Cornelius Nepos

“ For he had a strong hand and was skilled at war, and (unlike most tyrants) he was barely interested in pleasure, not interested in luxury, not greedy - he desired nothing except sole and perpetual command and to achieve that he was cruel: for while he devoting himself to fortifying it, he spared the life of no one who he thought was setting an ambush against him. ”

“ Not much later, Seleucus was assassinated by Ptolemaeus Ceraunus, [2] whom he had taken in after he was expelled from Alexandrea by his father and was in need of the help of strangers. But Ptolemaeus himself, handed his kingdom over to his son while still living and is said to have been deprived of life by that same son. Since we think that enough has been said about these men, it seems convenient not to pass over Hamilcar and Hannibal who are established to have exceeded all others born in Africa in greatness and shrewdness of mind. ”

“ III. There were, moreover, great kings from the friends of Alexander the Great, who took commands after his death, among whom were Antigonus and his son Demetrius, Lysimachus, Seleucus and Ptolemaeus. Of these, Antigonus was killed in battle when he bore arms agains Seleucus and Lysimachus. The same end was inflicted on Lysimachus by Seleucus: for when their alliance collapsed they waged war against each other. ”