190s BC

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This article concerns the period 199 BC – 190 BC.

Events

199 BC

By place

Roman Republic

• The Roman general Gnaeus Baebius Tamphilus attacks the Insubres in Gaul, but loses over 6,700 soldiers in the process.
• princeps Senatus (the titular head of the Roman Senate).^[1]
• The Roman law, Lex Porcia, is proposed by the tribune P. Porcius Laeca to give Roman citizens in Italy and provinces the right of appeal in capital cases.

By place

Roman Republic

• After his election to the
  Macedonia. He then crosses into Macedonia with his army. Flamininus realizes that future peace depends on breaking the power of king Philip V of Macedon, not merely humbling him. He secures the backing of the Achaean League and then opens peace negotiations with Philip at Nicaea in Locris. Though peace proposals are submitted to the Roman Senate
  , the talks break down, and fighting resumes.
• Titus Quinctius Flamininus' forces manage to push Philip V out of most of
  Tepelenë in Albania
  .

• The
  Seleucid forces led by Antiochus III and Ptolemaic forces led by Scopas of Aetolia. The Seleucids win the battle which allows Antiochus III to obtain entire possession of Palestine and Coele-Syria from King Ptolemy V of Egypt
  . Though the Romans send ambassadors to Ptolemy V, they are unable to lend him any serious assistance against Antiochus III.
• In the resulting peace, Antiochus III agrees to give his daughter
  Cleopatra
  in marriage to Ptolemy V.

By place

Asia Minor

• Attalus I Soter
  .
• Antiochus III occupies parts of the kingdom of Pergamum and a number of Greek cities in Anatolia.

Egypt

• The Egyptian King, Ptolemy V, fights rebels in the Nile Delta, exhibiting great cruelty toward those of their leaders who capitulate.

Greece

• The Spartan ruler, Nabis, acquires the important city of Argos from Philip V of Macedon, as the price of his alliance with the Macedonians. Nabis then defects to the Romans in the expectation of being able to hold on to his conquest.
• The
  Treaty of Tempe, the terms of the peace proposed by the Roman general and adopted by the Roman Senate specify that Philip V can retain his throne and control of Macedonia, but he has to abandon all the Greek cities he has conquered. Philip also has to provide to the Romans 1,000 talents as indemnity, surrender most of his fleet and provide hostages, including his younger son, Demetrius, who is to be held in Rome. The Aetolians
  propose that Philip V be ejected from his throne but Flamininus opposes this.
• The volcanic island of
  Thera
  .

• Hispania is divided into Hispania Ulterior and Hispania Citerior.
• The Iberian revolt breaks out in Citerior and Ulterior against Roman domination.

China

• Chen Xi begins a rebellion against the Han dynasty in the Dai region of the northern frontier.

196 BC

By place

Roman Republic

• The Insubres, Gauls of the Po Valley, believed by the Romans to have been incited to revolt by Carthage, are finally defeated.
• A new category of Roman priests, the tresviri epulones, are elected to supervise the feasts of the gods; the first three men selected are Gaius Licinius Lucullus, Publius Manlius, and Publius Porcius Laeca.
• At the Isthmian Games at Corinth, the Roman proconsul Titus Quinctius Flamininus proclaims that all Greeks are to be free and governed by their own laws. For this deed he is hailed in many Greek cities as a saviour and accorded homage alongside the gods.
• Flamininus accuses the
  Gythium in Laconia and forces Nabis to surrender Argos
  .
• The first triumphal arch built in Rome.[2]

Anatolia

• According to the Roman scholar and writer
  embargo on papyrus by Ptolemy V, leads to the invention of parchment
  .

• Seleucus I in 281 BC. A war of harassment and diplomacy with Rome ensues. The Romans send ambassadors demanding that Antiochus stay out of Greece and set free all the autonomous communities in Anatolia. To meet these demands would mean Antiochus III giving up the western part of his Seleucid Empire
  . Thus Antiochus refuses the Romans' demands.

• Empress Lü and Prime Minister Xiao He of the Han dynasty have the former General-in-Chief Han Xin executed, suspecting that he was planning a rebellion in cooperation with the rebel Chen Xi.
• Emperor Gaozu of Han and his generals, including Cao Shen and Zhou Bo, defeat the rebellion of Chen Xi.
• A Han army defeats a raid on the northern frontier by the rogue Xin of Han. Xin is killed in battle.
• Gaozu deposes the king of
  Liang, Peng Yue
  , on suspicion of conspiracy. He is then executed on the orders of Empress Lü.
• The king of Huainan, Ying Bu, fearing execution, rebels against the Han dynasty. Gaozu and Cao Shen crush the rebellion but Gaozu is wounded by an arrow, and his health subsequently deteriorates.
• Increasingly paranoid, Gaozu briefly arrests Prime Minister Xiao He but is persuaded to release him.
• Gaozu sends Zhao Tuo, the king of Nanyue in present-day Vietnam and southern China, a seal recognizing his rulership in return for his nominal submission to the Han. Zhao Tuo accepts his vassal status.^[3]

195 BC

By place

Carthage

• Because of his administrative and constitutional reforms in
  Seleucid king Antiochus III
  to take up arms against the Romans. Rome demands that Carthage surrender Hannibal. However, Hannibal voluntarily goes into exile.

• Tensions between Antiochus III and Rome increase when Hannibal is given refuge by Antiochus III at Ephesus and becomes his adviser.
• After Roman diplomatic intervention, Antiochus III finally halts his war with Egypt. In the peace agreement (the Peace of Lysimachia), Antiochus III formally takes possession of southern Syria, which has been fought over for 100 years by the Ptolemies and Seleucids, and also takes possession of the Egyptian territories in Anatolia.

Roman Republic

• A Spanish revolt against Roman consolidation of the ex-Carthaginian colonies is effectively put down by
  Aemilius Paulus succeeds him as Roman governor in Spain
  .
• The Roman sumptuary law, the Lex Oppia, which restricts not only a woman's wealth, but also her display of wealth, is repealed despite consul Marcus Porcius Cato's strong opposition.

Greece

• The
  Gythium is an important Spartan base, the allies decide to capture it before they advance inland to Sparta. The Romans and the Acheans are joined outside the city by the Pergamese and Rhodian fleets. The Spartans hold out; however, the proconsul Titus Quinctius Flamininus arrives with 4,000 extra men. Facing too great an army, the Spartans decide to surrender the city on the condition that the garrison can leave unharmed. As a result, Nabis
  , the tyrant of Sparta, is forced to abandon the surrounding land and withdraw to the city of Sparta. Later that year, Sparta capitulates to the allies.

• Aristophanes of Byzantium, Greek scholar, critic and grammarian, becomes the chief librarian at Alexandria.

China

• Facing the suspicion of
  State of Yan, flees north of the Great Wall of China
  .
• Gaozu sends general Fan Kuai to seek out Lu Wan but then arrests the general on suspicion of planning to murder Consort Qi and her son to Gaozu, Liu Ruyi. Gaozu dies soon after, and Fan's sister-in-law Empress Lü orders his release.^[4]
• Mauryan empire.^[5]

By place

Greece

• After checking the ambitions of the Spartan tyrant, Nabis, the Roman forces under proconsul Titus Quinctius Flamininus finally withdraw from Greece.
• With the Roman legions under Flaminius returning to
  Macedonia, the Aetolians, the strengthened Achaean League and the weakened Sparta. The Aetolians, who have opposed the Roman intervention in Greek affairs, incite the Spartan leader, Nabis
  , to retake his former territories and regain his influence in Greek affairs.

• With his peace agreement with the Egyptians in place, Antiochus III now turns his attention to the West. He is encouraged to challenge Rome's protection of the Greeks by his advisor, the former Carthaginian general Hannibal.
• Pergamum, and the Achaean League
  , join Rome against Antiochus III.

• The
  Battle of Mutina is fought near Modena, between the Romans and the Gauls
  . The Romans are victorious in the battle which effectively ends the threat of the Gauls in Italy.
• The Italian towns of
  Puteoli
  become Roman colonies.

• The construction of the first city wall of Chang'an begins.
• Empress Lü protects the accession of her son Emperor Hui by executing Consort Qi and her son to Gaozu, Liu Ruyi.^[6]

Korea

• The Wiman Joseon kingdom of northern Korea (Choson) is founded by the Chinese Han dynasty general Wiman.

193 BC

By place

Greece

• Seleucid king Antiochus III who is threatening to conquer Greece. The Roman proconsul Titus Quinctius Flamininus supports the Roman championship of Greek autonomy in Anatolia
  .
• Flamininus is sent to negotiate with Antiochus III and warns him not to interfere with the Greek states. Antiochus does not accept that Flamininus has the authority to speak for the Greeks and promises to leave Greece alone only if the Romans do the same.
• Flamininus attempts to rally the Greeks against Antiochus III and to counter the pro-Seleucid policy of the Aetolians. When the Aetolians call on Antiochus III for aid, Flamininus persuades the Achaean League to declare war on both parties. He also prevents Philopoemen from taking Sparta.
• In the meantime, the Spartan ruler,
  Gythium
  .
• Athens to found the third or new Academy
  .

• The first porticos were built in Rome.^[7]

Egypt

• Cleopatra I Syra, daughter of Antiochus III and Laodice, marries the Egyptian King Ptolemy V Epiphanes
  .

By place

Greece

• The Achaeans respond to Sparta's renewed interest in recovering lost territory by sending an envoy to Rome with a request for help. In response, the Roman Senate sends the praetor Atilius with a navy, as well as an embassy headed by Titus Quinctius Flamininus.
• Not waiting for the Roman fleet to arrive, the Achaean army and navy head towards
  Gythium under the command of Philopoemen. The Achaean fleet under Tiso is defeated by the Spartan fleet. On land, the Achaeans are unable to defeat the Spartan forces outside Gythium and Philopoemen retreats to Tegea
  .
• When Philopoemen reenters Laconia for a second attempt, his forces are ambushed by the Spartan tyrant, Nabis, but nevertheless Philopoemen manages to gain a victory over the Spartan forces.
• Philopoemen's plans for capturing Sparta itself are put on hold at the request of the Roman envoy Flaminius after his arrival in Greece. In return, Nabis decides, for the moment, to accept the status quo.
• Nabis then appeals to the Aetolians for help. They send 1,000 cavalry under the command of Alexamenus to Sparta. However, the Aetolians murder Nabis and temporarily occupy Sparta. The Aetolian troops seize the palace and set about looting the city, but the inhabitants of Sparta are able to rally and force them leave the city. Philopoemen, however, takes advantage of the Aetolian treachery and enters Sparta with his Achaean army. Now in full control of Sparta, Philopoemen forces Sparta to become a member state of the Achaean League.
• Seleucid forces under their king, Antiochus III, invade Greece at the invitation of the Aetolian League, who are revolting against the Romans. The Aetolians appoint him commander in chief of their league. Antiochus lands in Demetrias, Thessaly with only 10,500 men and occupies Euboea
  . However, he finds little support for his cause in central Greece.

By place

Roman Republic

• The
  Seleucid king Antiochus III off from his reinforcements in Thrace and outflank his position at the pass of Thermopylae in the Battle of Thermopylae. With the remainder of his troops, Antiochus flees to Chalcis on Euboea and from there he retreats by sea to Ephesus
  .
• Manius Acilius Glabrio then turns his attention to the Aetolian League, which has persuaded Antiochus to declare war against Rome, and is only prevented from crushing them by the intercession of Titus Quinctius Flamininus.
• Scipio Africanus persuades the Roman Senate to continue the war against Antiochus III by making him the chief commander and allowing him and his brother, Lucius Cornelius Scipio Asiaticus, to follow Antiochus into Anatolia.
• The
  Lex Acilia de intercalando
  ).
• Cisalpine Gaul becomes a Roman province.

Carthage

• The Carthaginians manage to collect the indemnity due to Rome (through the peace treaty signed between them ten years earlier) but not payable in full for 50 years. The Romans, in order to keep their hold on Carthage, refuse to accept the early payment of the indemnity.

Parthia

• Phriapatius
  .

China

• Emperor Hui of Han lifts the ban on Confucian writings ordered in 213 BC.

190 BC

By place

Greece

• The
  Pergamum, who are allied with the Roman Republic. The Seleucids are led by the famous Carthaginian general Hannibal
  . The Rhodians and their allies are victorious and Hannibal's fleet is forced to flee.
• Subsequently, the naval Battle of Myonessus is fought between a Seleucid fleet and a Roman fleet with the help of Rhodian ships. The Romans and their allies are victorious.
• As Philip V of Macedon has aided Rome against her enemies on the Greek peninsula, his tribute to Rome is remitted and his son, Demetrius, is restored to him after being held hostage in Rome for a number of years.

Seleucid Empire

• Meeting no further resistance from the Seleucids and their allies, the Roman army under general
  Hellespont into Anatolia
  .
• With the increasingly real threat to his Empire from the Romans, Antiochus III is eager to negotiate on the basis of Rome's previous demands, but the Romans insist that he first give up the region west of the Taurus Mountains. When Antiochus refuses, the Battle of Magnesia is fought near Magnesia ad Sipylum, on the plains of Lydia in Anatolia, between the Romans, led by the consul Lucius Cornelius Scipio and his brother, Scipio Africanus, with their ally Eumenes II of Pergamum, and the army of Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid Empire. The resulting decisive Roman victory ends the conflict with the Seleucids for the control of Greece.
• Following Antiochus III's defeat by the Romans, two of Antiochus III's
  Aras River) near Lake Sevan
  .
• For assisting the Romans in defeating Antiochus III, Eumenes II of Pergamum is rewarded with a great increase in territory. He is given control over the
  Thracian Chersonese (the modern Gallipoli peninsula) and over most of the former Seleucid possessions in Anatolia
  .

• One of the main highways in Roman Italy, the
  Via Appia, is extended to Benevento and Venosa
  .

195 BC

• Mithridates I (or Mithradates), "Great King" of Parthia from about 171 BC who turned Parthia into a major political power and expanded the empire westward into Mesopotamia (d. 138 BC)
• Terence or Publius Terentius Afer, Roman comic playwright (approximate date) (d. 159 BC)^[8]

190 BC

• Cornelia, second daughter of Scipio Africanus. She will be considered by Roman society to be the perfect example of a virtuous Roman woman (d. 100 BC)
• Hipparchus, Greek astronomer, geographer, and mathematician (d. c. 120 BC)

Deaths

197 BC

• Pergamum from 241 BC, who has taken on the title of king after about 230 BC. Through his military and diplomatic skills, he has created a powerful kingdom in Anatolia (b. 269 BC
  )
• Liu Taigong, Chinese emperor of the Han dynasty

196 BC

• Han Xin, Chinese general during the Chu–Han Contention
• Marcus Cornelius Cethegus, Roman consul and censor
• Peng Yue, Chinese general of the Western Han dynasty
• Xin, Chinese king during the Warring States period

• Gaozu of Han (or Gao), first emperor of the Chinese Han dynasty, who has ruled since 202 BC (b. 256 or 247 BC
  )

• Eratosthenes, Greek mathematician, geographer and astronomer (b. 276 BC)
• Han Gaozu (personal name Liu Bang), the first emperor of the Chinese Han dynasty

• Liu Bang's rise to power after the fall of the Qin dynasty

• Nabis, tyrant and last independent ruler (from 207 BC) of Sparta
• Xiang Bo, Chinese nobleman of the Chu State (Seven Kingdoms)

191 BC

• Arsaces II, King of Parthia, who had reigned from about 211 BC
  (murdered)

• Apollonius of Perga, Greek mathematician, geometer and astronomer of the Alexandrian school, known by his contemporaries as "The Great Geometer", whose treatise "Conics" is one of the greatest scientific works from the ancient world (b. c. 262 BC)

References