Capture of Seleucia
Antiochus first tried sending messages to the magistrates of Seleucia, offering money and other
rewards on condition of having the city surrendered without fighting. And though he
failed to persuade the chief authorities, he corrupted some of
the subordinate commanders; and relying on them, he made
preparations to assault the town on the sea-ward side with the
men of his fleet, and on the land side with his soldiers. He
divided his forces therefore into three parts, and addressed
suitable words of exhortation to them, causing a herald to
proclaim a promise to men and officers alike of great gifts and
crowns that should be bestowed for gallantry in action. To
the division under Zeuxis he entrusted the attack upon the
gate leading to Antioch; to Hermogenes that upon the walls
near the temple of Castor and Pollux; and to Ardys and
Diognetus the assault upon the docks and the lower town: in
accordance with his understanding with his partisans in the
town, whereby it had been agreed that, if he could carry the
lower town by assault, the city also should then be put into his
hands. When the signal was given, a vigorous and determined
assault was begun simultaneously at all these points: though
that made by Ardys and Diognetus was by far the most daring;
for the other points did not admit of any assault at all by
means of scaling ladders, nor could be carried except by the men
climbing up on their hands and knees; while at the docks and
lower town it was possible to apply scaling ladders and fix
them firmly and safely against the walls. The naval contingent therefore having fixed their ladders on the docks, and
the division of Ardys theirs upon the lower town, a violent
effort was made to carry the walls: and the garrison of the
upper town being prevented from coming to the assistance of
these places, because the city was being assaulted at every
other point at the same time, Ardys was not long before he
captured the lower town. No sooner had this fallen, than the
subordinate officers who had been corrupted hurried to the
commander-in-chief Leontius, and urged that he ought to
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send ambassadors to Antiochus, and make terms with him,
before the city was taken by storm. Knowing nothing about
the treason of these officers, but alarmed by their consternation,
Leontius sent commissioners to the king to make terms for
the safety of all within the city.
