Olympias represented in profile in this 18th-century Italian bas-relief

Alexander the Great's warrior mom wielded unprecedented power

Defying the ancient world's rules for women, Olympias charted her—and her son's—rise to power through wits, ambition, and might.

Olympias is represented in profile in this 18th-century Italian bas-relief from the imperial Pavlovsk Palace near St. Petersburg, Russia.
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