From his
headquarters at
Tarraco (
Tarragona),
Publius Cornelius Scipio, the Roman commander in
Spain, launches a combined military and naval assault on the Carthaginian headquarters at
Carthago Nova (modern-day
Cartagena). He successfully besieges and captures the city. In capturing this city, Scipio gains access to copious stores and supplies, Spanish hostages, the local silver mines, a splendid
harbour and a base for an advance farther south.
As
strategos of the
Achaeans, the Greek general
Philopoemen is responsible for turning the
Achaean League into an aggressive military power. He builds up the League's military capability. The Achaean League's army and cavalry under Philopoemen then defeat the Aetolians on the
Elean frontier.
The rebels restore the monarchies of
Chu,
Qi,
Yan,
Zhao, Wei and (in 208)
Han.
The Qin general
Zhang Han defeats an invasion of
Guanzhong by the rebel general Zhou Wen.
Wu Guang is killed by his own officers, and Zhang Han defeats Chen Sheng, who is killed by an attendant while in flight.[1]
Having helped to conquer
Baiyue in northern Vietnam and southern China for the
Qin dynasty, the general
Zhao Tuo uses the rebellions against the Qin to establish his own independent kingdom in
Nanyue, and conquers the neighboring provinces of Guilin and Xiang. He declares himself King Wu of
Nanyue.[2]
The
Battle of the Metaurus, fought near the
Metaurus River in
Umbria, is a pivotal battle during the
Second Punic War between Rome and Carthage. The Carthaginians are led by Hannibal's brother
Hasdrubal Barca, and the Roman armies are led by the consuls
Marcus Livius Salinator and Gaius Claudius Nero. The Carthaginian army is defeated by the Romans and Hasdrubal is killed in the battle. This major loss by the Carthaginians ends Hannibal's hopes of success in Italy.
Nabis, a
Syrian sold into slavery, rises to power in Sparta and becomes regent of the young Spartan king, Pelops, following the death of Machanidas. Nabis soon overthrows Pelops, claiming to be a descendant of the
Eurypontid Spartan king
Demaratus. Nabis then starts a social revolution which will lead to the freeing of all the
helots, the destruction of the ruling
oligarchy, the redistribution of land and the cancelling of debts.
Xiang Yu defeats Zhang Han in the Battle of the Yushui River. Zhang Han then surrenders to Xiang Yu.
Emperor
Qin Er Shi of the Qin dynasty is assassinated by Prime Minister
Zhao Gao. He is replaced by his nephew
Ziying, who in turn assassinates Zhao Gao. Ziying takes power as the king of Qin rather than as emperor.
The Chu rebel
Liu Bang invades
Guanzhong. After another military defeat, Ziying surrenders to Liu, who then occupies the Qin capital
Xianyang. This marks the end of the Qin dynasty.[4]
The Roman general
Publius Cornelius Scipio secures Gades, thus making Roman control of Spain complete. With the effective withdrawal of the Carthaginians from Spain,
Hispania becomes a
Roman province.
The city of
Italica (northwest of modern
Seville,
Spain) is founded by Scipio as a place to settle for the Roman soldiers wounded in the Battle of Ilipa.
After having successfully driven the Carthaginians out of Spain, Scipio returns in triumph to Rome and is elected
consul. He then prepares to carry the war into Carthage's territory in North Africa.
Carthage
Hasdrubal Gisco retreats to the coast and then crosses to North Africa, where he gives his daughter in marriage to
Syphax, king of the
NumidianMasaesyli tribe, to formalize their military alliance.
After being an ally of Carthage and fighting with them, Numidian chieftain,
Masinissa switches sides when the Carthaginians are driven from Spain and offers to assist Rome. Syphax expels his rival Masinissa and claims himself to be King of Numidia. The Romans support Masinissa's claim to the Numidian throne against Syphax, the pro-Carthaginian ruler of the Masaesyli tribe.
The war between
Macedonia and Rome drags on with no decisive advantage on either side. Rome's interest lies not in conquest, but in keeping Macedon, the Greek city-states and Greek political leagues continually divided and non-threatening.
Philip V of Macedon is able to take advantage of Roman inactivity. After sacking Thermum, the religious and political centre of
Aetolia, Philip is able to force the Aetolians to accept a peace treaty based on his terms.
Xiang Yu divides China in a power-sharing arrangement known as the
Eighteen Kingdoms, with himself the de facto supreme ruler as Hegemon-King of Western Chu.
Xiang Yu appoints
Huai II of Chu as Emperor Yi of China, but he has him assassinated later in the year.
Liu Bang, as the newly appointed king of
Hanzhong, and his new General-in-Chief
Han Xin, invade
Guanzhong, defeat the king of Yong,
Zhang Han, and conquer the lands of the
Three Qins, thus beginning hostilities with Xiang Yu.
Liu Bang makes Yueyang his capital and begins to expand his realm into the
Central Plain.
Antiochus III returns from his eastern campaigns, after having defeated the
Bactrians and subjugated the
Parthians and thus being able to partly restore
Seleucid power in these provinces by crushing the revolting
governors of
Media,
Persia and
Anatolia. Having established a system of
vassal states in the East, Antiochus now adopts the ancient
Achaemenid title of "great king", and the Greeks, comparing him to
Alexander the Great, surname him "the Great", that is to say Antiochus III Megas.
The Peace of Phoenice prohibits Philip from expanding westward into Illyria or the
Adriatic Sea, so the king turns his attentions eastwards to the
Aegean Sea, where he starts to build a large fleet. After concluding the
First Macedonian War, Philip of Macedon, seeing his chance to defeat
Rhodes, forms an alliance with
Aetolian and
Spartan pirates who begin raiding Rhodian ships. The
Cretan War begins between Philips' Macedonians, the
Aetolian League, several
Cretan cities (of which
Olous and Hierapytna are the most important) and Spartan pirates against the forces of Rhodes and later
Attalus I of
Pergamum,
Byzantium,
Cyzicus,
Athens and
Knossos.
With the Rhodian fleet and economy suffering from the depredations of the pirates, Philip begins attacking the lands of Rhodes' allies in
Thrace and around the
Sea of Marmara.
Roman Republic
Publius Cornelius Scipio boldly determines to disregard
Hannibal in
Italy and political opposition in the
Roman Senate and rather decides to strike at the
Carthaginian holdings in North Africa. Scipio crosses to
Sicily with an army consisting partly of volunteers as the Roman Senate would not provide him with an army.
The Roman
propraetorQuintus Pleminius captures the town of
Locri Epizephyrii from the Carthaginians. Hannibal's attempt to recapture the town is foiled by the appearance of Scipio's army.
Scipio sends the Roman general
Gaius Laelius to North Africa to prepare the way for his later invasion.
The Xiongnu leader,
Modu Chanyu, conquers the neighbouring nomadic
Yuezhi and
Donghu peoples, thereby establishing the
Xiongnu Empire. He appoints a
Tuqi King of the left (east) and a Tuqi King of the right (west) to prevent rebellions.[8]
Roman forces under
Publius Cornelius Scipio besiege
Utica in Carthaginia. Scipio is unable to stop the combined forces of the Carthaginians under Hasdrubal Gisco and the Numidians under their chief, Syphax, and he is forced to lift his siege of Utica.
Egypt
The late
Egyptian King
Ptolemy IV'sclique of favourites,
led by
Sosibius, Ptolemy's chief minister, keeps Ptolemy's death a secret, fearing retribution from the new king
Ptolemy V's mother, Queen
Arsinoe III. They arrange for the murder of Arsinoe, and then the five-year-old king is officially elevated to the throne with Sosibius as his guardian. Arsinoe has been popular with the Egyptian population so
rioting follows the news of her assassination.
Han Xin completes the conquest of
Zhao and receives the surrender of
Yan. He captures the Zhao capital of
Handan and defeats
Chu relief forces sent by
Xiang Yu.
The Roman general,
Gaius Laelius, and Rome's Numidian ally,
Masinissa, follow Syphax towards
Cirta, the Numidian capital. In the pursuit, Syphax is captured after his badly wounded horse throws him off. He is delivered to Scipio and is made a prisoner of the Romans, dying in the Italian town of
Alba Fucens later in the year.
Masinissa becomes king of both the Massyli and the Massaesyli tribes in Numidia and remains a loyal ally to the Romans.
Hasdrubal Gisco persuades the Carthaginians to raise a new army and to send for
Hannibal to return home from Italy. Hannibal finally leaves Italy and returns to Carthage.
The Carthaginian general,
Mago Barca, is defeated and wounded by the Romans in the
Battle of Insubria. He dies of his wounds on the return voyage to Carthage.
A preliminary
armistice between Carthage and Rome is declared and the Carthaginian armies accept Scipio's severe terms. However, on his return to Carthage, Hannibal concentrates the remnants of the Carthaginian forces at
Hadrumetum (modern
Sousse,
Tunisia) and prepares them for battle.
China
Han Xin completes the conquest of
Qi, and
Liu Bang appoints him as its king.
After
Xiang Yu fails to persuade Han Xin to remain neutral, Han Xin and Liu Bang launch a five-pronged invasion of
Chu. They decisively defeat Xiang Yu in the Battle of Chen and the
Battle of Gaixia.
Xiang Yu flees toward
Wuyue and, pursued by
Han cavalry, commits suicide.[12]
October 19 – The
Battle of Zama (130 kilometers south-west of Carthage) ends the
Second Punic War and largely destroys the power of Carthage. Roman and
Numidian forces under the leadership of the Roman general
Publius Cornelius Scipio and his Numidian ally,
Masinissa, defeat a combined army of Carthaginians and their Numidian allies under the command of
Hannibal and force Carthage to capitulate. Hannibal loses 20,000 men in the defeat, but he is able to escape Masinissa's pursuit.[13]
Roman Republic
Following the
Battle of Zama, the Roman general
Publius Cornelius Scipio gains the cognomen "Africanus" in honour of his feats in North Africa against Carthage.
Agathocles rule provokes Tlepolemus, the governor of
Pelusium (Egypt's eastern frontier city), into action. Tlepolemus marches on
Alexandria, where his supporters rouse a mob, compelling Agathocles to resign.
The Egyptian boy king,
Ptolemy V, is encouraged by a mob clamouring for revenge against the murderers of his mother
Arsinoe III to agree to Agathocles being killed. As a result, the mob searches out and butchers Agathocles and his family. Tlepolemus takes Agathocles' place as regent. However, he soon proves to be incompetent and is removed.
During this period of confusion and change amongst Egypt’s leadership, armies under the
Seleucid king,
Antiochus III, make serious inroads into the Egyptian territories in
Coele-Syria.
China
Liu Bang and
Han Xin defeat the remaining loyalists of Xiang Yu.
28 February: Liu Bang declares himself Supreme Emperor of China, officially beginning the
Han dynasty.
Liu Bang appoints Han Xin the king of
Chu, but he deposes him later in the year after accusing him of disloyalty.
The construction of the new Chinese capital
Chang'an begins.
Liu Bang gives the area of today's
Fujian province to Wuzhu as his kingdom. Wuzhu starts the construction of his own capital Ye (
Fuzhou).
Following the conclusion of the peace with Rome, Hannibal is elected as
suffet, or
chief magistrate, of Carthage. The office has over the years become insignificant in Carthaginian politics, but Hannibal restores its power and authority. He sets out to reform the administration and finances of Carthage and reduce the power of the
oligarchy which has ruled Carthage before and during the
Second Punic War.[citation needed]
In
Rome, according to the Roman historian
Livy, land is distributed to veterans of the
Second Punic War. This is the first documented instance of a practice that later becomes
commonplace.[citation needed]
The
Spartan king,
Nabis, once more invades and captures
Messene. However, the Spartans are forced to retreat when the
Achaean League army of
Philopoemen intervenes. Nabis' forces are decisively defeated at
Tegea by Philopoemen and Nabis is forced to check his expansionist ambitions for the time being.[citation needed]
China
The construction of city walls around
Nanchang begins.[16]
Roman artists begin attempting to produce the illusion of thin slabs of colored marble covering the walls, which are set off by actual architectural moldings and columns, in private houses. These attempts last for
120 years.[citation needed]
Astronomy
The first good measurement of the distance between
Earth and the
Sun is made by
Eratosthenes (approximate date). By studying
lunar eclipses, his result is roughly 150 000 000 km. The currently accepted value is 149 597 870 691 ± 30 metres.[citation needed]
Polybius,
Greek historian, famous for his book called "The Histories" or "The Rise of the Roman Empire", covering in detail the period between
220 and
146 BC (d.
120 BC)
200 BC
Chao Cuo, Chinese political advisor and official (approximate date)
Chrysippus, Greek philosopher from
Soloi who was the principal systematiser of
Stoic philosophy (b. c.
280 BC)
Hasdrubal Barca,
Carthaginian general who has unsuccessfully attempted to sustain Carthage's military ascendancy on the Spanish peninsula in the face of
Roman attacks (b.
245 BC)
Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus,
Roman general and statesman whose cautious delaying tactics (which have led to his surname Cunctator, meaning "delayer") during the early stages of the Second Punic War have given Rome time to recover its strength and take the offensive against the invading Carthaginian army of Hannibal (b. c.
275 BC)
Syphax,
Numidian king allied with the Carthaginians during the Second Punic War against Rome
Gnaeus Naevius,
Latin epic poet and dramatist, who has written historical plays (fabulae praetextae) that are based on Roman historical or legendary figures and events (b. c.
264 BC).[18]
^Hung, Hing Ming (2011). The Road to the Throne: How Liu Bang Founded China's Han Dynasty. pp. 21–32.
ISBN978-0875868387.
^Hung, Hing Ming (2020). The Magnificent Emperor Wu: China's Han Dynasty. p. 175.
ISBN978-1628944167.
^Hung, Hing Ming (2011). The Road to the Throne: How Liu Bang Founded China's Han Dynasty. pp. 32–54.
ISBN978-0875868387.
^Hung, Hing Ming (2011). The Road to the Throne: How Liu Bang Founded China's Han Dynasty. pp. 54–73.
ISBN978-0875868387.
^Hung, Hing Ming (2011). The Road to the Throne: How Liu Bang Founded China's Han Dynasty. pp. 73–111.
ISBN978-0875868387.
^Walbank, Frank William (1940). Philip V of Macedon. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 104.
OCLC491231292.
^Hung, Hing Ming (2011). The Road to the Throne: How Liu Bang Founded China's Han Dynasty. New York: Algora Publishing. pp. 111–131.
ISBN978-0-87586-838-7.
^Qian, Sima. Records of the Grand Historian, Section: Xiongnu.
^Stambaugh, John E. (1988). The Ancient Roman City. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 28.
ISBN0-8018-3574-7.
^Hung, Hing Ming (2011). The Road to the Throne: How Liu Bang Founded China's Han Dynasty. pp. 128–148.
ISBN978-0875868387.
^Qian, Sima. Records of the Grand Historian, Section: Han Xin, Section: Jin She.
^Hung, Hing Ming (2011). The Road to the Throne: How Liu Bang Founded China's Han Dynasty. pp. 148–163.
ISBN978-0875868387.
^LeGlay, Marcel; Voisin, Jean-Louis; Le Bohec, Yann (2001). A History of Rome (Second ed.). Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell. p. 79.
ISBN0-631-21858-0.
^Hung, Hing Ming (2011). The Road to the Throne: How Liu Bang Founded China's Han Dynasty. pp. 163–186.
ISBN978-0875868387.
^Walbank, Frank William (1940). Philip V of Macedon. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 340.
OCLC491231292.
^Yao, Yifeng (2016). Nanjing: Historical Landscape and Its Planning from Geographical Perspective. Singapore: Springer. p. 47.
ISBN978-9-81101-637-0.
^Walbank, Frank William (1940). Philip V of Macedon. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 340.
OCLC491231292.
^Thorburn, John E. (2005). The Facts On File Companion to Classical Drama. New York: Facts On File. p. 361.
ISBN978-0-81607-498-3.
From his
headquarters at
Tarraco (
Tarragona),
Publius Cornelius Scipio, the Roman commander in
Spain, launches a combined military and naval assault on the Carthaginian headquarters at
Carthago Nova (modern-day
Cartagena). He successfully besieges and captures the city. In capturing this city, Scipio gains access to copious stores and supplies, Spanish hostages, the local silver mines, a splendid
harbour and a base for an advance farther south.
As
strategos of the
Achaeans, the Greek general
Philopoemen is responsible for turning the
Achaean League into an aggressive military power. He builds up the League's military capability. The Achaean League's army and cavalry under Philopoemen then defeat the Aetolians on the
Elean frontier.
The rebels restore the monarchies of
Chu,
Qi,
Yan,
Zhao, Wei and (in 208)
Han.
The Qin general
Zhang Han defeats an invasion of
Guanzhong by the rebel general Zhou Wen.
Wu Guang is killed by his own officers, and Zhang Han defeats Chen Sheng, who is killed by an attendant while in flight.[1]
Having helped to conquer
Baiyue in northern Vietnam and southern China for the
Qin dynasty, the general
Zhao Tuo uses the rebellions against the Qin to establish his own independent kingdom in
Nanyue, and conquers the neighboring provinces of Guilin and Xiang. He declares himself King Wu of
Nanyue.[2]
The
Battle of the Metaurus, fought near the
Metaurus River in
Umbria, is a pivotal battle during the
Second Punic War between Rome and Carthage. The Carthaginians are led by Hannibal's brother
Hasdrubal Barca, and the Roman armies are led by the consuls
Marcus Livius Salinator and Gaius Claudius Nero. The Carthaginian army is defeated by the Romans and Hasdrubal is killed in the battle. This major loss by the Carthaginians ends Hannibal's hopes of success in Italy.
Nabis, a
Syrian sold into slavery, rises to power in Sparta and becomes regent of the young Spartan king, Pelops, following the death of Machanidas. Nabis soon overthrows Pelops, claiming to be a descendant of the
Eurypontid Spartan king
Demaratus. Nabis then starts a social revolution which will lead to the freeing of all the
helots, the destruction of the ruling
oligarchy, the redistribution of land and the cancelling of debts.
Xiang Yu defeats Zhang Han in the Battle of the Yushui River. Zhang Han then surrenders to Xiang Yu.
Emperor
Qin Er Shi of the Qin dynasty is assassinated by Prime Minister
Zhao Gao. He is replaced by his nephew
Ziying, who in turn assassinates Zhao Gao. Ziying takes power as the king of Qin rather than as emperor.
The Chu rebel
Liu Bang invades
Guanzhong. After another military defeat, Ziying surrenders to Liu, who then occupies the Qin capital
Xianyang. This marks the end of the Qin dynasty.[4]
The Roman general
Publius Cornelius Scipio secures Gades, thus making Roman control of Spain complete. With the effective withdrawal of the Carthaginians from Spain,
Hispania becomes a
Roman province.
The city of
Italica (northwest of modern
Seville,
Spain) is founded by Scipio as a place to settle for the Roman soldiers wounded in the Battle of Ilipa.
After having successfully driven the Carthaginians out of Spain, Scipio returns in triumph to Rome and is elected
consul. He then prepares to carry the war into Carthage's territory in North Africa.
Carthage
Hasdrubal Gisco retreats to the coast and then crosses to North Africa, where he gives his daughter in marriage to
Syphax, king of the
NumidianMasaesyli tribe, to formalize their military alliance.
After being an ally of Carthage and fighting with them, Numidian chieftain,
Masinissa switches sides when the Carthaginians are driven from Spain and offers to assist Rome. Syphax expels his rival Masinissa and claims himself to be King of Numidia. The Romans support Masinissa's claim to the Numidian throne against Syphax, the pro-Carthaginian ruler of the Masaesyli tribe.
The war between
Macedonia and Rome drags on with no decisive advantage on either side. Rome's interest lies not in conquest, but in keeping Macedon, the Greek city-states and Greek political leagues continually divided and non-threatening.
Philip V of Macedon is able to take advantage of Roman inactivity. After sacking Thermum, the religious and political centre of
Aetolia, Philip is able to force the Aetolians to accept a peace treaty based on his terms.
Xiang Yu divides China in a power-sharing arrangement known as the
Eighteen Kingdoms, with himself the de facto supreme ruler as Hegemon-King of Western Chu.
Xiang Yu appoints
Huai II of Chu as Emperor Yi of China, but he has him assassinated later in the year.
Liu Bang, as the newly appointed king of
Hanzhong, and his new General-in-Chief
Han Xin, invade
Guanzhong, defeat the king of Yong,
Zhang Han, and conquer the lands of the
Three Qins, thus beginning hostilities with Xiang Yu.
Liu Bang makes Yueyang his capital and begins to expand his realm into the
Central Plain.
Antiochus III returns from his eastern campaigns, after having defeated the
Bactrians and subjugated the
Parthians and thus being able to partly restore
Seleucid power in these provinces by crushing the revolting
governors of
Media,
Persia and
Anatolia. Having established a system of
vassal states in the East, Antiochus now adopts the ancient
Achaemenid title of "great king", and the Greeks, comparing him to
Alexander the Great, surname him "the Great", that is to say Antiochus III Megas.
The Peace of Phoenice prohibits Philip from expanding westward into Illyria or the
Adriatic Sea, so the king turns his attentions eastwards to the
Aegean Sea, where he starts to build a large fleet. After concluding the
First Macedonian War, Philip of Macedon, seeing his chance to defeat
Rhodes, forms an alliance with
Aetolian and
Spartan pirates who begin raiding Rhodian ships. The
Cretan War begins between Philips' Macedonians, the
Aetolian League, several
Cretan cities (of which
Olous and Hierapytna are the most important) and Spartan pirates against the forces of Rhodes and later
Attalus I of
Pergamum,
Byzantium,
Cyzicus,
Athens and
Knossos.
With the Rhodian fleet and economy suffering from the depredations of the pirates, Philip begins attacking the lands of Rhodes' allies in
Thrace and around the
Sea of Marmara.
Roman Republic
Publius Cornelius Scipio boldly determines to disregard
Hannibal in
Italy and political opposition in the
Roman Senate and rather decides to strike at the
Carthaginian holdings in North Africa. Scipio crosses to
Sicily with an army consisting partly of volunteers as the Roman Senate would not provide him with an army.
The Roman
propraetorQuintus Pleminius captures the town of
Locri Epizephyrii from the Carthaginians. Hannibal's attempt to recapture the town is foiled by the appearance of Scipio's army.
Scipio sends the Roman general
Gaius Laelius to North Africa to prepare the way for his later invasion.
The Xiongnu leader,
Modu Chanyu, conquers the neighbouring nomadic
Yuezhi and
Donghu peoples, thereby establishing the
Xiongnu Empire. He appoints a
Tuqi King of the left (east) and a Tuqi King of the right (west) to prevent rebellions.[8]
Roman forces under
Publius Cornelius Scipio besiege
Utica in Carthaginia. Scipio is unable to stop the combined forces of the Carthaginians under Hasdrubal Gisco and the Numidians under their chief, Syphax, and he is forced to lift his siege of Utica.
Egypt
The late
Egyptian King
Ptolemy IV'sclique of favourites,
led by
Sosibius, Ptolemy's chief minister, keeps Ptolemy's death a secret, fearing retribution from the new king
Ptolemy V's mother, Queen
Arsinoe III. They arrange for the murder of Arsinoe, and then the five-year-old king is officially elevated to the throne with Sosibius as his guardian. Arsinoe has been popular with the Egyptian population so
rioting follows the news of her assassination.
Han Xin completes the conquest of
Zhao and receives the surrender of
Yan. He captures the Zhao capital of
Handan and defeats
Chu relief forces sent by
Xiang Yu.
The Roman general,
Gaius Laelius, and Rome's Numidian ally,
Masinissa, follow Syphax towards
Cirta, the Numidian capital. In the pursuit, Syphax is captured after his badly wounded horse throws him off. He is delivered to Scipio and is made a prisoner of the Romans, dying in the Italian town of
Alba Fucens later in the year.
Masinissa becomes king of both the Massyli and the Massaesyli tribes in Numidia and remains a loyal ally to the Romans.
Hasdrubal Gisco persuades the Carthaginians to raise a new army and to send for
Hannibal to return home from Italy. Hannibal finally leaves Italy and returns to Carthage.
The Carthaginian general,
Mago Barca, is defeated and wounded by the Romans in the
Battle of Insubria. He dies of his wounds on the return voyage to Carthage.
A preliminary
armistice between Carthage and Rome is declared and the Carthaginian armies accept Scipio's severe terms. However, on his return to Carthage, Hannibal concentrates the remnants of the Carthaginian forces at
Hadrumetum (modern
Sousse,
Tunisia) and prepares them for battle.
China
Han Xin completes the conquest of
Qi, and
Liu Bang appoints him as its king.
After
Xiang Yu fails to persuade Han Xin to remain neutral, Han Xin and Liu Bang launch a five-pronged invasion of
Chu. They decisively defeat Xiang Yu in the Battle of Chen and the
Battle of Gaixia.
Xiang Yu flees toward
Wuyue and, pursued by
Han cavalry, commits suicide.[12]
October 19 – The
Battle of Zama (130 kilometers south-west of Carthage) ends the
Second Punic War and largely destroys the power of Carthage. Roman and
Numidian forces under the leadership of the Roman general
Publius Cornelius Scipio and his Numidian ally,
Masinissa, defeat a combined army of Carthaginians and their Numidian allies under the command of
Hannibal and force Carthage to capitulate. Hannibal loses 20,000 men in the defeat, but he is able to escape Masinissa's pursuit.[13]
Roman Republic
Following the
Battle of Zama, the Roman general
Publius Cornelius Scipio gains the cognomen "Africanus" in honour of his feats in North Africa against Carthage.
Agathocles rule provokes Tlepolemus, the governor of
Pelusium (Egypt's eastern frontier city), into action. Tlepolemus marches on
Alexandria, where his supporters rouse a mob, compelling Agathocles to resign.
The Egyptian boy king,
Ptolemy V, is encouraged by a mob clamouring for revenge against the murderers of his mother
Arsinoe III to agree to Agathocles being killed. As a result, the mob searches out and butchers Agathocles and his family. Tlepolemus takes Agathocles' place as regent. However, he soon proves to be incompetent and is removed.
During this period of confusion and change amongst Egypt’s leadership, armies under the
Seleucid king,
Antiochus III, make serious inroads into the Egyptian territories in
Coele-Syria.
China
Liu Bang and
Han Xin defeat the remaining loyalists of Xiang Yu.
28 February: Liu Bang declares himself Supreme Emperor of China, officially beginning the
Han dynasty.
Liu Bang appoints Han Xin the king of
Chu, but he deposes him later in the year after accusing him of disloyalty.
The construction of the new Chinese capital
Chang'an begins.
Liu Bang gives the area of today's
Fujian province to Wuzhu as his kingdom. Wuzhu starts the construction of his own capital Ye (
Fuzhou).
Following the conclusion of the peace with Rome, Hannibal is elected as
suffet, or
chief magistrate, of Carthage. The office has over the years become insignificant in Carthaginian politics, but Hannibal restores its power and authority. He sets out to reform the administration and finances of Carthage and reduce the power of the
oligarchy which has ruled Carthage before and during the
Second Punic War.[citation needed]
In
Rome, according to the Roman historian
Livy, land is distributed to veterans of the
Second Punic War. This is the first documented instance of a practice that later becomes
commonplace.[citation needed]
The
Spartan king,
Nabis, once more invades and captures
Messene. However, the Spartans are forced to retreat when the
Achaean League army of
Philopoemen intervenes. Nabis' forces are decisively defeated at
Tegea by Philopoemen and Nabis is forced to check his expansionist ambitions for the time being.[citation needed]
China
The construction of city walls around
Nanchang begins.[16]
Roman artists begin attempting to produce the illusion of thin slabs of colored marble covering the walls, which are set off by actual architectural moldings and columns, in private houses. These attempts last for
120 years.[citation needed]
Astronomy
The first good measurement of the distance between
Earth and the
Sun is made by
Eratosthenes (approximate date). By studying
lunar eclipses, his result is roughly 150 000 000 km. The currently accepted value is 149 597 870 691 ± 30 metres.[citation needed]
Polybius,
Greek historian, famous for his book called "The Histories" or "The Rise of the Roman Empire", covering in detail the period between
220 and
146 BC (d.
120 BC)
200 BC
Chao Cuo, Chinese political advisor and official (approximate date)
Chrysippus, Greek philosopher from
Soloi who was the principal systematiser of
Stoic philosophy (b. c.
280 BC)
Hasdrubal Barca,
Carthaginian general who has unsuccessfully attempted to sustain Carthage's military ascendancy on the Spanish peninsula in the face of
Roman attacks (b.
245 BC)
Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus,
Roman general and statesman whose cautious delaying tactics (which have led to his surname Cunctator, meaning "delayer") during the early stages of the Second Punic War have given Rome time to recover its strength and take the offensive against the invading Carthaginian army of Hannibal (b. c.
275 BC)
Syphax,
Numidian king allied with the Carthaginians during the Second Punic War against Rome
Gnaeus Naevius,
Latin epic poet and dramatist, who has written historical plays (fabulae praetextae) that are based on Roman historical or legendary figures and events (b. c.
264 BC).[18]
^Hung, Hing Ming (2011). The Road to the Throne: How Liu Bang Founded China's Han Dynasty. pp. 21–32.
ISBN978-0875868387.
^Hung, Hing Ming (2020). The Magnificent Emperor Wu: China's Han Dynasty. p. 175.
ISBN978-1628944167.
^Hung, Hing Ming (2011). The Road to the Throne: How Liu Bang Founded China's Han Dynasty. pp. 32–54.
ISBN978-0875868387.
^Hung, Hing Ming (2011). The Road to the Throne: How Liu Bang Founded China's Han Dynasty. pp. 54–73.
ISBN978-0875868387.
^Hung, Hing Ming (2011). The Road to the Throne: How Liu Bang Founded China's Han Dynasty. pp. 73–111.
ISBN978-0875868387.
^Walbank, Frank William (1940). Philip V of Macedon. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 104.
OCLC491231292.
^Hung, Hing Ming (2011). The Road to the Throne: How Liu Bang Founded China's Han Dynasty. New York: Algora Publishing. pp. 111–131.
ISBN978-0-87586-838-7.
^Qian, Sima. Records of the Grand Historian, Section: Xiongnu.
^Stambaugh, John E. (1988). The Ancient Roman City. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 28.
ISBN0-8018-3574-7.
^Hung, Hing Ming (2011). The Road to the Throne: How Liu Bang Founded China's Han Dynasty. pp. 128–148.
ISBN978-0875868387.
^Qian, Sima. Records of the Grand Historian, Section: Han Xin, Section: Jin She.
^Hung, Hing Ming (2011). The Road to the Throne: How Liu Bang Founded China's Han Dynasty. pp. 148–163.
ISBN978-0875868387.
^LeGlay, Marcel; Voisin, Jean-Louis; Le Bohec, Yann (2001). A History of Rome (Second ed.). Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell. p. 79.
ISBN0-631-21858-0.
^Hung, Hing Ming (2011). The Road to the Throne: How Liu Bang Founded China's Han Dynasty. pp. 163–186.
ISBN978-0875868387.
^Walbank, Frank William (1940). Philip V of Macedon. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 340.
OCLC491231292.
^Yao, Yifeng (2016). Nanjing: Historical Landscape and Its Planning from Geographical Perspective. Singapore: Springer. p. 47.
ISBN978-9-81101-637-0.
^Walbank, Frank William (1940). Philip V of Macedon. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 340.
OCLC491231292.
^Thorburn, John E. (2005). The Facts On File Companion to Classical Drama. New York: Facts On File. p. 361.
ISBN978-0-81607-498-3.