Seleucus III Ceraunus

Who was Seleucus III Ceraunus?

Seleucus III Soter, called Seleucus Ceraunus, was a ruler of the Hellenistic Seleucid Kingdom, the eldest son of Seleucus II Callinicus and Laodice II. His birth name was Alexander and was named after his great uncle the Seleucid official Alexander. Alexander changed his name to Seleucus after he succeeded his father as King. After a brief reign of three years, Seleucus was assassinated in Anatolia by members of his army while on campaign against Attalus I of Pergamon. His official byname Soter means "Saviour", while his nickname Ceraunus means "Thunderbolt".