[2] Her father was Flavius Ablabius, a wealthy Cretan[6] politically active in the Eastern and Western halves of the Roman Empire;[7] her mother's identity is not preserved.
Ablabius acquired great influence over the Roman emperor Constantine I,[10] who agreed to an engagement between his son Constans and Olympias.
In 338 Ablabius was executed after falling out with Constantius II, and the marriage of Olympias and Constans never took place; the two nonetheless lived together and treated each other as a married couple.
[3] As a sign of the renewed Arian Christian political alliance between Armenia and Rome, Constantius married Olympias to Arsaces II;[1][2] Athanasius of Alexandria criticized this decision in a letter addressed to the Anchorites, saying that Olympias deserved to marry a Roman emperor and not a foreign king.
[13] The Romans considered Olympias as the legitimate wife of Arsaces II as this Queen consort, maintained her influence on her husband.
Arsaces II was faithful to the Roman and Christian alliance[14] and Olympias would have become a very powerful, wealthy and influential woman in Armenian society.
[2] The actions of Pharantzem towards Olympias had placed Armenian politics unfavorable to Christian interests and she was considered an impious woman.