The hellenistic royal families, from Alexander the Great to the last Cleopatra, took part in dynastic in-fighting that was vicious, colourful and instructive. In this they anticipated by centuries the better-known excesses under Roman potentates such as Claudius and Nero. This major new study explores the intricate quarrels and violence within the ruling hellenistic families. A main theme is the role of 'amphimetric' disputes, competition between a ruler's offspring from different women, and especially between the women themselves. The book also includes a full exploration of the role of courtesans in the political and sexual intrigues of the hellenistic courts.

The author: Daniel Ogden is Professor of Ancient History in the University of Exeter, after teaching in Swansea between 1991 and 2003. With the Classical Press of Wales he has also published The Hellenistic World (2002; pbk2023); Aristomenes of Messene (2003); In Search of the Sorcerer’s Apprentice: The Traditional Tales of Lucian’s Lover of Lies (2007). His books for other presses include Greek Bastardy (OUP, 1996); Greek and Roman Necromancy (Princeton, 2001); Magic, Witchcraft and Ghosts in the Greek and Roman Worlds (OUP, 2nd ed., 2009); Alexander the Great: Myth, Genesis and Sexuality (UEP, 2011); Drakon: Dragon Myth and Serpent Cult in the Greek and Roman World (OUP, 2013); Dragons, Serpents and Slayers in the Classical and Early Christian Worlds (OUP, 2013); The Legend of Seleucus (CUP, 2017); The Werewolf in the Ancient World (OUP, 2021); The Strix-Witch (CUP, 2021); and The Dragon in the West (OUP, 2021). Polygamy, Alexander and Seleucus together form a loose trilogy.