Queen Apama I – The first queen of the Seleucid Empire

Queen Apama I was the first queen of the Seleucid Empire. She was the first queen consort to King Seleucus I Nicator. She was also the mother of King Antiochus I Soter. Queen Apama I helped found a dynasty that lasted from 312 B.C.E. to 63 B.C.E.

The birthdate of Queen Apama I is unknown.^[1] She was the daughter of Spitamenes, a Sogdian baron.^[2] Her mother is unknown. Spitamenes organised a Sogdian revolt against King Alexander the Great.^[3] He was defeated in 328 B.C.E.^[4] Spitamenes then sought refuge under the Massagetae (a nomadic tribe in Central Asia).^[5] The Massagetae betrayed Spitamenes.^[6] As a sign of submission, the Messagetae cut off Spitamenes’ head and sent it as a gift to King Alexander the Great.^[7]

In 324 B.C.E., Apama was one of the eighty Persian noblewomen who married King Alexander the Great’s Macedonian military officers at Susa.^[8] The man she married was Seleucus I (Commander of the Silver Shields).^[9] The Silver Shields guarded the right flank of King Alexander the Great’s army.^[10] After King Alexander the Great’s death in 323 B.C.E., Seleucus I and Apama were the only married couple whose marriage was arranged by King Alexander the Great to not have divorced.^[11] Apama bore Seleucus I four children.^[12] They were Antiochus I Soter, Achaeus, Apama, and Laodice.^[13]

Seleucus I eventually captured Media, Babylon, and Susiana.^[14] He named three cities after Apama.^[15] They were Apamea in the Euphrates, Apamea in Media, and Apamea on the Orontes River.^[16] Seleucus I Nicator founded the Seleucid Empire in 312 B.C.E. and became King.^[17] Apama I became queen of the Seleucid Empire.^[18] Seleucus I Nicator also had another wife named Queen Stratonice, whom he married for political reasons in circa 300 B.C.E.^[19] However, Queen Apama’s son, Prince Antiochus I Soter, was in love with Queen Statonice.^[20] In 293 B.C.E., Queen Apama I became the sole Queen of the Seleucid Empire when King Seleucus I Nicator allowed Prince Antiochus I Soter to marry his stepmother, Queen Stratonice.^[21]

In circa 292 B.C.E., King Seleucus I Nicator realised that he could no longer rule the eastern provinces of his empire from his capital of Antioch.^[22] He made Prince Antiochus I Soter his co-ruler.^[23] He then sent King Antiochus I Soter and Queen Stratonice to the eastern provinces to rule.^[24] Even though King Antiochus I Soter was educated as a Macedonian, he ruled as a Persian King.^[25] The death of Queen Apama I is unknown.^[26] King Seleucus I Nicator died in 281 B.C.E. He was succeeded by King Antiochus I Soter.^[27]

There are very few facts known about Queen Apama I of the Seleucid Empire.^[28] She was a Persian noblewoman whose father rebelled against King Alexander the Great.^[29] Even though her marriage was arranged, it seemed like it was very happy.^[30] This is because Seleucus did not divorce her after King Alexander the Great’s death.^[31] Queen Apama I helped establish a dynasty that lasted for nearly two hundred and fifty years.

Sources:

Lendering, J. (2020; August 10). Livius.org. Retrieved on December 14, 2025 from https://www.livius.org/articles/person/apame-i/.

Lightman, M., & Lightman, B. (2008). A to Z of Ancient Greek and Roman Women. NY: Facts On File, Incorporated.

Sherwin-White, S., & Kuhrt, A. (1993). From Samarkand to Sardis: A New Approach to the Seleucid Empire. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.