Editing Seleucus I Nicator (section)

===Battle of Ipsus===
{{Main|Diadochi#Fourth War of the Diadochi, 308-301 BC}}
[[File:Seleucos coin MET.jpg|thumb|[[Tetradrachm]] of Seleucus I, minted at [[Susa]].<ref name="MC">{{cite journal |last1=Marest-Caffey |first1=L. |title=Seleukos I's Victory Coinage of Susa Revisited: A Die Study and Commentary |journal=American Journal of Numismatics |date=2016 |volume=28 |pages=1–64}}</ref> '''Obv''': Portrait of male figure (probably Seleucus, but possibly Alexander or Dionysus),<ref name="MC"/> wearing a leopard-skin helmet, with a bull's ear and horns. '''Rev''': [[Nike (mythology)|Nike]], holding a wreath over a trophy, probably referring to the [[Battle of Ipsus]]. Legend "King Seleucus".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Metropolitan Museum of Art |title=Tetradrachm of Seleucus I |url=https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/326156 |website=www.metmuseum.org}}</ref>]]
The war elephants Seleucus received from Chandragupta proved to be useful when the Diadochi finally decided to deal with Antigonus. Cassander, Seleucus and Lysimachus defeated Antigonus and Demetrius in the [[battle of Ipsus]]. Antigonus fell in battle, but Demetrius escaped. After the battle, Syria was placed under Seleucus' rule. He understood Syria to encompass the region from the [[Taurus mountains]] to [[Sinai Peninsula|Sinai]], but Ptolemy had already conquered [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]] and [[Phoenicia]]. In 299 BC, Seleucus allied with Demetrius and married his daughter [[Stratonice of Syria|Stratonice]]. Stratonice was also the daughter of Antipater's daughter [[Phila (daughter of Antipater)|Phila]]. Seleucus had a daughter by Stratonice, who was also called [[Phila (daughter of Seleucus)|Phila]].<ref>[[John Malalas]], [http://www.attalus.org/translate/malalas.html#198 viii.198]</ref>

The fleet of Demetrius destroyed Ptolemy's fleet and thus Seleucus did not need to fight him.<ref name="Grainger97-55">Grainger 1997, p. 55–56</ref>

Seleucus, however, did not manage to enlarge his kingdom to the west. The main reason was that he did not have enough Greek troops. During the battle of Ipsus, he had less infantry than Lysimachus. His strength was in his war elephants and in traditional Persian cavalry. In order to enlarge his army, Seleucus tried to attract colonists from mainland Greece by founding four new cities—[[Seleucia Pieria]] and [[Laodicea in Syria]] on the coast and [[Antioch on the Orontes]] and [[Apamea (Syria)|Apameia]] in the [[Orontes River]] valley. [[Antioch]] became his chief seat of government. The new Seleucia was supposed to become his new naval base and a gateway to the Mediterranean. Seleucus also founded six smaller cities.<ref name="Grainger97-55" />

It is said of Seleucus that "few princes have ever lived with so great a passion for the building of cities. He is reputed to have built in all nine Seleucias, sixteen Antiochs, and six Laodiceas".<ref name="ebd">{{Eastons}}</ref>