed by Wilson, lightning-fast overthinking, and talking to himself.

Author Note: My first time writing House, and entirely on an impulse. I really like some of the lines in here, like Chase's brief appearance.

gemini schmemini

Fandom: The Mysterious Benedict Society (TV); Rating: T; Category: Gen - No Archive Warnings Apply - Complete (1/1)

"You're his clone?" demanded Kate loudly, looking between Mr. Benedict and Curtain. His what. There were a lot of answers he could give to this. No, who in the world told you that, we're twins, being the main one, or perhaps he could just turn to his brother and say, did you seriously fucking tell people you cloned yourself instead of owning up to not being an only child?! But looking at his brother, who was keeping his face utterly blank, Nicholas made a split second decision. "No," he said, looking his brother directly in the eyes, "Actually, he's my clone."

Author Note: I had a harder time choosing between my MBS crack fics because I think they're all hilarious. No false modesty here, if there's one thing I am occasionally good at it is being funny as fuck. Not reliably, but, you know. Anyway, I asked my friends to choose between three random ones I think are the funniest and this was the unanimous (of the two people that responded on incredibly short notice) vote!

And now...

[marwyn]

Or was it the grieving sister, the Lady Ashara? She threw herself into the sea, I’m told. Why was that? For the brother you slew, or the child you stole?

Philip II had a daughter, Thessalonike, by a Thessalian wife, so that she was Alexander’s half-sister. . . . The story goes that Alexander once made her immortal, so that, when she tried to drown herself in the sea at the news of his death, she turned into a mermaid.

AGOT and “The Kings of Comedy” by Amy Richlin, from Roman Drama and its Contexts

[naturesesme]

Date: 300's BCE and Persia is freshly conquered Location: Babylon Characters: @erenxdemir & @naturesesme Notes: Siblings haven't seen each other in literal months

She'd been missing for months. Of course, Olympias had made certain not to worry Alexander and, quite frankly, Nike was happy she'd been so pragmatic about it. The Queen Mother had hid away the truth and made certain to tell her other siblings that, in the young princess' terrible grief over the death of her father at her sister's own wedding, she had gone on a religious sabbatical and not ran away from home. It wasn't entirely untrue. The princess had taken Olympias' old druidic tomes and stolen away on a ship to find herself. Tired of geography books, sly women's politics and fancy dances. She crossed the seas to find the rumoured living Archdruid and eventually had, spending months at Dionaeia's side and learning all she could while the entire course of the world changed just ship's ride away.

Her mentor had told her stories of how souls of mortals eventually flickered away and were made into brand new ones. That was who Thessalonike was - a shiny new soul, a new life, a new promise. But not her brother, no. Her brother was an old soul. Already, Alexander proved the legacy of his many lives. In her absence, her oldest brother had conquered Persia, which most people seemed surprised about because they hadn't sat at his side while their teachers marveled at his genius and his sister just looked out the window, wanting to run out into the gardens. She heard the stories from the sailors on her way back home, even one of a new Pharaoh with her brother's name. It was lovely to not return home and dodge questions about her supposed sabbatical or tell Olympias how her ship had sank and she nearly drowned. Instead, she headed straight to Persia and entered the castle without notice or pomp. A mountain dog, large, but inconspicuous if she played her cards right. And she did play them very well right up until she made it to the king's floor where the guards started rightfully yelling and chasing her. Alex opened the door to wonder the commotion and she immediately darted inside.

Nike bravely withheld a giggle as soon as she stumbled into her true form and she smiled brightly at her brother - away from the view of the door and all the apologizing Persian guards. "So this is all new." Nike looked towards the little statue of the late King Darius in the corner. Maybe her brother was still in the process of remodeling.

[inky-duchess]

Hello! What do you think of Alexander the Great's sisters - Cynane, Cleopatra and Thessalonike?

I think Cynane is a figure that deserves much more light in the legend of the family. This is a woman who went to war, who fought on the front lines and won her battle to marry off her daughter even beyond her death.

Thessalonike seems such a sweet and beloved woman, the story of her naming actually makes me like Philip which is miracle

Cleopatra, I think deep down was very much her mother's daughter but just better with people. She should have been left in Epirus instead of the generals scrapping over her.

[ginervacade]

Heya!! Hope you are having a good day.

For your ask me/tell me anything was wondering if you had any JatP fic recs?

Absolutely!!

Here’s two that made me cry and four that just made me smile a lot ( very Reggie heavy because he kinda owns my whole heart)

These are all on Ao3

I am fine, I am totally fine (I’m not fine) by InvisibleRaven ( who I’m sure you already know is incredible)

Birthday Boy Blues by @invisibleraven

And then fun ones

Reggie’s Epiphany by thek9kid (fem! Reggie fic that made me die laughing)

Stupid Cupid, stop picking on me by thessalonike( starblessed)

( hilarious and adorable PeterPatterLina + oblivious Alex)

Not the Tall Thing Again by anxiousdryad

( it’s just funny)

I’m Still Breathing by puddlesandparkinglots

( asthmatic siblings Julie and Reggie, one of the actual most adorable fics I’ve ever seen in my entire life!)

Thanks for the ask darlin’!

[classicschronicles]

Hi lovelies,

Okay so I am in Greece at the moment, which is so so so so cool because I’ve wanted to come since I was like five. But it was a last minute trip (literally we booked it 24 hours before the flight) and so I know literally nothing about where I am staying. It’s a very cool city called Thessaloniki and has some pretty dope connections to the ancient world, which I thought we could explore together.

The history of Thessaloniki dates back to ancient Macedonia and was a town founded around 315 BC by King Cassander of Macedon. Cassender named the new city after his wife Thessalonike (the half sister of Alexander the Great). Some cool etymology about her name is that it means Victory of the Thessalians (i.e. Thessaly and also form the Greek goddess of victory ‘Nike’). Her name commemorated her being born on the day her father (Phillip II) won a battle with the hero of horsemen from Thessaly. Thessaloniki developed rapidly and by as early as the 2nd century BC it began to build walls which enclosed the city. The city also become a self governing state in the Macedonian Kingdom.

After the fall of the Kingdom of Macedon, Thessaloniki (as the Latin name for it is) became part of the Roman Empire, and became a very important trade hub which connected Byzantium and Dyrrhachium (basically Constantinople and Albania) and facilitated trade between europe and Asia. The city became the capital one of the four roman districts of Macedonia and although it kept its sovereign privileges it did have a praetor overseeing it.

In the 1st century AD, Thessaloniki had a thriving jewish community. Later on, the apostle Paul was sent to preach in the Jewish synagogue and establish and Christian church and write two letter to the Christian community of the city. These became known as the Epistles and Thessalonians.

Modern day Thessaloniki has a very very cool Archaeological Museum which holds and interprets artefacts from the Prehistoric, Archaic, Classical and roman periods from all over Macedonia. I’m literally here for three days but I already don’t want to leave, and I would recommend coming if you ever get the chance. I hope you all have a lovely weekend :)

~Z

[jeannereames]

I have...so many emotions about Roxana and Thessalonike. I like to think that they were friends, since I'm pretty sure they were living with Olympias at the same time. Like poor Thessalonike, she was married with probably little choice to the man who killed her step mother and imprisoned her sister in law and nephew. And Roxana spending years in prison probably knowing she and her son were going to die. I have soo many feelings about them

I do feel very sorry for many of the women, who were often pitted against each other. Roxana was no shrinking violet. I suspect Olympias approved of her. After all, she got rid of her chief rival, Statiera, even though the latter had higher status. Perdikkas helped, may even have talked her into it, but she doesn't seem to have hesitated.

She and Thessalonike may indeed have been at least friendly, as Thessalonike was not her rival in any way.

Certainly, by that point, Thessalonike and Hadea Eurydike were enemies, albeit of necessity. In the novels, I tried to seed some hints that their alliance is unfortunately likely to be short-lived, and they know it. But for a while, all three sisters do work together.

[anthonyjlockwood]

4, 8, 18, and 26 for the Fic Writer Asks??

Hi, JM! Thanks for the ask!! 💕

4. Link your three favorite fics right now. 

One of them I can’t link, because it’s a WIP by @phantom-curve, but 👀 

So I’ll pick three linkable ones: 

retrograde by thessalonike (starblessed) / @julies-butterflies

(i’m counting that one and reprise as one because they’re in the same series OKAY?? let me live 😂)

I Find It Hard To Trust (Not Only Me But Everyone Around Me) by A_Tomb_With_A_View / @a-tomb-with-a-view

Ain't Nothing Funny When A Soldier Cries by BoyMom / @valiantlyweepingdreamer, ficsinpinkink / @ficsinpinkink, and tillstarscollided / @tillstarscollided

8. How often do you reblog/comment on fics that you like? 

Every time I read one! Reblogging is the bare minimum I feel like I could do, but I always do also try to leave a comment because anyone putting fanfic out there that I like deserves to know that I like it, you know? 

18. Do you have a WIP that you keep telling yourself you’ll eventually get back to, but deep down you know that’s probably a lie? 

I was just thinking about this lol. I started a songfic for Lobby for “Haunted” by Taylor Swift, and I love the vibes but I don’t think I’m ever going to actually finish writing it.

26. What’s your biggest distraction when writing? 

……my friends 😂 Discord, texting, tumblr, etc. Sometimes I go on random google spirals for metaphors or even like, stop writing altogether to read some of a friend’s WIP instead. 

[anthropolite]

I just discovered that there’s a popular Greek legend which talks about a mermaid who lived in the Aegean for hundreds of years who was thought to be Alexander's sister Thessalonike. The legend states that Alexander, in his quest for the Fountain of Immortality, retrieved with great exertion a flask of immortal water with which he bathed his sister's hair. When Alexander died his grief-stricken sister attempted to end her life by jumping into the sea. Instead of drowning, however, she became a mermaid passing judgment on mariners throughout the centuries and across the seven seas. To the sailors who encountered her she would always pose the same question: "Is Alexander the king alive?" (Greek: Zei o vasilias Alexandros?), to which the correct answer would be "He lives, still rules, and conquers the World" (Greek: Zei kai vasilevei kai ton kosmon kyrievei!).  Given this answer she would allow the ship and her crew to sail safely away in calm seas. Any other answer would transform her into the raging Gorgon, bent on sending the ship and every sailor on board to the bottom.

[daughterisotope]

"Symeon of Thessalonike and the Theology of the Icon Screen", Nicholas P. Constas in Sharon E. J. Gerstel, Thresholds of the Sacred : Architectural, Art Historical, Liturgical, and Theological Perspectives on Religious Screens, East and West, 2006

[jmrothwell]

31 Days of Fic Recs

Day 5: Some serious hurt(emotional and otherwise)/comfort in this one. Got some Trevor redemption wrapped around some literal soul searching.

Author: thessalonike (starblessed)