Thessalonike's date of birth is unknown. While there is a consensus that her name commemorates her father's victory in Thessaly (it is a composite of "Thessaly" and "nike," the Greek word for "victory"), it is unclear which victory it specifically references. Some historians cite her birth as being as early as 353 or 352 BC, but 346/5 may be more accurate. According to one narrative, to commemorate the birth of his daughter, which fell on the same day as the armies of Macedon and Thessalian league won the significant battle of Crocus Field in Thessaly over the Phocians, King Philip is said to have proclaimed, "Let her be called victory in Thessaly." Nicesipolis did not live long after Thessalonike's birth. According to Stephanus of Byzantium, Philip gave the baby to a woman named Nice to raise.Chantavaridou, Christina. (2020). Women and power in the court of Philip II. [Master's thesis, International Hellenic University] Olympias, who may have been a friend of Nicesipolis, may have taken Thessalonike to be raised as her own daughter following her mother's death.Monica D'Agostini. (2020) "Alexander the Great and his Sisters: Blood in the Hellenistic Palace." in Affective Relations and Personal Bonds in Hellenistic Antiquity : Studies in Honor of Elizabeth D. Carney. Ed. Monica D’Agostini, Edward M. Anson, & Frances Pownall. Oxbow Books.
