220s BC

This article concerns the period 229 BC – 220 BC.

Events

229 BC

By place

Anatolia

• Attalus I of Pergamon wins the Battle of the Harpasus in western Anatolia.

Illyria

• The
  Corcyra and Pharos and establishes a protectorate over these Greek towns.^[1]
• The Illyrian tribe of the Ardiaei is subdued by the Romans.
• The King of
  Demetrius II, dies. His nephew, Antigonus III comes to the Macedonian throne as regent for his half-cousin and the future king Philip V
  , who is only ten years old.
• Concerned at Rome's expansion, Antigonus III pursues a policy of befriending the Illyrians, even though the Greeks in the region support Rome in quelling the Illyrian pirates.
• The involvement of Rome in Illyria led to the establishment of friendly relations between Rome and the enemies of Macedonia: the Aetolian League and Achaean League, which approve the suppression of Illyrian piracy.
• Aratus of Sicyon brings Argos into the Achaean League and then helps liberate Athens. This brings Aratus into conflict with Sparta.

China

• The
  state of Zhao but is hindered by the Zhao general Li Mu
  .
• The Zhao Prime Minister Guo Kai, influenced by the machinations of Qin, executes Li Mu.

By place

Carthage

• The Carthaginian general Hamilcar Barca is killed in a battle in Hispania, ending his lengthy campaign to conquer the Iberian Peninsula for Carthage. In eight years, by force of arms and diplomacy, he has secured an extensive territory in the Iberian Peninsula, but his death in battle prevents him from completing the conquest. Command of his army in the Iberian Peninsula passes to his son-in-law Hasdrubal.
• Hasdrubal makes immediate policy changes, emphasizing the use of diplomatic rather than military methods for expanding Carthaginian Hispania and dealing with Rome. He founds
  Carthago Nova or New Carthage (modern Cartagena
  ) as his capital city.

• King
  Pergamum defeats Antiochus Hierax (brother of the Seleucid king Seleucus II) in three battles and thereby gains control over all the Seleucid domains in Anatolia except Cilicia
  in the southeast.

• The
  Shkodra
  , the Illyrian capital.
• Agiad King Cleomenes III
  , who has no counterpart on the throne by then. However, Archidamus V is assassinated shortly after returning.

• The
  State of Zhao
  .
• The remnants of the Zhao monarchy form a remnant state in Dai.

227 BC

By place

Illyria

• Lissus just south of the capital. They also require her to pay an annual tribute
  and to acknowledge the final authority of Rome.

• The
  Demetrius II's widow, Phthia, and assumes the crown thus deposing the young Philip V
  .
• The
  perioikoi (free but non-citizen inhabitants). Eighty opponents of the reforms are exiled, while his brother Eucleidas is installed as co-ruler in the place of the murdered Archidamus V
  .
• Cleomenes III defeats the Achaeans under Aratus of Sicyon at Mount Lycaeum and at Ladoceia near Megalopolis.

Roman Republic

• praetors (with autocratic consular powers) for this province and for Sicily
  .
• Gaius Flaminius becomes Rome's first governor of Sicily.

Seleucid Empire

• Seleucid kingdom. However, he is captured and exiled to Thrace
  , where he lives as a virtual prisoner.

• The
  Ying Zheng, that had been organized by Crown Prince Dan
  .

By place

Greece

• An
  Kameiros and the Colossus of Rhodes on the island of Rhodes
  .
• The Spartan King Cleomenes III captures Mantineia and defeats the Achaean League under Aratus of Sicyon at Hecatombaeum, near Dyme in north-eastern Elis.

Roman Republic

• A formidable host of Gauls, some of them from across the Alps, threaten Rome.
• The Greek
  Ebro River
  .
• The Romans send an embassy to Hasdrubal and conclude the Ebro Treaty which prohibits him from waging war north of the river Ebro, but allowing him a free hand to the south even at the expense of the interests of the town of Massilia.

Seleucid Empire

• Seleucid King Seleucus II manages to escape from captivity in Thrace and flees to the mountains to raise an army, but he is killed by a band of Galatians
  .
• Seleucus II dies after a fall from his horse and is succeeded by his eldest son
  Persia, and northern Syria. Dynastic power is upheld by a mercenary army and by the loyalty of many Greek cities founded by Alexander the Great
  and his successors. The strength of the empire is already being sapped by repeated revolts in its eastern provinces and dissention amongst the members of the Seleucid dynasty.

• The
  Ying Zheng
  .
• Lord Changping defects from the State of Qin and returns to his motherland in Chu.
• That same year, ex-Han nobility launched a failed rebellion against the Qin Forces. But in the end they were crushed.

225 BC

By place

Roman Republic

• A
  Ariminum, the Gauls cross the Apennines into Etruria
  and plunder the country.
• To meet this invasion, the Romans call on the
  Battle of Faesulae (near Montepulciano) between the Gauls and a Roman army in which the Romans lose many men, the combined Roman forces succeed in outmaneuvering the Gauls and force the invaders towards the coast of Tuscany
  .

• Attalus. However, Andromachus
  , the first general whom he sends, is decisively defeated and captured by Attalus.

By place

Greece

• After the
  Macedonia for assistance. Antigonus III's forces fail to pierce Cleomenes' lines near Corinth, but a revolt against Cleomenes at Argos
  put the Spartans on the defensive.

• The Romans, led by Consuls Gaius Atilius Regulus and Lucius Aemilius Papus, decisively defeat the coalition of Cisalpine Gallic tribes at the Battle of Telamon thus extending Roman influence over northern Italy. On the Roman side Gaius Atilius Regulus, commander of the Roman cavalry, is killed in the battle. On the Gallic side, one of the leaders, Concolitanus, is captured in battle, while the leader of the Gaesatae, Aneroëstes, kills himself when the battle is lost.

China

• Qin begins the invasion of Chu. Initially, the Qin generals Li Xin and Meng Tian capture several cities and defeat the Chu army.
• The Qin Prime Minister Lord Changping, who was born in Chu, incites a Chu rebellion against the Qin invaders. He and the Chu general Xiang Yan then surprise and defeat the Qin army led by Li Xin and Meng Tian in the Battle of Chengfu.
• Taking command of the Qin war effort,
  Fuchu
  , the king of Chu, as well as the Chu capital Chen and the city of Pingyu.
• Xiang Yan retreats his forces south of the Huai River and makes Lord Changping the new king of Chu.^[2]

223 BC

By place

Seleucid Empire

• The
  Attalus of Pergamon
  .
• Seleucus III is succeeded by his younger brother, Antiochus III.^[3]

Roman Republic

• Publius Furius Philus, he forces the Cisalpine Gauls to submit to Rome, creating the province of Cisalpine Gaul
  .

• The Spartan king Cleomenes III destroys and burns the city of Megalopolis but the inhabitants are saved by Philopoemen who leads the defence of the city until the inhabitants can escape.
• The king of
  Macedonia, Antigonus III Doson, restores Macedonian influence in the Peloponnese for the first time in almost two decades. After signing alliances with the Achaeans, Boeotians, Thessalians and the Acarnanians, Antigonus invades the Peloponnese and drives the Spartans out of Argos, taking Orchomenus and Mantineia
  in the process.

• The Qin generals Wang Jian and Meng Wu defeat the Chu general Xiang Yan and the king of Chu, Lord Changping. Lord Changping is killed, and Xiang Yan commits suicide soon afterwards.^[4]

222 BC

By place

Roman Republic

• Mediolanum (modern Milan), stronghold of the Gallic tribe of the Insubres (led by Viridomarus), falls to Roman legions in Lombardy (led by consul, Marcus Claudius Marcellus), in the Battle of Clastidium. Marcus Claudius Marcellus personally slays the chief, Viridomarus. This victory removes the Gallic threat to Rome. Marcellus wins the spolia opima ("spoils of honour": the arms taken by a general who kills an enemy chief in single combat) for the third and last time in Roman history.

Greece

• Cleomenes III of Sparta is defeated in the Battle of Sellasia (north of Sparta) by Antigonus III and his allies, the Achaean League and the Illyrians (under the command of Demetrius of Pharos), and flees to Egypt under the protection of King Ptolemy III. Antigonus III's forces occupy Sparta, which is the first time this city has ever been occupied.
• Almost all of
  Macedonian suzerainty
  after Antigonus III re-establishes the Hellenic Alliance as a confederacy of leagues, with himself as president.

• The
  Pergamum, all the Seleucid domains in Anatolia
  lost six years earlier.
• Laodice in marriage to the Seleucid king Antiochus III. Another of his daughters, also named Laodice, is married about the same time to Achaeus
  , a cousin of Antiochus.

• The
  Qin campaign against the Yue tribes
  .
• The Qin generals
  Yan
  .
• Wang Ben conquers
  Zhao.^[5]

By place

Carthage

• The Carthaginian general Hasdrubal is murdered by a Celtic assassin while campaigning to increase the Carthaginian hold on Spain. Following the assassination of Hasdrubal, Hannibal, the son of the Carthaginian general, Hamilcar Barca, is proclaimed commander-in-chief by the army and his appointment is confirmed by the Carthaginian government.
• Hannibal immediately moves to consolidate Carthage's control of Spain. He marries a Spanish princess, Imilce, then begins to conquer various Spanish tribes. He fights against the
  Tagus River
  .

Egypt

• Egypt's Ptolemy III dies and is succeeded by his son, Ptolemy IV. Sosibius is appointed by Ptolemy IV as his chief minister and immediately has a great influence over the young king, directing all of the affairs of state.
• At Sosibius' direction, Ptolemy IV puts to death in succession his uncle, Lysimachus, his brother Magas, and his mother Berenice II.
• King
  conspiracy
  .

Seleucid Empire

• The
  Seleucid domains to the east of the Tigris. He is stopped by Antiochus III's forces in his attempts to pass that river. Xenoetas, one of Antiochus' generals, is sent against Molon with a large force, but is surprised by Molon's forces and his whole army is cut to pieces and Xenoetas is killed. The rebel satrap now crosses the Tigris, and makes himself master of the city of Seleucia on the Tigris, together with the whole of Babylonia and Mesopotamia
  .

• Gaius Flaminius builds a second race track for Rome, the Circus Flaminius.

China

• The
  Qin unifies China and proclaims himself the First Emperor, as he is the first Chinese sovereign able to rule the whole country, thus ending the Warring States period. He is known by historians as Qin Shi Huang.^[6]
• The Chinese Bronze Age ends (approximate date).

220 BC

By place

Greece

• Together with fellow
  Peloponnesus
  of Greece.
• Scerdilaidas and the Aetolians invade Achaea. With the help of
  Arcadia
  .
• Rome strikes again against the Illyrian pirates precipitating the
  Second Illyrian War
  .
• Demetrius seeks refuge with Philip V of Macedon, who is very resentful of the Roman interference. Rome occupies Demetrius' chief fortresses, Pharos and Dimillos.
• Aratus of Sicyon counters Aetolian aggression by obtaining the assistance of the Hellenic League now under the leadership of Philip V of Macedon. In the resulting Social War, the Hellenic League of Greek states is assembled in Corinth at Philip V's instigation. He then leads the Hellenic League in battles against Aetolia, Sparta and Elis.
• The
  Gortynians occupy Matala, on the island of Crete
  .

• Tigris River, defeating and killing. Antiochus goes on to conquer Atropatene.^[3]
• Meanwhile, the birth of a son to Antiochus III and Laodice (daughter of Mithridates II, king of Pontus) leads Hermeias to consider getting rid of the king so that he can rule under the name of the infant son. Antiochus discovers the scheme and arranges the assassination of Hermeias.

Anatolia

• Antiochus III's commander in
  Seleucid
  kingdom.

Egypt

• Arsinoe III marries her brother, King Ptolemy IV of Egypt.^[7]

Roman Republic

• During his censorship, the Roman political leader,
  Ariminum (Rimini
  ).

• Great Wall (Wan li chang cheng).^[9]
• Around this time, Prime Minister
  Small Seal Script
  .

• A bronze statue called Gallic Chieftain killing his wife and himself is made (approximate date). A Roman copy after the original statue is today preserved at Museo Nazionale Romano in Rome.
• A bronze statue called Dying Gallic trumpeter is made (possibly by
  Museo Capitolino in Rome
  .

229 BC

• Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus, Roman consul and general (d. 160 BC)
• Qin Er Shi, Chinese emperor of the Qin Dynasty (d. 207 BC)
• Titus Quinctius Flaminius, Roman consul and general (d. 174 BC
  )

• Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica, Roman consul and general

221 BC

• Liu Fei, Chinese prince and proclaimed king of the former Qi State (d. 189 BC)

220 BC

• Attalus II Philadelphus, king of Pergamon (d. 138 BC)^[10]
• Pacuvius, Roman tragic poet and writer (d. c. 130 BC)
• Tiberius Gracchus the Elder, father of the Roman political reformer Tiberius Gracchus (approximate date) (d. 154 BC)

Deaths

229 BC

• Demetrius II, Macedonian king from 239 BC (b. c. 276 BC
  )
• Li Mu, Chinese general of the Zhao State (Warring States Period)
• Margos of Keryneia, Greek general of the Achaean League

228 BC

• Ai of Chu, king of the Chu State (Warring States Period)
• Eurypontid
  line
• Arsames I, king of Armenia, Sophene and Commagene
• Hamilcar Barca, Carthaginian general who has assumed command of the Carthaginian forces in Sicily during the last years of the First Punic War with Rome, helped Carthage win the Mercenary War and brought extensive territory in the Iberian Peninsula under Carthaginian control (b. c. 270 BC)
• You of Chu, king of the Chu State (Warring States Period)

227 BC

• Huan Yi, Chinese general of the Qin State (Warring States Period)
• Jing Ke, Chinese retainer and assassin of the Yan State
• Lydiadas of Megalopolis, Greek tyrant and general (strategos)

226 BC

• Antiochus Hierax, younger brother of Seleucus II, who has fought with him over the control of the Seleucid dominions in the Middle East (b. c. 263 BC)
• Lydiadas of Megalopolis
• Seleucid kingdom from 246 BC

• Seleucus II Callinicus, king of the Seleucid Empire (246-225 BC)

224 BC

• Agiatis, Spartan queen
• Aneroëstes, leader of the Gallic Gaesatae (suicide)
• Dasharatha, Mauryan emperor (approximate date)

223 BC

• Lord Changping, the last king of Chu, one of the Seven Warring States in ancient China.
• Diodotus II, King of Bactria, the son and successor of Diodotus I (approximate date) (b. c. 252 BC)
• Seleucus III, king of the Seleucid dynasty from 226 BC (assassinated) (b. c. 243 BC)

222 BC

• inventor
  and mathematician
• Eucleidas, king of Sparta (killed in the Battle of Sellasia)
• Ptolemy III Euergetes (the Benefactor), king of Egypt
• Viridomarus, military leader of the Insubres (Gaul)
• Xi of Yan, king of the Yan State (Warring States Period
  )

• Antigonus III Doson, king of Macedon from 227 BC (b. 263 BC)
• Berenice II, queen of Egypt, daughter of Magas, king of Cyrenaica (in modern Libya), whose marriage to Ptolemy III Euergetes has reunited her country with Egypt (b. c. 267 BC
  )
• Hasdrubal, Carthaginian general and son-in-law of Hamilcar Barca (assassinated) (b. c. 270 BC)
• Lucius Caecilius Metellus, Roman consul and general during the First Punic War (b. c. 290 BC
  )
• Ptolemy III, king of Egypt, who has reunited Egypt and Cyrenaica and successfully waged the Third Syrian War against the Seleucid Empire
• Xenoetas, Seleucid general (killed during a revolt against Antiochus III)

220 BC

• Conon of Samos, Greek mathematician and astronomer whose work on conic sections (curves of the intersections of a right circular cone with a plane) serves as the basis for the fourth book of the Conics of Apollonius of Perga (b. c. 280 BC)
• Molon, general of the Seleucid king Antiochus III who has rebelled against his rule
• Seleucus III
  and, for a short time, chief minister to Antiochus III

References