• Home page/Blog
    • Ancient Greece
    • Archaeology
    • Mythology
    • Architecture
    • Artefact
    • Inventions
    • Tourism
    • News
    • Science
    • General
    • Weird
    • Recipes
    • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
Menu

GHD

  • Home page/Blog
  • History
    • Ancient Greece
    • Archaeology
    • Mythology
  • Art
    • Architecture
    • Artefact
    • Inventions
  • Travel
    • Tourism
  • Other
    • News
    • Science
    • General
    • Weird
    • Recipes
    • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
Alexander the Great family tree

Alexander the Great family tree

Alexander the Great Genealogy Tree: Ancestors and Descendants of Alexander The Great

August 15, 2020

Like all ancient kings, Alexander claimed that the gods were his ancestors. Already in the fifth century, the Macedonian kings said that they descended from Perdiccas, who descended from Temenos, a king of Argos; and he was great-grandchild of Hyllus, the son of Heracles. The oldest source for this family tree can be found in book eight of the Histories of the Greek researcher Herodotus of Halicarnassus (text).

It seems that this Heraclid (and thus: Greek) descent was first claimed by king Alexander I (497/496-c.454) and accepted at the Olympic games (496?), after which it was never seriously doubted again. According to the old legends, Heracles was a son of the supreme god Zeus and a woman named Alcmene, who was a great-granddaughter of Perseus, incidentally a son of Zeus. Because of the similarity in name, the Persians were supposed to descent from Perseus too; again, we have the testimony of Herodotus that the Persians could be called "sons of Perseus" in the fifth century.note[Herodotus, Histories 7.220.]

The old legend also maintained that Heracles' wife Deianeira was a daughter of the god Dionysus. Stated differently, from the fifth century on, any Macedonian king could call himself son of Heracles, Perseus, Dionysus or Zeus.

Alexander's mother Olympias was a member of the royal house of Epirus, which claimed Andromache and Neoptolemus, the son of Achilles, as ancestors. The first to write that Neoptolemus was married to Andromache, was the Athenian playwright Euripides (Trojan women); that Neoptolemus settled in Epirus was a well-known legendary fact that could already be found in the epic poem known as Nostoi ("returns").

Alexander could -according to the legends: rightfully- claim Achilles as his ancestor; no one would object to it. In fact, out sources do not mention any objection. It was only when Alexander changed his ancestry, claiming that Olympias had had intercourse with Zeus (or Ammon), that people started to make remarks.

Alexander the Great family tree video:

Source: livius.org, UsefulCharts

← Erdogan calls Greek actions 'banditry'What was the feminine ideal of beauty in Ancient Greece? →
Featured
9ff6f9c1-c0bb-4500-bb91-e899625d8fef.jpeg
Jul 30, 2025
The Many Loves of Zeus
Jul 30, 2025
Jul 30, 2025
3b369e0c-86b6-4c02-b63d-f407d1db08e0.jpeg
Jul 30, 2025
Prometheus and the Creation of Man
Jul 30, 2025
Jul 30, 2025
1cd229c2-a49c-43f0-aac5-80124ef431da.jpeg
Jul 30, 2025
The Titanomachy: The War Between Titans and Olympians
Jul 30, 2025
Jul 30, 2025
Gemini_Generated_Image_7xe8qi7xe8qi7xe8.png
Jul 30, 2025
Chaos and the Primordial Gods: The Origins of the Universe
Jul 30, 2025
Jul 30, 2025
Gemini_Generated_Image_fy98ubfy98ubfy98.png
Jul 30, 2025
The 12 Olympian Gods: Who Were They Really?
Jul 30, 2025
Jul 30, 2025
Gemini_Generated_Image_fdg334fdg334fdg3.png
Jul 30, 2025
Alexander the Great: Conquests and Legacy
Jul 30, 2025
Jul 30, 2025
Gemini_Generated_Image_12k3i212k3i212k3.png
Jul 30, 2025
The Battle of Chaeronea and the End of Greek Independence
Jul 30, 2025
Jul 30, 2025
Gemini_Generated_Image_nc4f9bnc4f9bnc4f.png
Jul 30, 2025
The Conquests of Philip II of Macedon
Jul 30, 2025
Jul 30, 2025
SEE MORE

Powered by ©GreeceHighDefinition / Privacy Policy