Λυσιμάχῳ δὲ ἐπὶ μὲν Ἀριδαίου βασιλεύοντος καὶ ὕστερον Κασσάνδρου καὶ τῶν παίδων φιλία διέμεινε πρὸς Μακεδόνας· περιελθούσης δὲ ἐς Δημήτριον τὸν Ἀντιγόνου τῆς ἀρχῆς, ἐνταῦθα ἤδη Λυσίμαχος πολεμήσεσθαι ἤλπιζεν ὑπὸ Δημητρίου καὶ αὐτὸς ἄρχειν ἠξίου πολέμου, πατρῷον ἐπιστάμενος ὂν Δημητρίῳ προσπεριβάλλεσθαί τι ἐθέλειν καὶ ἅμα ὁρῶν αὐτὸν παρελθόντα ἐς Μακεδονίαν μετάπεμπτον ὑπὸ Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ Κασσάνδρου, ὡς δὲ ἀφίκετο, αὐτόν τε Ἀλέξανδρον φονεύσαντα καὶ ἔχοντα ἀντʼ ἐκείνου τὴν Μακεδόνων ἀρχήν.
τούτων ἕνεκα Δημητρίῳ συμβαλὼν πρὸς Ἀμφιπόλει παρʼ ὀλίγον μὲν ἦλθεν ἐκπεσεῖν Θρᾴκης, ἀμύναντος δέ οἱ Πύρρου τήν τε Θρᾴκην κατέσχε καὶ ὕστερον ἐπῆρξε Νεστίων καὶ Μακεδόνων· τὸ δὲ πολὺ Μακεδονίας αὐτὸς Πύρρος κατεῖχε, δυνάμει τε ἥκων ἐξ Ἠπείρου καὶ πρὸς Λυσίμαχον ἐν τῷ παρόντι ἔχων ἐπιτηδείως. Δημητρίου δὲ διαβάντος ἐς τὴν Ἀσίαν καὶ Σελεύκῳ πολεμοῦντος, ὅσον μὲν χρόνον ἀντεῖχε τὰ Δημητρίου, διέμεινεν ἡ Πύρρου καὶ Λυσιμάχου συμμαχία· γενομένου δὲ ἐπὶ Σελεύκῳ Δημητρίου Λυσιμάχῳ καὶ Πύρρῳ διελύθη ἡ φιλία, καὶ καταστάντων ἐς πόλεμον Λυσίμαχος Ἀντιγόνῳ τε τῷ Δημητρίου καὶ αὐτῷ Πύρρῳ πολεμήσας ἐκράτησε παρὰ πολὺ καὶ Μακεδονίαν ἔσχεν, ἀναχωρῆσαι Πύρρον βιασάμενος ἐς τὴν Ἤπειρον.
εἰώθασι δὲ ἀνθρώποις φύεσθαι διʼ ἔρωτα πολλαὶ συμφοραί. Λυσίμαχος γὰρ ἡλικίᾳ τε ἤδη προήκων καὶ ἐς τοὺς παῖδας αὐτός τε νομιζόμενος εὐδαίμων καὶ Ἀγαθοκλεῖ παίδων ὄντων ἐκ Λυσάνδρας Ἀρσινόην ἔγημεν ἀδελφὴν Λυσάνδρας. ταύτην τὴν Ἀρσινόην φοβουμένην ἐπὶ τοῖς παισί, μὴ Λυσιμάχου τελευτήσαντος ἐπʼ Ἀγαθοκλεῖ γένωνται, τούτων ἕνεκα Ἀγαθοκλεῖ ἐπιβουλεῦσαι λέγεται. ἤδη δὲ ἔγραψαν καὶ ὡς Ἀγαθοκλέους ἀφίκοιτο ἐς ἔρωτα ἡ Ἀρσινόη, ἀποτυγχάνουσα δὲ †ἐπὶ τῷ βουλεῦσαι λέγουσιν Ἀγαθοκλεῖ θάνατον. λέγουσι δὲ καὶ ὡς Λυσίμαχος αἴσθοιτο ὕστερον τὰ τολμηθέντα ὑπὸ τῆς γυναικός, εἶναι δὲ οὐδὲν ἔτι οἱ πλέον ἠρημωμένῳ φίλων ἐς τὸ ἔσχατον.
ὡς γὰρ δὴ τότε ὁ Λυσίμαχος ἀνελεῖν τὸν Ἀγαθοκλέα Ἀρσινόῃ παρῆκε, Λυσάνδρα παρὰ Σέλευκον ἐκδιδράσκει τούς τε παῖδας ἅμα ἀγομένη καὶ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς τοὺς αὑτῆς, †οἷ περιελθὸν τοῦτο ἐς Πτολεμαῖον καταφεύγουσι. τούτοις ἐκδιδράσκουσι παρὰ Σέλευκον καὶ Ἀλέξανδρος ἠκολούθησεν, υἱὸς μὲν Λυσιμάχου, γεγονὼς δὲ ἐξ Ὀδρυσιάδος γυναικός. οὗτοί τε οὖν ἐς Βαβυλῶνα ἀναβεβηκότες ἱκέτευον Σέλευκον ἐς πόλεμον πρὸς Λυσίμαχον καταστῆναι· καὶ Φιλέταιρος ἅμα, ᾧ τὰ χρήματα ἐπετέτραπτο Λυσιμάχου, τῇ τε Ἀγαθοκλέους τελευτῇ χαλεπῶς φέρων καὶ τὰ παρὰ τῆς Ἀρσινόης ὕποπτα ἡγούμενος καταλαμβάνει Πέργαμον τὴν ὑπὲρ Καΐκου, πέμψας δὲ κήρυκα τά τε χρήματα καὶ αὑτὸν ἐδίδου Σελεύκῳ.
Λυσίμαχος δὲ ταῦτα πάντα πυνθανόμενος ἔφθη διαβὰς ἐς τὴν Ἀσίαν καὶ ἄρξας αὐτὸς πολέμου συμβαλών τε Σελεύκῳ παρὰ πολύ τε ἐκρατήθη καὶ αὐτὸς ἀπέθανεν. Ἀλέξανδρος δέ, ὃς ἐκ τῆς γυναικὸς Ὀδρυσίδος ἐγεγόνει οἱ, πολλὰ Λυσάνδραν παραιτησάμενος ἀναιρεῖταί τε καὶ ὕστερον τούτων ἐς Χερρόνησον κομίσας ἔθαψεν, ἔνθα ἔτι καὶ νῦν ἐστίν οἱ φανερὸς ὁ τάφος Καρδίας τε μεταξὺ κώμης καὶ Πακτύης.
During the reign of Aridaeus, and afterwards of Cassander and his sons, Lysimachus continued on friendly terms with the Macedonians. But when the sovereignty devolved on Demetrius, son of Antigonus, Lysimachus made sure that he would be attacked by that prince, and resolved to take the initiative. For he knew that Demetrius inherited his father’s grasping ambition, and perceived that no sooner had he set foot in Macedonia, whither he had been summoned by Alexander, son of Cassander, than he had murdered Alexander and reigned in his stead.
But having encountered Demetrius at Amphipolis, he was near being driven from Thrace. However, Pyrrhus came to his help and so he retained Thrace, and afterwards reigned over the Nestians and Macedonians. But the greater part of Macedonia Pyrrhus kept in his own hands by means of the military force which he had brought with him from Epirus, and of the friendly footing on which, for the time being, he stood with Lysimachus. The alliance between the two lasted so long as Demetrius, who had crossed into Asia, was able to hold his own in the war with Seleucus. But when Demetrius fell into the hands of Seleucus the friendship between Lysimachus and Pyrrhus was dissolved and they went to war. By a decisive victory gained over Antigonus, son of Demetrius, as well as over Pyrrhus himself, Lysimachus made himself master of Macedonia, and compelled Pyrrhus to retreat into Epirus.
Love is the source of many misfortunes to mankind, as Lysimachus learned to his cost. For at an advanced age, blest with children and grandchildren—for Agathocles had children by Lysandra—he married Lysandra’s sister Arsinoe. This Arsinoe is said to have plotted against Agathocles, from fear that her children would be at his mercy on the death of Lysimachus. It has been stated by some writers that Arsinoe conceived a passion for Agathocles, which being unrequited, she plotted his death. They say that his wife’s wickedness afterwards came to the knowledge of Lysimachus, but that he could do nothing, being bereft of all his friends.
When Lysimachus, then, left Arsinoe free to make away with Agathocles, Lysandra fled to Seleucus, taking her children and brothers with her. . . Alexander, a son of Lysimachus by an Odrysian woman, followed them in their flight to Seleucus. So they went up to Babylon and besought Seleucus to go to war with Lysimachus. And at the same time Philetaerus, to whose care were committed Lysimachus’ treasures, indignant at the death of Agathocles, and suspicious of Arsinoe, seized Pergamus on the Caicus, and sent a herald to surrender himself and the treasures to Seleucus.
No sooner did all this come to the ears of Lysimachus, than he made haste to cross over into Asia, and, assuming the offensive, gave battle to Seleucus ; but he was decisively defeated and slain. Alexander, his son by the Odrysian woman, succeeded by many prayers addressed to Lysandra in obtaining his body, which he afterwards conveyed to the Chersonese, and buried in the place where his grave is still to be seen, between the village of Cardia and Pactya. Such was the history of Lysimachus.
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