Sirras

Sirras
Sirras
Reign	c. 423–393 BC
Died	After 390
Consort	Irra of Lyncestis
Ancient Greek	Σίρρας

Sirras or Sirrhas (Ancient Greek: Σίρρας; d. 390 BC) was the son-in-law of the king of Lynkestis, Arrhabaeus (fl. 423–393 BC), having married his daughter Irra. He participated in an Illyrian-Lynkestian coalition's defeat of the attempted invasion of Lynkestis by the Macedonian king Archelaus. He may have been a Lynkestian prince-regent^[1] or an Illyrian chieftain,^[2] part of the Illyrian force in a previous and also successful Illyrian-Lynkestian coalition against Sparta and Macedon during the Peloponnesian War.^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]

Sirras' daughter Eurydice married Amyntas III, king of Macedon; the youngest of their sons was Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great.

^
- Ogden 2023, p. 12: "But Eurydice must be Macedonian. Some have felt that her father Sirrhas was a prince of Upper Macedonia in view of his association with the Lyncestid prince Arrhabaeus in the Aristotle passage. But there is no agreement as to the principality from which Sirrhas and his daughter hailed. Arguments have been made for both Elimeia and Orestis, but Lyncestis tends to be the most favoured one. Strabo does after all mention Sirrhas and Eurydice in the context of an excursus on Lyncestid genealogy. And if Sirrhas was Lyncestid, then he would have constituted an appropriately close associate for Arrhabaeus. The Lyncestids in turn had close associations with the Illyrians, and so the misrepresentation of a princess of this household as an Illyrian might have been particularly appropriate."
- Rowson 2022, p. 351: Eurydike is often called Illyrian in the ancient sources but this is a likely slander as her father’s name, Sirras, is a Lynkestian name and not attested in Illyria."
- Hatzopoulos 2020, p. 134: "Sirrhas, guardian of Arrhabaios II, father of Eurydika, member of the Lynkestian royal family"
- Chrystal 2017, p. 144: "Eurydice I (born 407 BCE) was a Greek queen from Macedon, wife of king Amyntas III of Macedon. She was the daughter of Sirras of Lyncestis and had four children: including Alexander II, Perdiccas III and Philip II; she was the paternal grandmother of Alexander the Great."
- Lane Fox 2011, p. 221: "... Eurydice daughter of Sirrhas, a bride whom later sources dismiss as 'thrice-barbarian, an Illyrian' ... but her 'Illyrian' origin is inaccurate and probably originated as a slander. Her father's name, Sirrhas, is not even attested among Illyrians in any surviving evidence. She herself therefore was no Illyrian, and to judge from her father's name she was probably a Lyncestian."
- Psoma 2011, p. 121: "... Eurydice, daughter of Sirras of Lyncus ..."
- Worthington 2008, p. 245: "Her ethnicity is disputed, for her father Sirras may have been Illyrian (see the bibliography cited by Carney). However, this is unlikely in light of a comment that Attalus made at the wedding of Philip in 337, intended as a slur on Alexander's legitimacy, for his mother (Olympias) was from Epirus. Attalus presumably would not have wanted to draw attention to Philip's illegitimacy if his mother were non-Macedonian."
- Kapetanopoulos 1994, pp. 9–14: "... no one in antiquity has thrown mud at Philip II's lineage; not even Demosthenes accused him of not being a full blooded Makedon. This silence on Philip II's suggests that he was a Makedon from both his parents. Moreover, a second argument may be used to cast out the view that Sirras was an Illyrian. At the marriage of Philip II to Kleopatra, Attalus remarked that now legitimate Kings ("γνησιοι, ου νοθοι) will be born, as Alexander was half Epirote from his mother's (Olympias) side. The derogatory shot at Alexander would have been also a great insult to Philip II, if his mother's father was an Illyrian. At the same time, a shadow would have been cast upon Philip II's legitimacy to occupy the Argead throne. However, there was no such intention in Attalos' remark, and it was only aimed at Alexander. Moreover, if Alexander's paternal grandmother was an Illyrian (or at least half-Illyrian on her father's side), Alexander could have easily answered back that even his father was not pure Makedon (if Philip II's maternal grandfather, Sirras, was an Illyrian, as maintained by some), but in the scuffle Alexander only ridiculed only his father's unsteadiness. Thus, a moral to be drawn form the Attalos incident, is that Philip II's mother, Eurydike, was not Illyrian ... In any case, Leonnatos' relation to Eurydike, which must be traced through her father, does strengthen the argument that Sirras was of royal blood, and perhaps his marriage to Arrhabaios' daughter is to be recognized as an endogamy. This would make Sirras a member of Arrhabaios' family (a cousin?) and a Lynkestian. At the same time, this line of thought provides a sound explanation to the proposed joint rule of Sirras and Arrhabaios I. Furthermore, since Eurydike identified herself, quite proudly, it appears, as Ευριδίκα Σίρρα, it can be said that Sirras must have been a Lynkestian (Makedon), rather than an Illyrian cheiftain who once invaded Makedon, as lately argued by K. Mortensen. The Argead (Makedones) would have been offended if their queen or πολιητiς sported their enemy's name in such a fashion. Thus, this and other arguments herein lead to the conclusion that Sirras must have been a Lynkestian."
^
- King 2024, p. 156: "During the reign of Perdiccas' successor Archelaus, another conflict arose between the Argead king and Arrhabaeus and a certain Sirras (Aristotle Politics 5.1311b). Though Sirras is nowhere identified as such, it is certainly possible that he was an Illyrian ally of Arrhabaeus."
- Carney 2019, Chapter 2 – Abstract: "This chapter argues that Amyntas was polygamous and Gygaea was likely the second of the two wives. Amyntas’ marriage to Eurydice was a political alliance, related to the Illyrian invasion of Macedonia, but whether Eurydice herself was partly Illyrian remains disputed because of the uncertain ethnic identity of her mysterious father Sirras. This chapter considers it likely that her father was Illyrian."
- Howe 2017, p. 108: "The Argead monarchs had a long and symbiotic relationship with the Illyrians, though perhaps they might not have characterised it in those terms. Certainly, the Argead family was closely tied to individual Illyrians (Philip’s grandfather Sirrhas and his wife Audata spring instantly to mind), and the Argead princes Philip II and Alexander III spent at least some of their youth at Illyrian courts, in the 380s and 70s when Philip saw Bardylis invade Epeiros and in 337/6 when Alexander sought refuge there from an angry father. Such so-journs would have allowed these young men to become well acquainted with Illyrian customs, habits and above all military strategies and techniques."
- Müller 2017b, p. 193: "Perdikkas' Sohn Archelaos hatte — zu einem ungewissen Zeitpunkt — wieder Probleme mit einem lynkestischen Dynasten namens Arrhabaios, im Bund mit einem illyrischen Herrscher. In diesem Arrabaios wird entwe- der Perdikkas' alter Gegner, 'Perdiccas' nemesis , vermutet Oder dessen Sohn [...] Jedenfalls wird in dem bei Aristot. Pol. 1311 B genannten Sirras der illyrische Herrscher und Vater von Eurydike, der spâteren Frau Amyntas' III. vermutet: ..."
- King 2017, p. 48: "If not the same Arrhabaeus then probably his successor of the same name, and Sirras was probably Arrhabaeus’ Illyrian ally." p. 64: "Eurydice was a granddaughter of Arrhabaeus, from the ruling house of Lyncus, and a daughter of Sirras, a patronym confirmed in three inscriptions from Vergina (Andronikos 1984: 49–51; further bibliography in Mortensen 1992: 165; Carney 2000: 269 n10). At least two other sources [ Suda s.v. “Karanos,” Libanius Vita Dem . 9; cf. Plut. Mor . 14c] call Eurydice Illyrian, which ought to indicate that Eurydice’s father Sirras was an Illyrian and not another Lyncestian, as some believe. This follows Carney 2000: 41, who cites the sources and earlier bibliography on the debate; add Kapetanopoulos 1994 and Worthington 2008: 178 to those favouring Sirras’ Lyncestian origin, and see the summary of Greenwalt 2010: 286. Given the parallel of the Sirras–Arrhabaeus alliance against Archelaus soon after the Illyrian– Lyncestian alliance against Perdiccas II, an Illyrian origin for Sirras is here preferred."
- Heckel 2016, p. 20: "Sirrhas may have been the leader of the Illyrian force that had come to aid Perdikkas in 423 but defected to Arrhabaios (Thuc. 4.125.1; for Sirrhas’ ethnicity see Appendix I); though perhaps the Illyrian chieftain at the time was Sirrhas’ father.5 The alliance with the Illyrians was strengthened by political marriage, with Sirrhas marrying a daughter of Arrhabaios; the offspring of this union was Eurydike, who later married Amyntas III and became the mother of Philip II and his brothers (Strabo 7.7.8 C326)."
- Greenwalt 2011, p. 283: "Under Archelaus, hostilities are again attested with Lyncus, probably involving Illyrians. Aristotle (Politics 5.8.11) notes that at some time Archelaus was hard pressed by an alliance between Arrhabaeus and one Sirrhas, who may have been an Illyrian (although he is not so identified, but see below). Of some standing, Sirrhas may even have been the leader of the Illyrian force that turned against Perdiccas." p. 286: "Her father was named Sirrhas (perhaps the same Sirrhas mentioned in Aristotle.), who some scholars have argued was an Illyrian by birth (thus making Eurydice an out-and-out Illyrian herself) but others that he was from one or another of the Upper Macedonian cantons but with Illyrian ancestors."
- Roisman 2011, p. 156: "We hear that he was hard-pressed in a war against the Lyncestian Arrhibaeus (II?) and the Illyrian Sirras, and sought the help of the king of Elimiotis, to whom he wed his elder daughter" p. 161: "We do not really know why Eurydice, the daughter of the Illyrian (?) Sirrhas and the granddaughter of Arrhabaeus of Lyncus, was preferred as the mother of his successors."
- Šašel Kos 2002, p. 112: "Undoubtedly the word Illyrian had a distinct political (hence to some extent also ethnic) meaning , when applied to the Illyrian kingdom of Sirrhas, or Bardylis I, at the end of the 5th or the beginning of the 4th century BC to the fall of Genthius in 168 BC, regardless of the unsolvable problem of how many dynasties alternately occupied the throne and what was the origin and the actual expanse of the kingdom of each of them."
- Whitehorne 2002: "Eurydice, the mother of Philip II of Macedon, was the offspring of another daughter of Arrhabaeus whom he had married to a chieftain called Sirras (Strabo 7.326C). Sirras himself was most probably an Illyrian, and the marriage, made c. 430 BC, probably represents an earlier accommodation that Arrhabaeus had been obliged to make at that time with his Illyrian neighbours to offset the power of Perdiccas.^{[page needed]}
^ Müller 2017b, p. 193.
^ King 2017, p. 48.
^ Roisman 2011, p. 156.
^ Greenwalt 2011, p. 283.

[1] 
Ogden 2023, p. 12: "But Eurydice must be Macedonian. Some have felt that her father Sirrhas was a prince of Upper Macedonia in view of his association with the Lyncestid prince Arrhabaeus in the Aristotle passage. But there is no agreement as to the principality from which Sirrhas and his daughter hailed. Arguments have been made for both Elimeia and Orestis, but Lyncestis tends to be the most favoured one. Strabo does after all mention Sirrhas and Eurydice in the context of an excursus on Lyncestid genealogy. And if Sirrhas was Lyncestid, then he would have constituted an appropriately close associate for Arrhabaeus. The Lyncestids in turn had close associations with the Illyrians, and so the misrepresentation of a princess of this household as an Illyrian might have been particularly appropriate."

Rowson 2022, p. 351: Eurydike is often called Illyrian in the ancient sources but this is a likely slander as her father’s name, Sirras, is a Lynkestian name and not attested in Illyria."

Hatzopoulos 2020, p. 134: "Sirrhas, guardian of Arrhabaios II, father of Eurydika, member of the Lynkestian royal family"

Chrystal 2017, p. 144: "Eurydice I (born 407 BCE) was a Greek queen from Macedon, wife of king Amyntas III of Macedon. She was the daughter of Sirras of Lyncestis and had four children: including Alexander II, Perdiccas III and Philip II; she was the paternal grandmother of Alexander the Great."

Lane Fox 2011, p. 221: "... Eurydice daughter of Sirrhas, a bride whom later sources dismiss as 'thrice-barbarian, an Illyrian' ... but her 'Illyrian' origin is inaccurate and probably originated as a slander. Her father's name, Sirrhas, is not even attested among Illyrians in any surviving evidence. She herself therefore was no Illyrian, and to judge from her father's name she was probably a Lyncestian."

Psoma 2011, p. 121: "... Eurydice, daughter of Sirras of Lyncus ..."

Worthington 2008, p. 245: "Her ethnicity is disputed, for her father Sirras may have been Illyrian (see the bibliography cited by Carney). However, this is unlikely in light of a comment that Attalus made at the wedding of Philip in 337, intended as a slur on Alexander's legitimacy, for his mother (Olympias) was from Epirus. Attalus presumably would not have wanted to draw attention to Philip's illegitimacy if his mother were non-Macedonian."

Kapetanopoulos 1994, pp. 9–14: "... no one in antiquity has thrown mud at Philip II's lineage; not even Demosthenes accused him of not being a full blooded Makedon. This silence on Philip II's suggests that he was a Makedon from both his parents. Moreover, a second argument may be used to cast out the view that Sirras was an Illyrian. At the marriage of Philip II to Kleopatra, Attalus remarked that now legitimate Kings ("γνησιοι, ου νοθοι) will be born, as Alexander was half Epirote from his mother's (Olympias) side. The derogatory shot at Alexander would have been also a great insult to Philip II, if his mother's father was an Illyrian. At the same time, a shadow would have been cast upon Philip II's legitimacy to occupy the Argead throne. However, there was no such intention in Attalos' remark, and it was only aimed at Alexander. Moreover, if Alexander's paternal grandmother was an Illyrian (or at least half-Illyrian on her father's side), Alexander could have easily answered back that even his father was not pure Makedon (if Philip II's maternal grandfather, Sirras, was an Illyrian, as maintained by some), but in the scuffle Alexander only ridiculed only his father's unsteadiness. Thus, a moral to be drawn form the Attalos incident, is that Philip II's mother, Eurydike, was not Illyrian ... In any case, Leonnatos' relation to Eurydike, which must be traced through her father, does strengthen the argument that Sirras was of royal blood, and perhaps his marriage to Arrhabaios' daughter is to be recognized as an endogamy. This would make Sirras a member of Arrhabaios' family (a cousin?) and a Lynkestian. At the same time, this line of thought provides a sound explanation to the proposed joint rule of Sirras and Arrhabaios I. Furthermore, since Eurydike identified herself, quite proudly, it appears, as Ευριδίκα Σίρρα, it can be said that Sirras must have been a Lynkestian (Makedon), rather than an Illyrian cheiftain who once invaded Makedon, as lately argued by K. Mortensen. The Argead (Makedones) would have been offended if their queen or πολιητiς sported their enemy's name in such a fashion. Thus, this and other arguments herein lead to the conclusion that Sirras must have been a Lynkestian."

[2] Ogden 2023, p. 12: "But Eurydice must be Macedonian. Some have felt that her father Sirrhas was a prince of Upper Macedonia in view of his association with the Lyncestid prince Arrhabaeus in the Aristotle passage. But there is no agreement as to the principality from which Sirrhas and his daughter hailed. Arguments have been made for both Elimeia and Orestis, but Lyncestis tends to be the most favoured one. Strabo does after all mention Sirrhas and Eurydice in the context of an excursus on Lyncestid genealogy. And if Sirrhas was Lyncestid, then he would have constituted an appropriately close associate for Arrhabaeus. The Lyncestids in turn had close associations with the Illyrians, and so the misrepresentation of a princess of this household as an Illyrian might have been particularly appropriate."

[3] Rowson 2022, p. 351: Eurydike is often called Illyrian in the ancient sources but this is a likely slander as her father’s name, Sirras, is a Lynkestian name and not attested in Illyria."

[4] Hatzopoulos 2020, p. 134: "Sirrhas, guardian of Arrhabaios II, father of Eurydika, member of the Lynkestian royal family"

[5] Chrystal 2017, p. 144: "Eurydice I (born 407 BCE) was a Greek queen from Macedon, wife of king Amyntas III of Macedon. She was the daughter of Sirras of Lyncestis and had four children: including Alexander II, Perdiccas III and Philip II; she was the paternal grandmother of Alexander the Great."

[6] Lane Fox 2011, p. 221: "... Eurydice daughter of Sirrhas, a bride whom later sources dismiss as 'thrice-barbarian, an Illyrian' ... but her 'Illyrian' origin is inaccurate and probably originated as a slander. Her father's name, Sirrhas, is not even attested among Illyrians in any surviving evidence. She herself therefore was no Illyrian, and to judge from her father's name she was probably a Lyncestian."

[7] Psoma 2011, p. 121: "... Eurydice, daughter of Sirras of Lyncus ..."

[8] Worthington 2008, p. 245: "Her ethnicity is disputed, for her father Sirras may have been Illyrian (see the bibliography cited by Carney). However, this is unlikely in light of a comment that Attalus made at the wedding of Philip in 337, intended as a slur on Alexander's legitimacy, for his mother (Olympias) was from Epirus. Attalus presumably would not have wanted to draw attention to Philip's illegitimacy if his mother were non-Macedonian."

[9] Kapetanopoulos 1994, pp. 9–14: "... no one in antiquity has thrown mud at Philip II's lineage; not even Demosthenes accused him of not being a full blooded Makedon. This silence on Philip II's suggests that he was a Makedon from both his parents. Moreover, a second argument may be used to cast out the view that Sirras was an Illyrian. At the marriage of Philip II to Kleopatra, Attalus remarked that now legitimate Kings ("γνησιοι, ου νοθοι) will be born, as Alexander was half Epirote from his mother's (Olympias) side. The derogatory shot at Alexander would have been also a great insult to Philip II, if his mother's father was an Illyrian. At the same time, a shadow would have been cast upon Philip II's legitimacy to occupy the Argead throne. However, there was no such intention in Attalos' remark, and it was only aimed at Alexander. Moreover, if Alexander's paternal grandmother was an Illyrian (or at least half-Illyrian on her father's side), Alexander could have easily answered back that even his father was not pure Makedon (if Philip II's maternal grandfather, Sirras, was an Illyrian, as maintained by some), but in the scuffle Alexander only ridiculed only his father's unsteadiness. Thus, a moral to be drawn form the Attalos incident, is that Philip II's mother, Eurydike, was not Illyrian ... In any case, Leonnatos' relation to Eurydike, which must be traced through her father, does strengthen the argument that Sirras was of royal blood, and perhaps his marriage to Arrhabaios' daughter is to be recognized as an endogamy. This would make Sirras a member of Arrhabaios' family (a cousin?) and a Lynkestian. At the same time, this line of thought provides a sound explanation to the proposed joint rule of Sirras and Arrhabaios I. Furthermore, since Eurydike identified herself, quite proudly, it appears, as Ευριδίκα Σίρρα, it can be said that Sirras must have been a Lynkestian (Makedon), rather than an Illyrian cheiftain who once invaded Makedon, as lately argued by K. Mortensen. The Argead (Makedones) would have been offended if their queen or πολιητiς sported their enemy's name in such a fashion. Thus, this and other arguments herein lead to the conclusion that Sirras must have been a Lynkestian."

[2] 
King 2024, p. 156: "During the reign of Perdiccas' successor Archelaus, another conflict arose between the Argead king and Arrhabaeus and a certain Sirras (Aristotle Politics 5.1311b). Though Sirras is nowhere identified as such, it is certainly possible that he was an Illyrian ally of Arrhabaeus."

Carney 2019, Chapter 2 – Abstract: "This chapter argues that Amyntas was polygamous and Gygaea was likely the second of the two wives. Amyntas’ marriage to Eurydice was a political alliance, related to the Illyrian invasion of Macedonia, but whether Eurydice herself was partly Illyrian remains disputed because of the uncertain ethnic identity of her mysterious father Sirras. This chapter considers it likely that her father was Illyrian."

Howe 2017, p. 108: "The Argead monarchs had a long and symbiotic relationship with the Illyrians, though perhaps they might not have characterised it in those terms. Certainly, the Argead family was closely tied to individual Illyrians (Philip’s grandfather Sirrhas and his wife Audata spring instantly to mind), and the Argead princes Philip II and Alexander III spent at least some of their youth at Illyrian courts, in the 380s and 70s when Philip saw Bardylis invade Epeiros and in 337/6 when Alexander sought refuge there from an angry father. Such so-journs would have allowed these young men to become well acquainted with Illyrian customs, habits and above all military strategies and techniques."

Müller 2017b, p. 193: "Perdikkas' Sohn Archelaos hatte — zu einem ungewissen Zeitpunkt — wieder Probleme mit einem lynkestischen Dynasten namens Arrhabaios, im Bund mit einem illyrischen Herrscher. In diesem Arrabaios wird entwe- der Perdikkas' alter Gegner, 'Perdiccas' nemesis , vermutet Oder dessen Sohn [...] Jedenfalls wird in dem bei Aristot. Pol. 1311 B genannten Sirras der illyrische Herrscher und Vater von Eurydike, der spâteren Frau Amyntas' III. vermutet: ..."

King 2017, p. 48: "If not the same Arrhabaeus then probably his successor of the same name, and Sirras was probably Arrhabaeus’ Illyrian ally." p. 64: "Eurydice was a granddaughter of Arrhabaeus, from the ruling house of Lyncus, and a daughter of Sirras, a patronym confirmed in three inscriptions from Vergina (Andronikos 1984: 49–51; further bibliography in Mortensen 1992: 165; Carney 2000: 269 n10). At least two other sources [ Suda s.v. “Karanos,” Libanius Vita Dem . 9; cf. Plut. Mor . 14c] call Eurydice Illyrian, which ought to indicate that Eurydice’s father Sirras was an Illyrian and not another Lyncestian, as some believe. This follows Carney 2000: 41, who cites the sources and earlier bibliography on the debate; add Kapetanopoulos 1994 and Worthington 2008: 178 to those favouring Sirras’ Lyncestian origin, and see the summary of Greenwalt 2010: 286. Given the parallel of the Sirras–Arrhabaeus alliance against Archelaus soon after the Illyrian– Lyncestian alliance against Perdiccas II, an Illyrian origin for Sirras is here preferred."

Heckel 2016, p. 20: "Sirrhas may have been the leader of the Illyrian force that had come to aid Perdikkas in 423 but defected to Arrhabaios (Thuc. 4.125.1; for Sirrhas’ ethnicity see Appendix I); though perhaps the Illyrian chieftain at the time was Sirrhas’ father.5 The alliance with the Illyrians was strengthened by political marriage, with Sirrhas marrying a daughter of Arrhabaios; the offspring of this union was Eurydike, who later married Amyntas III and became the mother of Philip II and his brothers (Strabo 7.7.8 C326)."

Greenwalt 2011, p. 283: "Under Archelaus, hostilities are again attested with Lyncus, probably involving Illyrians. Aristotle (Politics 5.8.11) notes that at some time Archelaus was hard pressed by an alliance between Arrhabaeus and one Sirrhas, who may have been an Illyrian (although he is not so identified, but see below). Of some standing, Sirrhas may even have been the leader of the Illyrian force that turned against Perdiccas." p. 286: "Her father was named Sirrhas (perhaps the same Sirrhas mentioned in Aristotle.), who some scholars have argued was an Illyrian by birth (thus making Eurydice an out-and-out Illyrian herself) but others that he was from one or another of the Upper Macedonian cantons but with Illyrian ancestors."

Roisman 2011, p. 156: "We hear that he was hard-pressed in a war against the Lyncestian Arrhibaeus (II?) and the Illyrian Sirras, and sought the help of the king of Elimiotis, to whom he wed his elder daughter" p. 161: "We do not really know why Eurydice, the daughter of the Illyrian (?) Sirrhas and the granddaughter of Arrhabaeus of Lyncus, was preferred as the mother of his successors."

Šašel Kos 2002, p. 112: "Undoubtedly the word Illyrian had a distinct political (hence to some extent also ethnic) meaning , when applied to the Illyrian kingdom of Sirrhas, or Bardylis I, at the end of the 5th or the beginning of the 4th century BC to the fall of Genthius in 168 BC, regardless of the unsolvable problem of how many dynasties alternately occupied the throne and what was the origin and the actual expanse of the kingdom of each of them."

Whitehorne 2002: "Eurydice, the mother of Philip II of Macedon, was the offspring of another daughter of Arrhabaeus whom he had married to a chieftain called Sirras (Strabo 7.326C). Sirras himself was most probably an Illyrian, and the marriage, made c. 430 BC, probably represents an earlier accommodation that Arrhabaeus had been obliged to make at that time with his Illyrian neighbours to offset the power of Perdiccas.^{[page needed]}

[11] King 2024, p. 156: "During the reign of Perdiccas' successor Archelaus, another conflict arose between the Argead king and Arrhabaeus and a certain Sirras (Aristotle Politics 5.1311b). Though Sirras is nowhere identified as such, it is certainly possible that he was an Illyrian ally of Arrhabaeus."

[12] Carney 2019, Chapter 2 – Abstract: "This chapter argues that Amyntas was polygamous and Gygaea was likely the second of the two wives. Amyntas’ marriage to Eurydice was a political alliance, related to the Illyrian invasion of Macedonia, but whether Eurydice herself was partly Illyrian remains disputed because of the uncertain ethnic identity of her mysterious father Sirras. This chapter considers it likely that her father was Illyrian."

[13] Howe 2017, p. 108: "The Argead monarchs had a long and symbiotic relationship with the Illyrians, though perhaps they might not have characterised it in those terms. Certainly, the Argead family was closely tied to individual Illyrians (Philip’s grandfather Sirrhas and his wife Audata spring instantly to mind), and the Argead princes Philip II and Alexander III spent at least some of their youth at Illyrian courts, in the 380s and 70s when Philip saw Bardylis invade Epeiros and in 337/6 when Alexander sought refuge there from an angry father. Such so-journs would have allowed these young men to become well acquainted with Illyrian customs, habits and above all military strategies and techniques."

[14] Müller 2017b, p. 193: "Perdikkas' Sohn Archelaos hatte — zu einem ungewissen Zeitpunkt — wieder Probleme mit einem lynkestischen Dynasten namens Arrhabaios, im Bund mit einem illyrischen Herrscher. In diesem Arrabaios wird entwe- der Perdikkas' alter Gegner, 'Perdiccas' nemesis , vermutet Oder dessen Sohn [...] Jedenfalls wird in dem bei Aristot. Pol. 1311 B genannten Sirras der illyrische Herrscher und Vater von Eurydike, der spâteren Frau Amyntas' III. vermutet: ..."

[15] King 2017, p. 48: "If not the same Arrhabaeus then probably his successor of the same name, and Sirras was probably Arrhabaeus’ Illyrian ally." p. 64: "Eurydice was a granddaughter of Arrhabaeus, from the ruling house of Lyncus, and a daughter of Sirras, a patronym confirmed in three inscriptions from Vergina (Andronikos 1984: 49–51; further bibliography in Mortensen 1992: 165; Carney 2000: 269 n10). At least two other sources [ Suda s.v. “Karanos,” Libanius Vita Dem . 9; cf. Plut. Mor . 14c] call Eurydice Illyrian, which ought to indicate that Eurydice’s father Sirras was an Illyrian and not another Lyncestian, as some believe. This follows Carney 2000: 41, who cites the sources and earlier bibliography on the debate; add Kapetanopoulos 1994 and Worthington 2008: 178 to those favouring Sirras’ Lyncestian origin, and see the summary of Greenwalt 2010: 286. Given the parallel of the Sirras–Arrhabaeus alliance against Archelaus soon after the Illyrian– Lyncestian alliance against Perdiccas II, an Illyrian origin for Sirras is here preferred."

[16] Heckel 2016, p. 20: "Sirrhas may have been the leader of the Illyrian force that had come to aid Perdikkas in 423 but defected to Arrhabaios (Thuc. 4.125.1; for Sirrhas’ ethnicity see Appendix I); though perhaps the Illyrian chieftain at the time was Sirrhas’ father.5 The alliance with the Illyrians was strengthened by political marriage, with Sirrhas marrying a daughter of Arrhabaios; the offspring of this union was Eurydike, who later married Amyntas III and became the mother of Philip II and his brothers (Strabo 7.7.8 C326)."

[17] Greenwalt 2011, p. 283: "Under Archelaus, hostilities are again attested with Lyncus, probably involving Illyrians. Aristotle (Politics 5.8.11) notes that at some time Archelaus was hard pressed by an alliance between Arrhabaeus and one Sirrhas, who may have been an Illyrian (although he is not so identified, but see below). Of some standing, Sirrhas may even have been the leader of the Illyrian force that turned against Perdiccas." p. 286: "Her father was named Sirrhas (perhaps the same Sirrhas mentioned in Aristotle.), who some scholars have argued was an Illyrian by birth (thus making Eurydice an out-and-out Illyrian herself) but others that he was from one or another of the Upper Macedonian cantons but with Illyrian ancestors."

[18] Roisman 2011, p. 156: "We hear that he was hard-pressed in a war against the Lyncestian Arrhibaeus (II?) and the Illyrian Sirras, and sought the help of the king of Elimiotis, to whom he wed his elder daughter" p. 161: "We do not really know why Eurydice, the daughter of the Illyrian (?) Sirrhas and the granddaughter of Arrhabaeus of Lyncus, was preferred as the mother of his successors."

[19] Šašel Kos 2002, p. 112: "Undoubtedly the word Illyrian had a distinct political (hence to some extent also ethnic) meaning , when applied to the Illyrian kingdom of Sirrhas, or Bardylis I, at the end of the 5th or the beginning of the 4th century BC to the fall of Genthius in 168 BC, regardless of the unsolvable problem of how many dynasties alternately occupied the throne and what was the origin and the actual expanse of the kingdom of each of them."

[20] Whitehorne 2002: "Eurydice, the mother of Philip II of Macedon, was the offspring of another daughter of Arrhabaeus whom he had married to a chieftain called Sirras (Strabo 7.326C). Sirras himself was most probably an Illyrian, and the marriage, made c. 430 BC, probably represents an earlier accommodation that Arrhabaeus had been obliged to make at that time with his Illyrian neighbours to offset the power of Perdiccas.^{[page needed]}

[FOOTNOTEMüller2017b193-3] Müller 2017b, p. 193.

[FOOTNOTEKing201748-4] King 2017, p. 48.

[FOOTNOTERoisman2011156-5] Roisman 2011, p. 156.

[FOOTNOTEGreenwalt2011283-6] Greenwalt 2011, p. 283.

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