#editorial While working through [[Alexander the Great]]'s history, I have found myself struck by the importance of the [[Queen Mother]] and matrons in history. While I am familiar with stories of great kings, generals, and heroes, I have a much fuzzier understanding of the role of similarly powerful women. This is a historical blindspot, though, as these figures often loom large in the written histories and public lives of the ancient world. For good reason too. These characters had the power to shape empires. [[Olympias]] , Alexander's mother, was regarded by ancient historians as playing a direct, and likely *very* violent, role in Alexander's rise to a power--a rise that was hardly guaranteed in the tumultuous days after [[Philip the II]]'s assassination. Similarly, in biblical history, the story of [[Bathsheba]] frequently stops with the account of her and David's initial contact. However, Bathsheba plays a critical role in the succession of David's kingdom (1 Kings 1). In the waning hours of his kingship, David's son Adonijah moves to place himself on the throne. Bathsheba, however, confers with a pro-Solomon coalition and intervenes to make sure her son Solomon is placed on the throne. Matrons of [[Rome]] played a critical role in society through distributions of wealth and beneficence. One thinks, for instance, of [[Eumachia]], the influential matron and priestess of Pompeii who practiced an energetic [[euergetism]] that was recognized and praised by the public of Pompeii. ![[Pasted image 20250411161539.png]] One wonders too, the degree to which wealthy matrons shaped literature by being sponsors and consumers of ancient literature. At any rate, more could be said, but it is worth noting that accurate historiography requires a sharper knowledge of these figures that is sometimes maintained.