The bloodshed and murders which followed were due to the following incident.
Philo, one of Agathocles' attendants and parasites, came out into the stadium suffering from the effects of drink.
When he observed the popular excitement, he said to those next him, that if Agathocles came out they would have cause to repent again as they had done some days before.
Upon hearing this they began some of them to revile and others to hustle him, and when he attempted to defend himself some very soon tore off his cloak and others levelling their spears at him transpierced him.
Then as soon as he was ignominiously dragged still breathing into the middle of the stadium and the people had tasted blood, they all eagerly waited the arrival of the others.
It was not long before Agathocles was led in in fetters, and as soon as he entered some people ran up and at once stabbed him, an act of benevolence rather than enmity, for they thus saved him from suffering the fate he deserved.
Next Nicon was brought there and after him Agathoclea stripped naked with her sisters and then all her relatives.
Last of all they dragged Oenanthe from the Thesmophorium and led her to the stadium naked on horseback.
All of them were delivered into the hands of the mob, and now some began to bite them with their teeth, some to stab them and others to dig out their eyes. Whenever one of them fell they tore the body from limb to limb until they had thus mutilated them all.
For terrible is the cruelty of the Egyptians when their anger is aroused.
At the same time some young girls who head <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Arsinoe&groupId=370&placeId=700">Arsinoe</a>\'s close companions, hearing that Philammon, who had directed the queen\'s murder, had arrived from <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Cyrene&groupId=521&placeId=985">Cyrene</a> three days before, rushed to his house and forcing an entrance killed Philammon with clubs and stones;
strangled his son who was no longer a child, and dragging out his wife naked into the square slew her.
Such was the end of Agathocles, Agathoclea, and their kindred.
Walbank Commentary