Drypetis

Drypetis (; died 323 BCE) was the daughter of Stateira I and Darius III of Persia. Drypetis was born between 350 and 345 BCE, and, along with her sister Stateira II, was a princess of the Achaemenid dynasty.

Capture and marriage When Darius III began a military campaign against the invading army of Alexander the Great, he was accompanied by Drypetis, along with her sister, her mother, and her grandmother Sisygambis. Following the Battle of Issus in 333 BCE, Darius fled and his family was captured by Macedonian troops. Alexander personally met with the women and promised to provide dowries for Drypetis and Stateira. Soon after, Drypetis was widowed when Hephaestion accompanied Alexander to Ecbatana and upon arriving in autumn, died after falling ill with a severe fever.

Death Many historians accept Plutarch's account that Drypetis was killed in 323 BCE alongside her sister Stateira. Alexander had died earlier that year, and his other widow, Roxana, wished to remove her potential rivals. Instead, Carney theorizes that Roxana killed Parysatis II (daughter of Artaxerxes III of Persia), who was also a wife of Alexander.

Portrayals of Drypetis in fiction Drypetis is one of the main characters in Stephanie Thornton's 2015 novel The Conqueror's Wife . Indian actress Shalini Sharma plays the character of Drypetis in the 2017 Indian TV series Porus.