A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

'>70 SELEUCUS. SELEUCUS..
SELEUCUS (eA.cvKos), historical. 1. A king him selected by the king, together with Ptolemy,
of Bosporus, of whom we know only that he as- Perdiccas, and Lysimachus, to accompany him
cended the throne in B. c. 433, on the death of with the body of troops which were to cross the
Spartacus I., and reigned four years. (Diod. xii. river in the first instance. In the subsequent
36.) battle against Porus, also, he bore an important'
2. A Macedonian, father of Ptolemy, the Soma- part. (Arr. Anab. v. 13, 16.) But that these
tophylax of Alexander the Great, who was killed services were only a small portion of those actually
at the battle of Issus. [PTOLEMAEUS, No. 4.] rendered by him, during the Indian campaigns,
3. The second son of Antiochus VII. Sidetes, may be inferred from the circumstance that, after
and elder brother of Antiochus Cyzicenus. In the return of Alexander to Susa, Seleucus was one
the battle against the Parthians, in which Antio- of the officers upon whom the king bestowed, as a
chus Sidetes was slain, B. c. 128, Seleucus was reward, the hand of an Asiatic princess. His
taken prisoner: he was kindly received by the bride was Apama, the daughter, according to
Parthian monarch, and treated with royal magni- Arrian, of the Bactrian chief Spitamenes, though
ficence; but it does not appear that he ever regained Strabo calls her father, probably erroneously, Arhis liberty (Euseb. Arm. p. 167). A passage of tabazus. (Arr. Anab. vii. 4; Strab. xii. p. 578.)
Posidonius (ap. Atlen. iv. p. 153), which had Seleucus was in close attendance upon Alexander
been referred by Froelich and other writers to SE- during his last illness, and is mentioned as one of
LEUCUS CALLINICUS, evidently relates to the cap- the officers who consulted the oracle of Serapis in
tivity of this Seleucus, though Athenaeus inad- regard to his recovery (Arr. Anab. vii. 26). During
vertently giyes him the title of king. (Niebuhr, the dissensions which followed the death of the
Kl. Schrifit. p. 300.) great king, he took part with Perdiccas and the
4. Surnamed CYBIOSACTES (KvULoc-diKcT7s, the other leaders of the cavalry, and was rewarded for
packer of salt fish), a name given him in derision his attachment to their cause by obtaining, in
by the Alexandrians, was in reality a man of ignoble the arrangements ultimately adopted, the importbirth and a low condition, but who pretended to ant post of chiliarch of the e-ra-pot, one of the
be descended from the royal race of the Seleucidae. most honourable appointments in the army, and
On this account hewas chosen by the Alexandrians which had previously been held by Perdiccas
in Bs.c. 58, when they had expelled their king himself. (Arrian. ap. Phot. p. 69,a; Diod. xviii. 3;
Ptolemy Auletes, and established his daughter Appian. Syr. 57; Justin. xiii. 4, who inaccurately
Berenice on the throne, to be the husband of their terms it " castrorum tribunatus.") The regent,
young queen. He was accordingly sent for from doubtless, thought that he could reckon with seSyria, and the marriage actually solemnized; but curity on the fidelity of Seleucus; but the latter,
Berenice was so disgusted with his mean and though he adhered to him until the expedition
sordid character, that she caused him to be strangled against Egypt, and accompanied him on that occaonIly a few days after their nuptials (Dion Cass. sion, was one of the first to join in the discontents
xxxix. 57; Strab. xvii. p. 796; Suet. Vesp. 19). which broke out on the disasters sustained at the
Vaillant (Ilist. Reg. Syr. p. 397) and Froelich passage of the Nile [PERDICCAS], and even put
suppose him to have been a younger brother of himself at the head of the mutineers who broke
Antiochus Asiaticus, and the same who accom- into the regent's tent, and transfixed him on their
panied him to Rome about B. C. 73 (see Cic. spears. (Corn. Nep. Eoum. 5; Diod. xviii. 36.)
Verr. iv. 27); but both Dion Cassius and Strabo During the troubles that followed, we find him
clearly imply that he was a mere pretender. But, interposing his influence and authority with the
from his being selected by the Alexandrians, it is army, in favour of Antipater, when assailed by the
not improbable that he claimed to be a son of An- invectives of Eurydice; and, in the second partitiochus X. and Cleopatra Selene, which would give tion of the provinces (at Triparadeisus, B. c. 321),
him an apparent connection with the royal family he obtained for his portion the wealthy and imof Egypt also. [E. H. B.] portant satrapy of Babylonia, of which he hastened
SELEUCUS I. (VXUcvtcos) surnamed NICATOR, to take possession. (Arr. ap. Phot. p. 71, b; Diod.
king of SYRIA, and the founder of the Syrian xviii. 39, xix. 12; App. Syr. 57.)
monarchy. He was the son of Antiochus, a The ambitious designs of Pithon having involved
Macedonian of distinction among the officers of that general in war with the neighbouring satraps,
Philip II., but fabulous stories were in circulation and ultimately led to his expulsion from his own
(evidently fabricated after he had attained to great- government [PITHON], Seleucus afforded him a
ness), which represented him as the offspring of a refuge in Babylonia, and was preparing to support
miraculous intercourse of his mother Laodice with him by arms, when the approach of Eumenes atApollo. (Justin. xv. 4.) From the statements tracted the attention of both the contending parties
concerning his age at his death, his birth may be in another direction. Seleucus and Pithon immeprobably assigned to about B. C. 358, and he would diately declared in favour of Antigonus, and endeathus be about twenty-four years old when he ac- voured, though without success, to prevent Eucompanied Alexander on his expedition to Asia, menes from crossing the Tigris and effecting a
as one of the officers of the E'aepoe, or horse-guards. junction with the forces assembled under Peucestes
He was early distinguished for his great personal and his brother satraps. Seleucus, however, restrength, as well as courage, of which he is said to mained in possession of Babylon, and sent to
have afforded a proof by overcoming a savage bull, Antigonus to hasten his march. On the arrival
unarmed and single-handed. (Appian. Syr. 57; of the latter, he joined him with all his forces, and
Ael. V. H. xii. 16.) Of his services as an officer they advanced together into Susiana, which was
we hear nothing during the early campaigns of annexed by Antigonus to the satrapy of Seleucus,
Alexander in Asia; but it is evident that he must and the latter was appointed to carry on the siege
have earned the confidence of that monarch, as at of Susa, while Antigonus himself advanced into
the passage of the Hydaspes, in B. c 327, we find Upper Asia against Eumenes. Before the close of