Historical Timeline 300 BCE - 1 CE

From History of the Hellenistic and Roman World

At the battle of Ipsos in 301 BCE, Antigonos I Monophthalmos was defeated by the coalition of the other Diadochoi (Successors) to Alexander. Ipsos marks a turning point in history, as it effectively extinguished any hope of reuniting the Empire. After Ipsos, the balance of power in the Mediterannean slowly swings westward, where two emerging superpowers prepare for a cataclysmic conflict.

300 BCE

Events

• Antioch is founded by Seleucus I Nicator

• Euclid of Alexandria starts work on the "Elements"

298 BCE

Events

• Kingdom of Bithynia is founded.

Military Conflict

• The Third Samnite War begins.

Deaths

• Death of Chandragupta Maurya

297 BCE

Events

• Coronation of Pyrrhos of Epirus

Deaths

• Death of Kassandros of Macedonia

295 BCE

Events

• Establishment of Mithridatic Dynasty in Pontus

Military Conflict

• The Battle of Sentinum ends in Roman victory (The Third Samnite War).

294 BCE

Events

• Demetrios Poliorketes becomes King of Macedonia

290 BCE

Military Conflict

• The Third Samnite War ends.

289 BCE

Deaths

• Agathokles of Syracuse dies.

288 BCE

Events

• Demetrios Poliorketes driven from the throne of Macedonia by Lysimachos and Pyrrhos of Epeiros.

287 BCE

Events

• The Third Plebeian Seccession in Rome and the enactment of the Lex Hortensia.

Births

• Archimedes of Syracuse is born.

284 BCE

Military Conflict

• The Gallo-Etruscan War against Rome begins. The Senones are driven from their Italian homeland.

283 BCE

Military Conflict

• Romans defeat a combined Gallo-Etruscan force at the Battle of Lake Vadimo.

Deaths

• Ptolemy I Soter dies at Alexandria.

• Demetrios Poliorketes dies in captivity.

281 BCE

Military Conflict

• Seleucus I Nicator defeats Lysimachos at the Battle of Korupedion.

Deaths

• Lysimachos is killed at the Battle of Korupedion.

• Seleucus I Nicator is assasinated by Ptolemy Keraunos who then becomes King of Macedonia.

280 BCE

Events

• The Lighthouse of Pharos is built.

Military Conflict

• The Galatian Invasion of Macedonia and Greece begins.

• Pyrrhos of Epirus crosses into Italy, starting The Pyrrhic Wars.

• Pyrrhos of Epirus wins his first Pyrrhic victory at Heraclea (The Pyrrhic Wars).

279 BCE

Military Conflict

• Pyrrhos of Epirus wins his second Pyrrhic victory at Asculum (The Pyrrhic Wars).

Deaths

• Ptolemy Keraunos is killed in battle (The Galatian Invasion).

277 BCE

Military Conflict

• The Galatians are finally forced to withdraw from Greece and Macedonia.

275 BCE

Military Conflict

• Pyrrrhos of Epirus loses the battle of Beneventum, bringing an end to his campaigns in Italy.

274 BCE

Military Conflict

• The First Syrian War between the Seleucids and the Ptolemies begins.

272 BCE

Military Conflict

• Epirote garrisons at Tarentum surrender to the Romans, ending The Pyrrhic Wars.

Deaths

• [{Pyrrhos of Epirus]] is killed at Argos.

271 BCE

Military Conflict

• Romans capture Rhegium, completing Roman hegemony over central and southern Italy.

• The First Syrian War ends with a negotiated settlement.

267 BCE

Military Conflict

• The Chremonidian War begins.

264 BCE

Military Conflict

• The First Punic War begins in a dispute over the polis of Messana.

261 BCE

Military Conflict

• The Athenian leader Chremonides goes into exile, ending The Chremonidian War.

260 BCE

Military Conflicts

• The Romans defeat a Carthaginian fleet off Mylae.

• The Second Syrian War when the Seleucids attack the Ptolemies.

255 BCE

Military Conflict

• The Romans are defeated at the battle of Bagradas (The First Punic War).

253 BCE

Military Conflict

• The Second Syrian War ends in a negotiated settlement.

247 BCE

Births

• Hannibal Barca is born.

246 BCE

Military Conflict

• The Third Syrian War breaks out.

245 BCE

Military Conflict

• The Parni tribe invades Satrapry of Parthyaea, establishing the Parthian kingdom.

241 BCE

Events

• Baktria seizes its independence from the Seleucids.

Military Conflict

• The First Punic War ends.

• The Third Syrian War ends.

240 BCE

Military Conflict

• The Truceless War between Carthage and its mercenaries break out.

238 BCE

Events

• Exploiting Carthaginian preoccupation with its mercenaries, Rome annexes Sardinia and Corsica.

Military Conflict

• The Truceless War is brought to an end by Hamilcar Barca.

236 BCE

Births

• Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus is born.

232 BCE

Deaths

• Death of Ashoka Maurya.

225 BCE

Military Conflict

• The Romans defeat a Gallic invasion at the battle of Telamon.

222 BCE

Military Conflict

• Kleomenes III of Sparta is defeated by Antigonos Doson at Sellasia.

220 BCE

Military Conflict

• The Fourth Syrian War begins.

218 BCE

Military Conflict

• The Second Punic War begins when Hannibal Barca invades Italy.

• Hannibal Barca defeats the Romans at the Trebbia (The Second Punic War).

217 BCE

Military Conflict

• Hannibal Barca ambushes a Roman Consular army at Lake Trasimene (The Second Punic War).

• Antiochus the Great is defeated by Ptolemy IV at the battle of Raphia, ending The Fourth Syrian War.

216 BCE

Military Conflict

• The Romans suffer their greatest defeat at the battle of Cannae (The Second Punic War).

• Philip V of Macedonia invades Aitolia, beginning The First Macedonian War.

205 BCE

Military Conflict

• The First Macedonian War ends in a truce.

202 BCE

Military Conflict

• Hannibal Barca is defeated at the battle of Zama, ending the The Second Punic War.

200 BCE

Military Conflict

• The Romans declare war on Philip V, starting The Second Macedonian War.

198 BCE

Military Conflict

• The Fifth Syrian War leads to a great loss of territory by the Ptolemies.

197 BCE

Military Conflict

• Titus Quinctus Flaminius crushes the Macedonians at Kynoskefalai, ending The Second Macedonian War.

191 BCE

Military Conflict

• Antiokos III Megas enters Greece, starting The Romano-Syrian War.

190 BCE

Military Conflict

• The Romans defeat Antiokos II Megasat Magnesia, forcing an end to The Romano-Syrian War.

187 BCE

Deaths

• Hannibal Barca commits suicide.

184 BCE

Deaths

• Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus dies.

172

Military Conflict

• The Third Macedonian War breaks out between Rome and Macedonia.

168 BCE

Military Conflict

• Lucius Aemilius Paullus defeats Perseus at Pydna, ending The Third Macedonian War and the existence of the Macedonian kingdom.

167 BCE

Military Conflict

• The Maccabean Revolt is begun by Judas Maccabeaus and his five sons.

163 BCE

Births

• Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus is born.

160 BCE

Military Conflict

• Judea gains effective independence, as the The Maccabean Revolt ends.

157 BCE

Births

• Caius Marius is born at Arpinum.

157 BCE

Births

• Caius Sempronius Gracchus is born.

149 BCE

Military Conflict

• The Third Punic War is begun, as the Romans begin the siege.

• Andriscus, who claims to be a son of Perseus, start a revolt in Macedonia that precipitates The Fourth Macedonian War

148 BCE

Military Conflict

• Andriscus is captured and executed, ending The Fourth Macedonian War. Macedonia becomes a Roman province.

• The Achaean League refuses to dissolve, starting The Achaean War

Deaths

• Massinissa, King of Numidia, dies.

146 BCE

Military Conflict

• The Third Punic War ends with the destruction of Carthage. Africa becomes a Roman province.

• Corinth is destroyed by the Romans, ending The Achaean War. Greece becomes a Roman protectorate under the province of Macedonia.

142 BCE

Events

• The Pons Aemilius, the first bridge to use stone arches, was built across the River Tiber.

138 BCE

Births

• Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix is born.

135 BCE

Military Conflict

• The First Servile War begins on Sicily led by the Syrian Eunus.

134 BCE

Deaths

• Simon Maccabeus dies.

134 BCE

Deaths

• Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus is murdered when trying to seek office as tribune for an unprecedented second time.

132 BCE

Military Conflict

• The First Servile War ends after three years of bitter fighting.

121 BCE

Deaths

• Caius Sempronius Gracchus is murdered by senators "in the defence of the state".

115 BCE

Births

• Marcus Licinius Crassus is born.

106 BCE

Births

• Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus is born.

• Marcus Tullius Cicero is born.

103 BCE

Military Conflict

• The Second Servile War breaks out in Sicily under Tryphon and Athenion.

101 BCE

Military Conflict

• The Second Servile War ends.

106 BCE

Births

• Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus is born.

100 BCE

Births

• Gaius Julius Caesar is born.

91 BCE

Military Conflict

• The Social War begins when the Marsii and Samnites attempt to break from Rome.

89 BCE

Military Conflict

• The First Mithridatic War begins when Mithridates IV exploits Roman preoccupation with its internal revolts to invade Roman Asia.

88 BCE

Military Conflict

• The Social War ends with the extension of citizenship to all of Italy.

86 BCE

Deaths

• Gaius Marius suffers a stroke and dies.

84 BCE

Military Conflict

• The treaty of Dardanus ends The First Mithridatic War.

83 BCE

Military Conflict

• Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix returns to Italy, and crushes the populares opposition.

• The Second Mithridatic War begins when Mithridates IV refuses to comply with the treaty of the Dardanus.

83 BCE

Military Conflict

• The Second Mithridatic War comes to end.

78 BCE

Deaths

• Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix dies.

74 BCE

Military Conflict

• The Third Mithridatic War begins when Mithridates invades Bithynia.

73 BCE

Military Conflict

• The Third Servile War, also known as the Revolt of Spartacus begins.

71 BCE

Military Conflict

• The army of Spartacus is defeated by Marcus Licinius Crassus, ending the Third Servile War.

63 BCE

Births

• Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus Augustus, the latter Emperor, is born.

Military Conflict

• The Third Mithridatic War ends with the death of Mithridates.

• Jerusalem falls to the armies of Pompey the Great.

59 BCE

Births

• Titus Livius is born.

53 BCE

Military Conflict

• A Roman army is destroyed at the Battle of Carrhae.

Deaths

• Marcus Licinius Crassus is killed near Carrhae.

49 BCE

Military Conflict

• Gaius Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, starting a civil war.

48 BCE

Military Conflict

• Gaius Julius Caesar defeats Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus at Pharsalus.

47 BCE

Deaths

• Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus is killed at the orders of the Egyptian court.

44 BCE

Deaths

• Gaius Julius Caesar is assasinated on the ides of March.

43 BCE

Deaths

• Marcus Tullius Cicero is murdered in the proscriptions following Caesar's death.

31 BCE

Military Conflict

• Octavian defeats Mark Antony at the battle of Actium.

27 BCE

Events

• The Pantheon is consecrated in Rome.

4 BCE

Deaths

• Herod the Great King of Judaea dies.