278 BC

Year 278 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Luscinus and Papus (or, less frequently, year 476 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 278 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.^[1]

Events

By place

Seleucid Empire

• After their defeats in
  talents
  annually by the Seleucid kings to keep the peace.
• Macedonia
  . Thereafter Antigonus II's foreign policy is marked by friendship with the Seleucids.
• Nicomedes I becomes the first ruler of Bithynia to assume the title of king. He founds the city of Nicomedia, which soon rises to great prosperity.

Sicily

• The
  Agrigentum and besiege Syracuse. The Syracusans ask for help from Pyrrhus
  and Pyrrhus transfers his army there.
• On his arrival in Sicily, Pyrrhus' forces win battles against the Carthaginians across Sicily. Pyrrhus conquers almost all of Sicily except for Lilybaeum (Marsala).
• Pyrrhus is proclaimed king of Sicily. He plans for his son Helenus to inherit the kingdom of Sicily and his other son Alexander to inherit Italy.

China

• The heartland of the
  Shouchun in 241 BC.^[2]
• Qu Yuan writes the poem "Lament for Ying" after the fall of the capital of Chu.

Births

Deaths

• Polyaenus of Lampsacus, Greek mathematician and philosopher and friend of Epicurus (b. c. 340 BC)
• Qu Yuan, Chinese poet from southern Chu who lived during the Warring States period. His works are mostly found in an anthology of poetry known as Chu Ci (b. c. 340 BC)

References