The 2nd century BC started the first day of 200 BC and ended the last day of

101 BC __NOTOC__ Year 101 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Marius and Aquillius (or, less frequently, year 653 ''Ab urbe condita'') and the Fourth Year of Taichu. The denominatio ...

. It is considered part of the Classical era, although depending on the region being studied, other terms may be more suitable. It is also considered to be the end of the

Axial Age Axial Age (also Axis Age, from german: Achsenzeit) is a term coined by German philosopher Karl Jaspers. It refers to broad changes in religious and philosophical thought that occurred in a variety of locations from about the 8th to the 3rd centu ...

. In the context of the

Eastern Mediterranean Eastern Mediterranean is a loose definition of the eastern approximate half, or third, of the Mediterranean Sea, often defined as the countries around the Levantine Sea. It typically embraces all of that sea's coastal zones, referring to commun ...

, it is the mid-point of the

Hellenistic period In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...

. Fresh from its victories in the

Second Punic War The Second Punic War (218 to 201 BC) was the second of three wars fought between Carthage and Rome, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean in the 3rd century BC. For 17 years the two states struggled for supremacy, primarily in Ital ...

, the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Ki ...

continued its expansion in the western Mediterranean, campaigning in the

Iberian peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, def ...

throughout the century and annexing the

North African North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in t ...

coast after the destruction of the city of

Carthage Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classi ...

at the end of the

Third Punic War The Third Punic War (149–146 BC) was the third and last of the Punic Wars fought between Carthage and Rome. The war was fought entirely within Carthaginian territory, in modern northern Tunisia. When the Second Punic War ended in 201 ...

. They became the dominant force in the Aegean by destroying

Antigonid The Antigonid dynasty (; grc-gre, Ἀντιγονίδαι) was a Hellenistic dynasty of Dorian Greek provenance, descended from Alexander the Great's general Antigonus I Monophthalmus ("the One-Eyed") that ruled mainly in Macedonia. History ...

Macedonia in the Macedonian Wars and

Corinth Corinth ( ; el, Κόρινθος, Kórinthos, ) is the successor to an ancient city, and is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part ...

in the

Achaean War The Achaean War of 146 BC was fought between the Roman Republic and the Greek Achaean League, an alliance of Achaean and other Peloponnesian states in ancient Greece. It was the final stage of Rome's conquest of mainland Greece, taking place jus ...

. The Hellenistic kingdoms of Ptolemaic Egypt and Attalid Pergamon entered into subordinate relationships with the Romans – Pergamon was eventually annexed. The end of the century witnessed the reform of the

Roman army The Roman army (Latin: ) was the armed forces deployed by the Romans throughout the duration of Ancient Rome, from the Roman Kingdom (c. 500 BC) to the Roman Republic (500–31 BC) and the Roman Empire (31 BC–395 AD), and its medieval contin ...

from a citizen army into a voluntary professional force, under the guidance of the noted general and statesman

Gaius Marius Gaius Marius (; – 13 January 86 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. Victor of the Cimbric and Jugurthine wars, he held the office of consul an unprecedented seven times during his career. He was also noted for his important refor ...

(

Marian Reforms The Marian reforms were reforms of the ancient Roman army implemented in 107 BC by the statesman Gaius Marius, for whom they were later named. The reforms originated as a reaction to the military and logistical stagnation of the Roman Republic ...

). In the Near East, the other major Hellenistic kingdom, the

Seleucid Empire The Seleucid Empire (; grc, Βασιλεία τῶν Σελευκιδῶν, ''Basileía tōn Seleukidōn'') was a Greek state in West Asia that existed during the Hellenistic period from 312 BC to 63 BC. The Seleucid Empire was founded by the ...

collapsed into civil war in the middle of the century, following the loss of

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

to the Romans and the conquest of the

Iranian plateau The Iranian plateau or Persian plateau is a geological feature in Western Asia, Central Asia, and South Asia. It comprises part of the Eurasian Plate and is wedged between the Arabian Plate and the Indian Plate; situated between the Zagros ...

and

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the ...

by the

Parthian empire The Parthian Empire (), also known as the Arsacid Empire (), was a major Iranian political and cultural power in ancient Iran from 247 BC to 224 AD. Its latter name comes from its founder, Arsaces I, who led the Parni tribe in conqu ...

. Outlying regions became independent kingdoms, notably the

Hasmonean kingdom The Hasmonean dynasty (; he, ''Ḥašmōnaʾīm'') was a ruling dynasty of Judea and surrounding regions during classical antiquity, from BCE to 37 BCE. Between and BCE the dynasty ruled Judea semi-autonomously in the Seleucid Empire, and ...

Judaea Judea or Judaea ( or ; from he, יהודה, Standard ''Yəhūda'', Tiberian ''Yehūḏā''; el, Ἰουδαία, ; la, Iūdaea) is an ancient, historic, Biblical Hebrew, contemporaneous Latin, and the modern-day name of the mountainous so ...

. In

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

reached a high point under the

Han Dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by th ...

. The Han Empire extended its boundaries from Korea in the east to Vietnam in the South to the borders of modern-day Kazakhstan in the west. The nomadic

Xiongnu The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 20 ...

were at the height of their power at the beginning of the century, collecting tribute from the Han. Their victories over the

Yuezhi The Yuezhi (;) were an ancient people first described in Chinese histories as nomadic pastoralists living in an arid grassland area in the western part of the modern Chinese province of Gansu, during the 1st millennium BC. After a major defeat ...

set off a chain of westward migrations in

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes the fo ...

. Han efforts to find allies against the Xiongnu by exploring the lands to their west would ultimately lead to the opening of the

Silk Road The Silk Road () was a network of Eurasian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles), it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and rel ...

. In

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;; ...

, the

Mauryan Empire The Maurya Empire, or the Mauryan Empire, was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in the Indian subcontinent based in Magadha, having been founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BCE, and existing in loose-knit fashion until ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

collapsed when Brihadnatha, the last emperor, was killed by

Pushyamitra Shunga Pushyamitra Shunga (IAST: ) or Pushpamitra Shunga (IAST: ) (ruled ) was the co-founder and the first or second ruler of the Shunga Empire which he and Gopāla established against the Maurya Empire. His original name was Puṣpaka or Puṣpami ...

, a Mauryan general who founded of the

Shunga Empire The Shunga Empire (IAST: ') was an ancient Indian dynasty from Magadha that controlled areas of the most of the northern Indian subcontinent from around 185 to 73 BCE. The dynasty was established by Pushyamitra, after taking the throne of the ...

. The

Greco-Bactrians The Bactrian Kingdom, known to historians as the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom or simply Greco-Bactria, was a Hellenistic-era Greek state, and along with the Indo-Greek Kingdom, the easternmost part of the Hellenistic world in Central Asia and the Indi ...

crossed the

Hindu Kush The Hindu Kush is an mountain range in Central and South Asia to the west of the Himalayas. It stretches from central and western Afghanistan, Quote: "The Hindu Kush mountains run along the Afghan border with the North-West Frontier Province ...

and established the

Indo-Greek Kingdom The Indo-Greek Kingdom, or Graeco-Indian Kingdom, also known historically as the Yavana Kingdom (Yavanarajya), was a Hellenistic-era Greek kingdom covering various parts of Afghanistan and the northwestern regions of the Indian subcontinent (p ...

, but lost their homeland in

Bactria Bactria (; Bactrian: , ), or Bactriana, was an ancient region in Central Asia in Amu Darya's middle stream, stretching north of the Hindu Kush, west of the Pamirs and south of the Gissar range, covering the northern part of Afghanistan, sou ...

to the

Sakas The Saka (Old Persian: ; Kharoṣṭhī: ; Ancient Egyptian: , ; , old , mod. , ), Shaka (Sanskrit ( Brāhmī): , , ; Sanskrit (Devanāgarī): , ), or Sacae (Ancient Greek: ; Latin: ) were a group of nomadic Iranian peoples who histor ...

, themselves under pressure from the Yuezhi.

Events

* 200 BC:

Battle of Panium The Battle of Panium (also known as Paneion, grc, Πάνειον, or Paneas, Πανειάς) was fought in 200 BC near Paneas (Caesarea Philippi) between Seleucid and Ptolemaic forces as part of the Fifth Syrian War. The Seleucids were led by ...

Antiochus III Antiochus III the Great (; grc-gre, Ἀντίoχoς Μέγας ; c. 2413 July 187 BC) was a Greek Hellenistic king and the 6th ruler of the Seleucid Empire, reigning from 222 to 187 BC. He ruled over the region of Syria and large parts of the r ...

of the

Seleucid empire The Seleucid Empire (; grc, Βασιλεία τῶν Σελευκιδῶν, ''Basileía tōn Seleukidōn'') was a Greek state in West Asia that existed during the Hellenistic period from 312 BC to 63 BC. The Seleucid Empire was founded by the ...

defeats

Ptolemy V egy, Iwaennetjerwymerwyitu Seteppah Userkare Sekhem-ankhamun Clayton (2006) p. 208. , predecessor = Ptolemy IV , successor = Ptolemy VI , horus = '' ḥwnw-ḫꜤj-m-nsw-ḥr-st-jt.f'Khunukhaiemnisutkhersetitef'' The youth who ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...

. * c. 200 BC: In ancient Philippines, the archipelago's indigenous people began to increase their contact with other nations in Southeast and East Asia, resulting in the establishment of fragmented city-states-like polities formed by complex sociopolitical units known as barangay or

barangay state In early Philippine history, Barangay is the term historically used by scholars to describe the complex sociopolitical units which were the dominant organizational pattern among the various peoples of the Philippine archipelago , . in the per ...

190s BC

198 BC __NOTOC__ Year 198 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Catus and Flamininus (or, less frequently, year 556 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 198 BC for this year has been ...

Fifth Syrian War The Syrian Wars were a series of six wars between the Seleucid Empire and the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, successor states to Alexander the Great's empire, during the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC over the region then called Coele-Syria, one of th ...

: Antiochus III takes control of Coele Syria and

Judea Judea or Judaea ( or ; from he, יהודה, Standard ''Yəhūda'', Tiberian ''Yehūḏā''; el, Ἰουδαία, ; la, Iūdaea) is an ancient, historic, Biblical Hebrew, contemporaneous Latin, and the modern-day name of the mountainous so ...

. **(November 12): Antiochus issues a decree requiring registration of all Egyptians taken slave during the war (''somata Aigyptia'') for census purposes. *

197 BC __NOTOC__ Year 197 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Cethegus and Rufus (or, less frequently, year 557 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 197 BC for this year has been u ...

: (June)

Flamininus Titus Quinctius Flamininus (c. 228 – 174 BC) was a Roman politician and general instrumental in the Roman conquest of Greece. Family background Flamininus belonged to the minor patrician '' gens'' Quinctia. The family had a glorious pla ...

defeats Philip V, king of

Macedonia at the

Battle of Cynoscephalae The Battle of Cynoscephalae ( el, Μάχη τῶν Κυνὸς Κεφαλῶν) was an encounter battle fought in Thessaly in 197 BC between the Roman army, led by Titus Quinctius Flamininus, and the Antigonid dynasty of Macedon, led by Phil ...

, ending the

Second Macedonian War The Second Macedonian War (200–197 BC) was fought between Macedon, led by Philip V of Macedon, and Rome, allied with Pergamon and Rhodes. Philip was defeated and was forced to abandon all possessions in southern Greece, Thrace and Asia Min ...

. * 196 BC: **(March 27) Upon reaching the age of 14,

Ptolemy V Epiphanes egy, Iwaennetjerwymerwyitu Seteppah Userkare Sekhem-ankhamun Clayton (2006) p. 208. , predecessor = Ptolemy IV , successor = Ptolemy VI , horus = '' ḥwnw-ḫꜤj-m-nsw-ḥr-st-jt.f'Khunukhaiemnisutkhersetitef'' The youth who ...

is crowned as the King of Egypt at

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

. The decree made in conjunction with the coronation, dated the first day of the Egyptian month of Pharmouthi, is written in the

Egyptian language The Egyptian language or Ancient Egyptian ( ) is a dead Afro-Asiatic language that was spoken in ancient Egypt. It is known today from a large corpus of surviving texts which were made accessible to the modern world following the deciphe ...

in both

hieroglyphics Egyptian hieroglyphs (, ) were the formal writing system used in Ancient Egypt, used for writing the Egyptian language. Hieroglyphs combined logographic, syllabic and alphabetic elements, with some 1,000 distinct characters.There were about 1 ...

and in demotic script, as well as in

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

on the

Rosetta Stone The Rosetta Stone is a stele composed of granodiorite inscribed with three versions of a decree issued in Memphis, Egypt, in 196 BC during the Ptolemaic dynasty on behalf of King Ptolemy V Epiphanes. The top and middle texts are in Anci ...

, providing the key to deciphering the hieroglyphics almost 20 centuries later.Alan K. Bowman, ''Egypt After the Pharaohs, 332 BC-AD 642: From Alexander to the Arab Conquest'' (University of California Press, 1989), p30 **

Lampsacus Lampsacus (; grc, Λάμψακος, translit=Lampsakos) was an ancient Greek city strategically located on the eastern side of the Hellespont in the northern Troad. An inhabitant of Lampsacus was called a Lampsacene. The name has been transmitte ...

and

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to prom ...

appeal to Rome for protection against

's expansion into western

and

Thrace Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to ...

. **

Empress Lü Empress (Dowager) Lü Zhi (241–18 August 180 BC), commonly known as Empress Lü () and formally Empress Gao of Han (), was the empress consort of Gaozu, the founding emperor of the Han dynasty. They had two known children, Liu Ying (later E ...

's execution of

Han Xin Han Xin (; 231/230–196 BC) was a Chinese military general and politician who served Liu Bang during the Chu–Han Contention and contributed greatly to the founding of the Han dynasty. Han Xin was named as one of the "Three Heroes of the e ...

leads to the

Ying Bu Ying Bu (died 195 BC) was a warlord and vassal king who lived in the early Han dynasty. He was a native of Lu County (六縣; present-day Lu'an, Anhui). In his early life under the Qin dynasty, Ying Bu was convicted and sentenced to ''qing'' (黥 ...

rebellion. *

195 BC __NOTOC__ Year 195 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Flaccus and Cato (or, less frequently, year 559 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 195 BC for this year has been use ...

: **(June 1) In China,

Emperor Gaozu of Han Emperor Gaozu of Han (256 – 1 June 195 BC), born Liu Bang () with courtesy name Ji (季), was the founder and first emperor of the Han dynasty, reigning in 202–195 BC. His temple name was "Taizu" while his posthumous name was Emper ...

dies and is succeeded by his 15-year-old son Prince Liu Ying. As the second

Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by th ...

ruler, Liu Ying is given the regnal name of Emperor Hui and reigns until his death in 188 BC at the age of 22. However, the true resides with his mother, the

Empress Lü Zhi An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother ( ...

, who serves as the Regent as widow of Gaozu. **The

War against Nabis The Laconian War of 195 BC was fought between the Greek city-state of Sparta and a coalition composed of Rome, the Achaean League, Pergamum, Rhodes, and Macedon. During the Second Macedonian War (200–196 BC), Macedon had given Sparta contr ...

marks the end of

Sparta Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referr ...

n power in Greece. * 194 BC: **(April 4) — The first Games of Megalesia and a festival are held in Rome after games were promised in honor of

Cybele Cybele ( ; Phrygian language, Phrygian: ''Matar Kubileya/Kubeleya'' "Kubileya/Kubeleya Mother", perhaps "Mountain Mother"; Lydian language, Lydian ''Kuvava''; el, Κυβέλη ''Kybele'', ''Kybebe'', ''Kybelis'') is an Anatolian mother godde ...

following Rome's triumph over Carthage in the

Punic Wars The Punic Wars were a series of wars between 264 and 146BC fought between Rome and Carthage. Three conflicts between these states took place on both land and sea across the western Mediterranean region and involved a total of forty-three ye ...

. The festival and games last seven full days, closing on April 10. ** Wiman of Gojoseon establishes

Wiman Joseon Wiman Joseon (194–108 BC) was a dynasty of Gojoseon. It began with Wiman's (Wei Man) seizure of the throne from Gija Joseon's King Jun and ended with the death of King Ugeo who was a grandson of Wiman. Apart from archaeological data, the ...

in Korea. * 192 BC: **The Yue Kingdom of Eastern Ou established in

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Ji ...

with Chinese support. **(February)— Antiochus, the son of Antiochus III and co-regent for the Seleucid throne since 209 BC, dies; according to cuneiform tablets, news reaches Babylon sometime during the month of Addara after April 8. **(November) — Antiochus III leads an army into Greece to challenge Roman control, at the invitation of the Aetolians, starting the Roman-Syrian War. *

191 BC __NOTOC__ Year 191 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Nasica and Glabrio (or, less frequently, year 563 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 191 BC for this year has been u ...

: (April 24)

Battle of Thermopylae The Battle of Thermopylae ( ; grc, Μάχη τῶν Θερμοπυλῶν, label= Greek, ) was fought in 480 BC between the Achaemenid Persian Empire under Xerxes I and an alliance of Greek city-states led by Sparta under Leonidas I. Lastin ...

: Manius Acilius Glabrio drives Antiochus III out of Greece. *

190 BC __NOTOC__ Year 190 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Asiaticus and Laelius (or, less frequently, year 564 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 190 BC for this year has bee ...

: (December or January 189 BC)

Battle of Magnesia The Battle of Magnesia took place in either December 190 or January 189 BC. It was fought as part of the Roman–Seleucid War, pitting forces of the Roman Republic led by the consul Lucius Cornelius Scipio Asiaticus and the allied Kingdom of ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

and

Pergamon Pergamon or Pergamum ( or ; grc-gre, Πέργαμον), also referred to by its modern Greek form Pergamos (), was a rich and powerful ancient Greek city in Mysia. It is located from the modern coastline of the Aegean Sea on a promontory on th ...

drive

out of

180s BC

I17 1karshapana Sunga MACW4325 1ar (8485402873)

* 189 BC:

Galatian War The Galatian War was a war between the Galatian Gauls and the Roman Republic supported by their allies Pergamum in 189 BC. The war was fought in Galatia in central Asia Minor, in present-day Turkey. The Romans had just defeated the Seleucid ...

: Gnaeus Manlius Vulso and

defeat the

Galatia Galatia (; grc, Γαλατία, ''Galatía'', "Gaul") was an ancient area in the highlands of central Anatolia, roughly corresponding to the provinces of Ankara and Eskişehir, in modern Turkey. Galatia was named after the Gauls from Thrace ...

ns. *

188 BC __NOTOC__ Year 188 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Messalla and Salinator (or, less frequently, year 566 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 188 BC for this year has be ...

: (September 26) Prince Liu Gong, the 5-year old younger brother of Emperor Hui becomes the third

Emperor of China upon his brother's death, taking the regnal name of Emperor Qianshao. Because of his minority, his grandmother, Empress Lü continues as the actual ruler and serves as the regent. * 187 BC: (July 3) Seleucid king Antiochus III dies at the age of 53 and is succeeded by his son

Seleucus IV Philopator Seleucus IV Philopator (Greek: Σέλευκος Φιλοπάτωρ; c. 218 – 3 September 175 BC), ruler of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire, reigned from 187 BC to 175 BC over a realm consisting of Syria (now including Cilicia and Judea), Mesop ...

. *

186 BC __NOTOC__ Year 186 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Albinus and Philippus (or, less frequently, year 568 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 186 BC for this year has bee ...

: Ptolemy V defeats Ankhwennefer and regains control of

Upper Egypt Upper Egypt ( ar, صعيد مصر ', shortened to , , locally: ; ) is the southern portion of Egypt and is composed of the lands on both sides of the Nile that extend upriver from Lower Egypt in the north to Nubia in the south. In ancient E ...

. *

185 BC __NOTOC__ Year 185 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Pulcher and Puditanus (or, less frequently, year 569 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 185 BC for this year has bee ...

assassinates the last

Maurya The Maurya Empire, or the Mauryan Empire, was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in the Indian subcontinent based in Magadha, having been founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BCE, and existing in loose-knit fashion until 1 ...

emperor, founding the

Shunga dynasty The Shunga Empire (IAST: ') was an ancient Indian dynasty from Magadha that controlled areas of the most of the northern Indian subcontinent from around 185 to 73 BCE. The dynasty was established by Pushyamitra, after taking the throne of the ...

. *

184 BC __NOTOC__ Year 184 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Pulcher and Licinus (or, less frequently, year 570 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 184 BC for this year has been ...

: (June 15)

Emperor Qianshao of Han Emperor Qianshao of Han (, 193 BC – 15 June 184 BC), personal name said to be Liu Gong (), was the third emperor of the Han dynasty in China. He was a son, likely the oldest son, of Emperor Hui, likely by a concubine—although there is ...

, the 11-year old nominal ruler of China, is removed, imprisoned and then put to death on order of his grandmother, Empress Lü. Prince Liu Hong, the brother of Qianshao, is installed by the regent as the new Emperor, under the name of Emperor Houshao. *

183 BC __NOTOC__ Year 183 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Marcellus and Labeo (or, less frequently, year 571 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 183 BC for this year has been ...

Zhao Tuo Zhao Tuo () or Triệu Đà (Chữ Hán: 趙佗); was a Qin dynasty Chinese general and first emperor of Nanyue. He participated in the conquest of the Baiyue peoples of Guangdong, Guangxi and Northern Vietnam. After the fall of the Qin, he ...

Nanyue Nanyue (), was an ancient kingdom ruled by Chinese monarchs of the Zhao family that covered the modern Chinese subdivisions of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hong Kong, Macau, southern Fujian and central to northern Vietnam. Nanyue was establis ...

declares himself Emperor and attacks

. *

180 BC __NOTOC__ Year 180 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Luscus and Piso/Flaccus (or, less frequently, year 574 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 180 BC for this year has b ...

: (November 14) Lü Clan Disturbance: with the death of

of China, the nominal Houshao is killed along with the rest of the Lü Clan. Another son of Gaozu, the first Han emperor, Prince Liu Heng, becomes the fifth Han emperor and takes the name of Emperor Wen.

170s BC

179 BC __NOTOC__ Year 179 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Flaccus and Fulvianus (or, less frequently, year 575 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 179 BC for this year has bee ...

: **

makes peace with Han China. ** Upon the death of Philip V,

Perseus In Greek mythology, Perseus ( /ˈpɜːrsiəs, -sjuːs/; Greek: Περσεύς, translit. Perseús) is the legendary founder of Mycenae and of the Perseid dynasty. He was, alongside Cadmus and Bellerophon, the greatest Greek hero and slayer ...

becomes king of Antigonid Macedon. *

178 BC __NOTOC__ Year 178 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Brutus and Vulso (or, less frequently, year 576 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 178 BC for this year has been use ...

: Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus ends the First Celtiberian War. * 176 BC: The

defeat the

, who subsequently emigrate from

Gansu Gansu (, ; alternately romanized as Kansu) is a province in Northwest China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeast part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibe ...

to the

Qilian Mountains The Qilian Mountains (, also romanized as Tsilien; Mongghul: Chileb), together with the Altyn-Tagh (Altun Shan) also known as Nan Shan (, literally "Southern Mountains"), as it is to the south of Hexi Corridor, is a northern outlier of the Kunlu ...

and the

Ili valley The Ili ( ug, ئىلى دەرياسى, Ili deryasi, Ili dəryasi, 6=Или Дәряси; kk, Ile, ; russian: Или; zh, c=伊犁河, p=Yīlí Hé, dng, Йили хә, Xiao'erjing: اِلِ حْ; mn, Ил, literally "Bareness") is a river sit ...

. * 175 BC: (September 3) Upon the assassination of Seleucus IV Philopator, his brother

Antiochus IV Epiphanes Antiochus IV Epiphanes (; grc, Ἀντίοχος ὁ Ἐπιφανής, ''Antíochos ho Epiphanḗs'', "God Manifest"; c. 215 BC – November/December 164 BC) was a Greek Hellenistic king who ruled the Seleucid Empire from 175 BC until his de ...

takes possession of the Seleucid throne. *

171 BC __NOTOC__ Year 171 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Crassus and Longinus (or, less frequently, year 583 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 171 BC for this year has been ...

: At the prompting of the Attalid king Eumenes II, the Romans declare war on Perseus, beginning the

Third Macedonian War The Third Macedonian War (171–168 BC) was a war fought between the Roman Republic and King Perseus of Macedon. In 179 BC, King Philip V of Macedon died and was succeeded by his ambitious son Perseus. He was anti-Roman and stirred anti-Roman ...

160s BC

168 BC __NOTOC__ Year 168 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Macedonicus and Crassus (or, less frequently, year 586 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 168 BC for this year has ...

: **Third Macedonian War:

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

victory in the

Battle of Pydna The Battle of Pydna took place in 168 BC between Rome and Macedon during the Third Macedonian War. The battle saw the further ascendancy of Rome in the Hellenistic world and the end of the Antigonid line of kings, whose power traced back ...

leads to the dissolution of the Antigonid Kingdom of Macedon. **

Sixth Syrian War The Syrian Wars were a series of six wars between the Seleucid Empire and the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, successor states to Alexander the Great's empire, during the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC over the region then called Coele-Syria, one of th ...

Antiochus IV Antiochus IV Epiphanes (; grc, Ἀντίοχος ὁ Ἐπιφανής, ''Antíochos ho Epiphanḗs'', "God Manifest"; c. 215 BC – November/December 164 BC) was a Greek Hellenistic king who ruled the Seleucid Empire from 175 BC until his deat ...

of the Seleucid empire invades Ptolemaic Egypt, but is forced to turn back by

Gaius Popillius Laenas Gaius Popillius Laenas ( 172–158 BC) twice served as one of the two consuls of the Roman Republic, in 172 and 158 BC. He was sent as an envoy to prevent a war between Antiochus IV Epiphanes of the Seleucid Empire and Ptolemaic Egypt. On being ...

at the Day of Eleusis. * 167 BC: Mithradates I of Parthia takes

Margiana Margiana ( el, ''Margianḗ'', Old Persian: ''Marguš'', Middle Persian: ''Marv'') is a historical region centred on the oasis of Merv and was a minor satrapy within the Achaemenid satrapy of Bactria, and a province within its successors, the Se ...

and

Aria In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompa ...

from the

Greco-Bactrian Kingdom The Bactrian Kingdom, known to historians as the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom or simply Greco-Bactria, was a Hellenistic-era Greek state, and along with the Indo-Greek Kingdom, the easternmost part of the Hellenistic world in Central Asia and the Ind ...

. *

164 BC __NOTOC__ Year 164 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Torquatus and Longinus (or, less frequently, year 590 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 164 BC for this year has be ...

**25

Kislev Kislev or Chislev (Hebrew: כִּסְלֵו, Standard ''Kīslev'' Tiberian ''Kīslēw''), also 'Chisleu' in the King James (authorized English) Bible, is the third month of the civil year and the ninth month of the ecclesiastical year on the H ...

: Judas Maccabaeus, son of Mattathias of the Hasmonean family, restores the

Temple in Jerusalem The Temple in Jerusalem, or alternatively the Holy Temple (; , ), refers to the two now-destroyed religious structures that served as the central places of worship for Israelites and Jews on the modern-day Temple Mount in the Old City of Jeru ...

(

Hanukkah or English translation: 'Establishing' or 'Dedication' (of the Temple in Jerusalem) , nickname = , observedby = Jews , begins = 25 Kislev , ends = 2 Tevet or 3 Tevet , celebrations = Lighting candles each nig ...

Maccabean Revolt The Maccabean Revolt ( he, מרד החשמונאים) was a Jewish rebellion led by the Maccabees against the Seleucid Empire and against Hellenistic influence on Jewish life. The main phase of the revolt lasted from 167–160 BCE and ende ...

). **Ptolemy VIII drives his brother Ptolemy VI out of Alexandria. He flees to Rome. **

dies on campaign, leaving the Seleucid empire to his nine-year-old son, Antiochus V. *163 BC: **(May 20) Chinese mathematicians observe and record the passage of the Halley's Comet. **Ptolemy VI regains Alexandria. Ptolemy VIII takes Cyrenaica. **Timarchus rebels against the Seleucid empire and seizes control of Medes, Media and Babylonia. *161 BC: **Battle of Vijithapura: Dutthagamani defeats the Tamil people, Tamil King Ellalan. **Demetrius I Soter seizes the Seleucid throne, beginning a succession war that would consume the Seleucid realm for almost a century. *160 BC: The Wusun drive the

out of the

150s BC

Mural painting of four animals in clouds

*158 BC: The

attack northern China. *157 BC: (July 6) Emperor Wen of Han dies and is succeeded by his son Emperor Jing of Han, Prince Liu Qi who takes the regnal name of the Emperor Jing. *155 BC: The Lusitanians begin the Lusitanian War against

. *154 BC **The Celtiberians of Numantia begin the Numantine War against

. **Liu Pi (prince), Liu Pi leads the Rebellion of the Seven States against Emperor Jing of Han, Emperor Jing of Han dynasty, Han China and is defeated. *152 BC: Alexander Balas starts a revolt against Demetrius I Soter with the support of Jonathan Maccabaeus

140s BC

*148 BC: ** Mithradates I of Parthia takes Ecbatana from the Seleucids. **Rome conquers Macedonia (Fourth Macedonian War). *147 BC: Hasmonean victories restore autonomy to

. *146 BC:

destroys and razes the city of

(

) and destroys the Achaean League and razes Ancient Corinth, Corinth (

). *145 BC: **Battle of Antioch (145 BC), Battle of Antioch: Alexander Balas of the

loses his throne and Ptolemy VI of

loses his life. **Ptolemy VIII takes control of Alexandria. **Ai-Khanoum is sacked (possibly by the

). *141 BC (March 9): Emperor Jing of Han dies and is succeeded by his son Emperor Wu of Han, Prince Liu Che, who is enthroned as the Emperor Wu and begins a 54-year reign. The new emperor's attempts at reform are immediately stymied by Empress Dou (Wen), his grandmother.

130s BC

*139 BC: **The assassination of Viriathus marks the end of the Lusitanian War. ** Mithradates I of Parthia defeats the Seleucid king Demetrius II Nicator and captures Babylonia. *138 BC: Minyue's invasion of Eastern Ou sparks off the Han campaigns against Minyue *135 BC **Minyue's invasion of

leads to Han campaigns against Minyue#Second intervention, conquest of its western half by

. The eastern half survives as Dongyue. **Eunus begins the First Servile War. *133 BC: **Attalus III of

dies, bequeathing his kingdom to the

. **Emperor Wu of Han, Emperor Wu sets Battle of Mayi, an ambush for the

, beginning the Han–Xiongnu War **Assassination of Tiberius Gracchus. **Scipio Aemilianus wins the Siege of Numantia and conquers the Celtiberians. *132 BC: Rioting on the streets of Alexandria leads to civil war between Ptolemy VIII and Cleopatra II. *130 BC: Greek astronomer Hipparchus continues lifelong studies, becoming the first to calculate the precession of moon and sun and to create a sizable catalog of stars.

120s BC

Coin of Mithridates II of Parthia, Ray mint

*129 BC: Battle of Ecbatana: Antiochus VII Sidetes of the

attempt to reclaim the Iranian Plateau from Parthia ends in failure. *127 BC: Hyspaosines of Characene takes control of Babylonia. *126 BC: Ptolemy VIII regains control of Alexandria. *125 BC: Zhang Qian returns to China after a protracted journey through the west. *124 BC: Artabanus II of Parthia is killed in battle with the

and succeeded by his son Mithridates II of Parthia, Mithridates II *122 BC: Mithradates II of Parthia regains control of Babylonia and Characene *121 BC: Assassination of Gaius Gracchus

110s BC

*116 BC: (June 28) Ptolemy VIII Physcon, Ptolemy VIII of Egypt dies and is succeeded by his wife Cleopatra III and son Ptolemy IX Soter. *113 BC: The Cimbri and Teutones arrive on the banks of the Danube in Noricum, clashing with Roman allies, beginning the Cimbrian War. *112 BC: Jugurtha of Numidia's elimination of his co-regents sparks the Jugurthine War with

. *111 BC: A power struggle in Nanyue, Nam Viet leads to its Han–Nanyue War, conquest by

, ending the Triệu dynasty and beginning the First Chinese domination of Vietnam.

109–100 BC, 100s BC

*109 BC **

Han campaigns against Dian, conquers Dian Kingdom, Dian. **King Ugeo of Gojoseon kills a Chinese envoy, sparking the Han conquest of Gojoseon, Gojoseon–Han War. *108 BC: Han Dynasty, Chinese troops destroy Wanggeom seong, capital of

, establishing the Four Commanderies of Han to govern the northern part of Korea. *107 BC: Roman consul

passes the

, which remove all ownership restrictions for joining the Roman Army. *106 BC:

and Sulla bring an end to the Jugurthine War. *105 BC: Battle of Arausio: Cimbri and Teutones annihilate a Roman army. *104 BC, 104 –

: War of the Heavenly Horses,

defeats Dayuan at great cost. *104 BC: A mass-manumission leads to the Second Servile War in Sicily *102 BC:

defeats the Teutones at the Battle of Aquae Sextiae *

defeats the Cimbri at the Battle of Vercellae, ending the Cimbrian War.

Significant people

Politics

*Andriscus, last independent ruler of Macedon *

, the last effective ruler of the

*Antiochus VII Sidetes, last King of a United

*Appius Claudius Pulcher (consul 143 BC), Roman consul and censor *Boiorix, king of the Cimbri *Cato the Elder, Roman politician, writer and historian *Gaius Gracchus, Roman politician *

, Roman general and politician *Jonathan Maccabaeus, leader of the Hasmonean rebellion and first autonomous ruler of

*Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus, Roman general and politician *Lucius Cornelius Sulla, Roman general and politician *Lucius Mummius Achaicus, conqueror of Ancient Corinth, Corinth *Marcus Claudius Marcellus (consul 166 BC), Roman politician *Perseus of Macedon, last King of the Antigonid dynasty *Publius Mucius Scaevola (triumphator), Roman politician *Publius Mucius Scaevola (pontifex maximus), Roman politician *Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus, Roman general and politician *Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus, Roman general and politician *Teutobod, King of the Teutons *Tiberius Gracchus Roman politician and statesman *Emperor Wu of Han (漢武帝,劉徹), seventh

emperor, who consolidated and expanded imperial power in China *Zhang Qian (張騫), Chinese diplomat and explorer *

, Chinese military commander who founded the Trieu dynasty

Military

*Huo Qubing, Chinese general *Judas Maccabeus, leader of the Hasmonean rebellion and its first successful general *Li Guang, Chinese general *Lucius Caecilius Metellus Calvus, Roman general *Lucius Caecilius Metellus Dalmaticus, Roman general *Quintus Lutatius Catulus, Roman general *Scipio Aemilianus Africanus, Roman general that conquered

*Wei Qing, Chinese general

Literature

*Apollodorus of Athens, Greek writer, grammarian, and historian *Bion of Smyrna, Greek poet *Gaius Lucilius, Roman satirist *Quintus Lutatius Catulus (consul 102 BC), Lutatius Catulus, Roman poet, orator and historian *Lucius Accius, Roman poet *Moschus, Greek poet *Pacuvius, Roman poet *Quintus Ennius, Roman poet *Sima Xiangru (司馬相如), Chinese musician, poet and writer *Titus Maccius Plautus, Roman playwright *Terence, Roman playwright *Sangam literature, corpus of ancient Tamil literature *Kaniyan Pungundranar, one of the poets of the Tamil Sangam work Purananuru

Science and philosophy

*Apollonius of Perga, Greek geometer *Carneades, Greek philosopher *Crates of Mallus, Greek grammarian and philosopher *Diogenes of Babylon, Greek philosopher *Eight Immortals of Huainan (淮南八仙), Chinese philosophers *Hipparchus, Greek astronomer *Hypsicles, Greek mathematician and astronomer *Liu An (劉安), Chinese geographer *Panaetius, Greek philosopher *Polybius, Greek historian *Posidonius, Greek philosopher, geographer, astronomer and historian *Seleucus of Seleucia, Hellenistic astronomer *Sima Qian (司馬遷), Chinese historian *Zenodorus (mathematician), Zenodorus, Greek mathematician

Inventions, discoveries, introductions

*The China, Chinese first produce paper. *

between Europe and Asia. *Hipparchus discovers precession of Earth's equinoxes and compiles first Trigonometry, trigonometric tables. *According to legend, Liu An invents tofu. *The Fibonacci numbers and their sequence first appear in Indian mathematics as mātrāmeru, mentioned by Pingala in connection with the Sanskrit tradition of prosody. *Pingala was the first who accidentally discovered binary numbers in which he used laghu(light) and guru(heavy) rather than 0 and 1. *Tube drawn technology: Indian people, Indians used tube drawn technology for glass bead manufacturing which was first developed in the 2nd century BCE *The Roman concrete (pozzolana) first used. *A system for sending signs to communicate quickly over a long distance is described by Polybios. *The earliest known winnowing machine is depicted in a

Technology of the Song Dynasty#Wind power, Chinese tomb model.Joseph Needham, ''Science and Civilization in China: Volume 4, Physics and Physical Technology, Part 2, Mechanical Engineering'' (Cambridge University Press, 1985) p118

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2nd century BC 2nd century BC, 1st millennium BC, -8 Centuries, -98