The 3rd century BC started the first day of 300 BC and ended the last day of 201 BC. It is considered part of the

Classical Era Classical antiquity, also known as the classical era, classical period, classical age, or simply antiquity, is the period of cultural European history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD comprising the interwoven civilization ...

epoch In chronology and periodization, an epoch or reference epoch is an instant in time chosen as the origin of a particular calendar era. The "epoch" serves as a reference point from which time is measured. The moment of epoch is usually decided b ...

, or

historical period In historiography, periodization is the process or study of categorizing the past into discrete, quantified, and named blocks of time for the purpose of study or analysis.Adam Rabinowitz.It's about time: historical periodization and Linked Ancie ...

. In the Mediterranean Basin, the first few decades of this century were characterized by a balance of power between the Greek

Hellenistic In classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Greek history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC, which was followed by the ascendancy of the R ...

kingdoms in the east, and the great mercantile power of

Carthage Carthage was an ancient city in Northern Africa, 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 classic ...

in the west. This balance was shattered when conflict arose between

ancient Carthage Ancient Carthage ( ; , ) was an Ancient Semitic-speaking peoples, ancient Semitic civilisation based in North Africa. Initially a settlement in present-day Tunisia, it later became a city-state, and then an empire. Founded by the Phoenicians ...

and the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( ) was the era of Ancient Rome, classical Roman civilisation beginning with Overthrow of the Roman monarchy, the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom (traditionally dated to 509 BC) and ending in 27 BC with the establis ...

. In the following decades, the Carthaginian Republic was first humbled and then destroyed by the Romans in the First and Second

Punic Wars The Punic Wars were a series of wars fought between the Roman Republic and the Ancient Carthage, Carthaginian Empire during the period 264 to 146BC. Three such wars took place, involving a total of forty-three years of warfare on both land and ...

. Following the Second Punic War, Rome became the most important power in the western Mediterranean. In the

eastern Mediterranean The Eastern Mediterranean is a loosely delimited region comprising the easternmost portion of the Mediterranean Sea, and well as the adjoining land—often defined as the countries around the Levantine Sea. It includes the southern half of Turkey ...

, the Seleucid Empire and

Ptolemaic Kingdom The Ptolemaic Kingdom (; , ) or Ptolemaic Empire was an ancient Greek polity based in Ancient Egypt, Egypt during the Hellenistic period. It was founded in 305 BC by the Ancient Macedonians, Macedonian Greek general Ptolemy I Soter, a Diadochi, ...

, successor states to the empire of

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...

, fought a series of Syrian Wars for control over the

Levant The Levant ( ) is the subregion that borders the Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean sea to the west, and forms the core of West Asia and the political term, Middle East, ''Middle East''. In its narrowest sense, which is in use toda ...

. In

mainland Greece Greece is a country in Southeastern Europe, on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. It is bordered to the north by Albania, North Macedonia and Bulgaria; to the east by Turkey, and is surrounded to the east by the Aegean Sea, to the south by the Cret ...

, the short-lived Antipatrid dynasty of Macedon was overthrown and replaced by the Antigonid dynasty in 294 BC, a royal house that would dominate the affairs of Hellenistic Greece for roughly a century until the stalemate of the First Macedonian War against

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. Macedon would also lose the Cretan War against the Greek city-state of

Rhodes Rhodes (; ) is the largest of the Dodecanese islands of Greece and is their historical capital; it is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, ninth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Administratively, the island forms a separ ...

and its allies. In

India India, officially the Republic of India, 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 by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Ashoka Ashoka, also known as Asoka or Aśoka ( ; , ; – 232 BCE), and popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was List of Mauryan emperors, Emperor of Magadha from until #Death, his death in 232 BCE, and the third ruler from the Mauryan dynast ...

ruled the

Maurya Empire The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in South Asia with its power base in Magadha. Founded by Chandragupta Maurya around c. 320 BCE, it existed in loose-knit fashion until 185 BCE. The primary source ...

. The Pandya, Chola and Chera dynasties of the classical age flourished in the ancient Tamil country. The Warring States period in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

drew to a close, with

Qin Shi Huang Qin Shi Huang (, ; February 25912 July 210 BC), born Ying Zheng () or Zhao Zheng (), was the founder of the Qin dynasty and the first emperor of China. He is widely regarded as the first ever supreme leader of a unitary state, unitary d ...

conquering the six other nation-states and establishing the short-lived

Qin dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ) was the first Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China. It is named for its progenitor state of Qin, a fief of the confederal Zhou dynasty (256 BC). Beginning in 230 BC, the Qin under King Ying Zheng enga ...

, the first empire of China, which was followed in the same century by the long-lasting

Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

. However, a brief interregnum and civil war existed between the Qin and Han periods known as the Chu-Han contention, lasting until 202 BC with the ultimate victory of

Liu Bang Emperor Gaozu of Han (2561 June 195 BC), also known by his given name Liu Bang, was the founder and first emperor of the Han dynasty, reigning from 202 to 195 BC. He is considered by traditional Chinese historiography to be one o ...

over Xiang Yu. The Protohistoric Period began in

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

. In the following century the Chinese Han dynasty would conquer the Gojoseon kingdom of northern Korea. The

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

were at the height of their power in

Mongolia Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...

. They defeated the Han Chinese at the Battle of Baideng in 200 BC, marking the beginning of the forced '' Heqin'' tributary agreement and marriage alliance that would last several decades.

The world in the 3rd century BC

Hellenistic world and Maurya Empire 281 BCE

Events

290s BC

* 299 BC: The Samnites, seizing their chance when Rome is engaged on the Lombard plain, start the

Third Samnite War The First, Second, and Third Samnite Wars (343–341 BC, 326–304 BC, and 298–290 BC) were fought between the Roman Republic and the Samnites, who lived on a stretch of the Apennine Mountains south of Rome and north of the Lucanians, Lucania ...

with a collection of mercenaries from

Gaul Gaul () was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Roman people, Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy. It covered an area of . Ac ...

and

Sabine The Sabines (, , , ; ) were an Italic people who lived in the central Apennine Mountains (see Sabina) of the ancient Italian Peninsula, also inhabiting Latium north of the Anio before the founding of Rome. The Sabines divided int ...

and Etruscan allies to help them. * 298 BC: The Samnites defeat the Romans under Lucius Cornelius Scipio Barbatus in the Battle of Camerinum, the first battle of the Third Samnite War. * 294 BC: Antipater II of Macedon is killed by Lysimachus, allowing Demetrius I to become

king King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

of Macedonia, thus ending the Antipatrid dynasty's control over Hellenistic Greece and ushering in a period of rule by the Antigonid dynasty. * 293 BC: The Chinese State of Qin reduced the threat of the State of Wei and the State of Han with the Qin victory in the Battle of Yique. *Roman armies penetrate into the heart of the Samnite territory and then capture the Samnite cities of Taurasia, Bovianum Vetus and Aufidena. * Agathocles, king of

Syracuse, Sicily Syracuse ( ; ; ) is a historic city on the Italian island of Sicily, the capital of the Italian province of Syracuse. The city is notable for its rich Greek and Roman history, culture, amphitheatres, architecture, and as the birthplace ...

, assists the Italian Greeks against the Bruttians. * Bindusara succeeds his father

Chandragupta Maurya Chandragupta Maurya (Sanskrit: elp:IPA/Sanskrit, t̪͡ɕɐn̪d̪ɾɐgupt̪ɐ mɐʊɾjɐ (reigned 320 BCE – c. 298 BCE) was the founder and the first emperor of the Maurya Empire, based in Magadha (present-day Bihar) in the Indian ...

as emperor of the Mauryan Empire. *The Epi-Olmec culture forms as a successor civilization to the

Olmecs The Olmecs () or Olmec were an early known major Mesoamerican civilization, flourishing in the modern-day Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco from roughly 1200 to 400 Before the Common Era, BCE during Mesoamerica's Mesoamerican chronolog ...

Mesoamerica Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area that begins in the southern part of North America and extends to the Pacific coast of Central America, thus comprising the lands of central and southern Mexico, all of Belize, Guatemala, El S ...

280s BC

* 285 BC: The Pharos of Alexandria is completed. * 281 BC:

Antiochus I Soter Antiochus I Soter (, ''Antíochos Sōtér''; "Antiochus Soter, the Savior"; 2 June 261 BC) was a Ancient Greece, Greek king of the Seleucid Empire. Antiochus succeeded his father Seleucus I Nicator in 281 BC and reigned during a period of instabi ...

, on the assassination of his father Seleucus becomes emperor of the Seleucid empire. * 281 BC:

Achaean League The Achaean League () was a Hellenistic period, Hellenistic-era confederation of polis, Greek city-states on the northern and central Peloponnese. The league was named after the region of Achaea (ancient region), Achaea in the northwestern Pelopon ...

founded in Greece. * 280 BC: King

Pyrrhus of Epirus Pyrrhus ( ; ; 319/318–272 BC) was a Greeks, Greek king and wikt:statesman, statesman of the Hellenistic period.Plutarch. ''Parallel Lives'',Pyrrhus... He was king of the Molossians, of the royal Aeacidae, Aeacid house, and later he became ki ...

invades Italy in an attempt to subjugate the Romans and bring

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

under a new empire ruled by himself. *280 BC: Construction of the Colossus of Rhodes is completed.

270s BC

* 279 BC: Singidunum and Taurunum, today's

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

and Zemun, are founded by Scordisci Celts. *After failing to decisively defeat the Romans,

withdraws from

. *Gauls, Gallic migration to Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon, Thrace and Galatia. During the Gallic invasion of Greece, the Macedonian king Ptolemy Keraunos is killed in battle by the forces of the Celtic ruler Bolgios. However, both he and Brennus (3rd century BC), Brennus are driven out of Macedonian territory by Sosthenes of Macedon. *277 BC: in the Battle of Lysimachia, the invasion by Gauls is finally defeated by Antigonus II of Macedon. *274 BC: the Syrian Wars, First Syrian War erupts between

of the Seleucid dynasty and Ptolemy II Philadelphus of the Ptolemaic dynasty over control of Syria and southern Anatolia. *273 BC – 232 BC: Ashoka the Great ruled the

260s BC

*265 BC: Kalinga War takes place between Ashoka the Great and the Kalinga (historical kingdom), kingdom of Kalinga. *264 BC: First Punic War breaks out between the Carthaginian Empire and the

. *261 BC: Antiochus II Theos, 2nd son, at the death of his father becomes emperor of the Seleucid empire. *260 BC: Battle of Changping between the State of Qin and the Zhao (state), State of Zhao in China; a decisive Qin victory. *260 BC:

inscribes the Edicts of Ashoka.

250s BC

*258 BC: An Dương Vương overthrows the Hồng Bàng dynasty in Viet Nam. *257 BC: Thục dynasty takes over Vietnam.

240s BC

*246 BC: The death of Antiochus II sparks the Third Syrian War; Ptolemy III conquers Syria and Babylon from the Seleucids, but loses the Nesiotic League to Antigonus II *243 BC: Surprise attack on the Macedonian garrison at Corinth. Expansion of the Achaean League. *241 BC: First Punic War ends in Carthaginian defeat. Rome demands large reparations, and annexes Sicily and Corsica. *240 BC: On May 15, Chinese mathematicians observed and recorded the passage of the Halley's Comet.

230s BC

*230 BC: The Chinese State of Qin, Qin State conquers State of Han, Han. *230 BC: Simuka declares independence from Mauryan rule and establishes the Satavahana Empire.

220s BC

*229 BC: The First Illyrian War ends with a Roman victory. *229 BC: Last tyrants on the Peloponnese abdicate, Argos, Peloponnese, Argos joins the Achaean League, Athens liberated from Macedonian garrison. *227 BC: The attempted assassination of Ying Zheng (嬴政), king of State of Qin, Qin State, by Jing Ke (荊軻) from State of Yan, Yan failed. *225 BC: A large Gallic army is defeated by the Romans at the Battle of Telamon. *225 BC: The Chinese State of Qin, Qin State conquers State of Wei, Wei. *223 BC: The Chinese State of Qin, Qin State conquers State of Chu, Chu. *222 BC: The Chinese State of Qin, Qin State conquers State of Yan, Yan and State of Zhao, Zhao. *222 BC: Spartan defeat in the Battle of Sellasia ends the Cleomenean War. *221 BC: With the conquest of the Qi (state), State of Qi,

(秦始皇) Qin's wars of unification, unifies the whole of China into one empire that also included northern Vietnam, forming the

. *220 BC: the Social War (220–217 BC) of Greece begins, pitting Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedonia and the

against Sparta and the Aetolian League, ultimately resulting in a Macedonian-Achaean victory with territorial gains for each.

210s BC

*218 BC: Second Punic War begins. Hannibal makes his famous Alps, Alpine crossing to invade

, the Roman heartland. *217 BC: Antiochus III invades the Levant in the Third Syrian War, but is defeated by Ptolemy IV at the Battle of Raphia. *216 BC: Hannibal famously crushed the Roman legions at the Battle of Cannae. *214 BC:

(秦始皇) of the Chinese

ordered construction of the Great Wall of China. *214 BC: In the Mediterranean, the First Macedonian War between Rome and Macedon begins, with Rome encouraging its Greek allies, such as Attalus I of Pergamon, to attack the forces of Philip V of Macedon. *210 BC:

dies while on a trip to the far eastern reaches of his empire in an attempt to procure an elixir of immortality from Taoist magicians.

200s BC (decade), 200s BC

*208 BC: Zhao Tuo (Triệu Đà) defeats the Vietnamese king An Dương Vương. *207 BC: Triệu dynasty of Viet Nam is inaugurated. *206 BC:

falls after men from all over China revolts, attacking officials, raising armies, and declaring themselves kings of seized territories. *206 BC – 202 BC: Civil war of the Chu-Han contention in China. *205 BC: the Cretan War (205–200 BC) begins between History of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedonia and its allies against the Greek ''polis'' of

and its allies, resulting in a Rhodian victory. *202 BC: Romans defeat Carthage, ending the Second Punic War. Carthage's territories are reduced to some of its North African holdings, and crippling reparations are demanded by Rome. *202 BC: In East Asia, the Chu-Han contention comes to a close, Xiang Yu commits suicide, and the

of China is founded (202 BC–220 AD) by

. *200 BC: The Second Macedonian War between Rome and Macedon begins. *

n traders regularly visit Arabia. *Scythians occupy Sogdiana, in modern-day Uzbekistan.

Inventions, discoveries, introductions

*Eratosthenes accurately calculates Earth's circumference and introduces the sieve of Eratosthenes, an algorithm for identifying prime numbers. *Go (board game), Weiqi, known as Go in English, well-established in China, and may date back to the 2nd millennium BC. *Crucible steel was first produced in Southern

. *Canopus stele of Ptolemy III implements the leap year in Egypt. Leap year not formally recognized until Caesar in 55 BC. *First Roman sundial (293 BC). *Toe stirrup finds its earliest manifestation in

. *Archimedes' screw, Water screw invented by Archimedes. *The Euclidean algorithm, the oldest algorithm still in use today, introduced by Euclid. *Invention of the hydraulis (the precursor to the Pipe organ) by Ctesibius, a Greek engineer working in Alexandria. *Zinc mining was first smelted from zinc ore in

*Emperor Gaozu of Han China discovers an elaborate Ma Jun (mechanical engineer)#Engineering and technological achievements, mechanical puppet theater in the treasury of the previous ruler

. *The enormous Du Jiang Yan Irrigation System of China is engineered and constructed by Li Bing (Qin), Li Bing (李冰) in 256 BC. *Great Stupa, Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh,

, Maurya period, is founded by King

. *Silk is exported to Europe from China. *Armillary spheres, models of objects in the sky developed by the Greeks, are in use as teaching tools. *Rotary mill invented by the ancient Greeks.

Significant people

Politics

*Appius Claudius Caecus, Roman statesman *Aratus of Sicyon, Greek statesman *Arsinoe II of Egypt, Arsinoe II, co-ruler of Egypt *

, Mauryan ruler of

* Bindusara, ruler of the Mauryan Empire *Diodotus I, first ruler of Greco-Bactrian Kingdom *Emperor Gaozu of Han (高皇帝), founder of the

in China *Hamilcar Barca, Carthage, Carthaginian general and politician *Hannibal, Carthaginian general and politician *Hanno the Great, Carthaginian politician *Ilamchetchenni, king of the Chola dynasty in South India *Nedunjeliyan I, ruler of the Pandya dynasty in South India *King Zhaoxiang of Qin, Chinese king of the Qin (state), Qin state *Li Bing (Qin), Li Bing (李冰), Chinese administrator and engineer *Li Si (李斯), Chinese Chancellor (China), Chancellor of the

*Lü Buwei, Chinese merchant and Chancellor of Qin *Lin Xiangru, Chinese politician *Cato the Elder, Marcus Porcius Cato, Roman statesman and writer *Masinissa, king of Numidia *Modu Chanyu,

chieftain *Philip V of Macedon, King of Macedonia *Ptolemy I of Egypt, Ptolemy I, pharaoh of Egypt *Ptolemy II of Egypt, Ptolemy II, pharaoh of Egypt *Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus, Roman general and politician *

, King of Epirus *

(秦始皇), Chinese Emperor *Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus, Roman general and politician *Xiao He, Chinese statesman and Chancellor (China), Chancellor of the

*Zhang Liang (Western Han), Zhang Liang, Chinese strategist and statesman

Military

*Bai Qi (白起), Chinese general *Gaius Lutatius Catulus, Roman general *Han Xin, Chinese general *Hasdrubal Barca, Carthaginian general *Lian Po, Chinese general *Li Mu, Chinese general *Mago Barca, Carthaginian general *Manius Curius Dentatus, Roman general *Marcus Atilius Regulus, Roman general *Marcus Claudius Marcellus, Roman general *Meng Tian, Chinese general *Xanthippus of Carthage, Greek general *Wang Jian (Qin), Wang Jian, Chinese general * Xiang Yu (項羽), Chinese rebel general against the Qin dynasty *Zhao Tuo, Chinese military commander who conquered the Vietnamese Kingdom of Au Lac

Literature

*Apollonius of Rhodes, Greek poet *Aratus, Greek poet *Callimachus, Greek poet and scholar *Gnaeus Naevius, Roman poet *Herodas, Greek satirist *Menander, Greek playwright *Menippus, Greek satirist *Plautus, Old Latin playwright *Song Yu (宋玉), Chinese poet *Theocritus, Greek poet *Timaeus (historian), Timaeus, Greek Historian *Qu Yuan (屈原), Chinese poet and scholar *Sangam literature (300BC-100AD), of the Tamil language

Science and philosophy

*Apollonius of Perga, Greek mathematician *Arcesilaus, Greek philosopher *Archimedes, Greek mathematician, physicist, and engineer *Aristarchus of Samos, Greek astronomer and mathematician *Aristillus, the Greek astronomer *Berossus Hellenistic Babylonian historian and astronomer *Conon of Samos, the Greek astronomer *Demetrius of Phalerum, Greek philosopher and orator *Dicaearchus, Greek philosopher and scientist *Epicurus, Greek philosopher *Eratosthenes, Greek mathematician, geographer, and astronomer *Euclid, the Greek geometer *Han Fei (韓非), Chinese philosopher *Manetho, Hellenistic Egyptian historian *Mencius, Chinese philosopher *Philo of Byzantium, Greek mechanic *Pyrrho, Greek philosopher *Theophrastus, Greek philosopher *Timon of Phlius, Greek philosopher *Xun Kuang (荀況, Xun Li), Chinese philosopher *Zeno of Citium, Greek philosopher *Zenodotus, Greek grammarian

Sovereign states

See: List of sovereign states in the 3rd century BC.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:3rd Century BC 3rd century BC, 1st millennium BC, -7 Centuries, -97