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300–201 BC75 events11 regions

3rd century BC

In the 3rd century BC: 75 events across 11 regions, including Ashoka's edicts and the policy of dhamma, King Zheng becomes the First Emperor: the Qin empire, Second Punic War: Hannibal against Rome.

Open this period in the atlas

Events

Western and Central Europe

The Samnite Wars343–290 BC
The Hortensian law ends the Conflict of the Orders287 BC
Pyrrhus of Epirus fights Rome and Carthage280–275 BC
The Hjortspring boat: a war offering on Alsbetween 381 and 161 BC
First Punic War264–241 BC
Livius Andronicus stages the first Latin play240 BC
Battle of Cannae216 BC
Siege of Syracuse: Archimedes' engines and deathbetween 214 and 213 BC – 212 BC
Rome introduces the silver denariusbetween 213 and 211 BC
Second Punic War: Hannibal against Rome218–201 BC
The Przeworsk culture of Polandbetween 300 and 201 BC – between 401 and 500

Eastern Europe

Ananyino culture of the Volga and Kamabetween 750 and 700 BC – c. 300 BC
The civic oath of Chersonesusbetween 300 and 260 BC
Paerisades II's Bosporus and its envoys to Ptolemaic Egyptbetween 284 and 283 BC – c. 245 BC
Olbia honours its benefactor Protogenesbetween 230 and 200 BC
The Scythians found Neapolis in Crimeabetween 225 and 201 BC

Balkans and Anatolia

The Colossus of Rhodes292–280 BC
Zeno of Citium founds the Stoic school in Athensbetween 301 and 300 BC – between 263 and 261 BC
Battle of Corupedium281 BC
The Gauls invade Macedonia and Greece and attack Delphi280 BC – between 279 and 278 BC
Attalus I defeats the Galatians and takes the royal titlebetween 240 and 235 BC
An earthquake topples the Colossus of Rhodes226 BC
Cleomenes III's revolution in Sparta and the Cleomenean Warbetween 229 and 228 BC – 222 BC
First Macedonian War214–205 BC

Middle East and Egypt

The Wars of the Diadochi: Alexander's empire dividedJune 323 BC – between 281 and 275 BC
Seleucus I founds Antioch on the Orontes300 BC
Euclid writes the Elementsc. 300 BC
Antiochus I rebuilds the temples of Babylon and Borsippa27 March 268 BC
The archive of Zenon at Philadelphia in the Fayum261 BC – between 229 and 228 BC
The Septuagint: the Torah translated into Greekbetween 285 and 201 BC
The Canopus Decree proposes a leap year7 March 238 BC
Eratosthenes measures the Earthbetween 245 and 194 BC
Battle of Raphia22 June 217 BC
The Mouseion and the Library of Alexandriabetween 295 and 283 BC – 145 BC
The eastern expedition (anabasis) of Antiochus III212–205 BC
Upper Egypt breaks away: the revolt of Horwenneferbetween 206 and 205 BC – 186 BC

Africa

Gajiganna culture of the Lake Chad plainsc. 1800 BC – between 500 and 1 BC
Arakamani and the beginning of the Meroitic period in Kushc. 270 BC
Ptolemaic elephant hunters found Ptolemais Theronbetween 285 and 246 BC
Regulus invades Africa and is defeated at Tunis256–255 BC
Djenné-Djeno: a settlement on the inland Niger deltac. 250 BC
The Mercenary War: Carthage's 'Truceless War'241 BC – between 238 and 237 BC
Battle of Zama202 BC
Masinissa's reign: the Numidian kingdom202–148 BC

Central and Northern Asia

Pazyryk culture: frozen tombs of the Altaibetween 600 and 500 BC – between 300 and 201 BC
A Greek city is founded on the Oxus at Ai-Khanoumbetween 300 and 285 BC
Ashoka's Greek and Aramaic edict at Kandaharc. 260 BC
Diodotus makes Bactria an independent Greek kingdombetween 255 and 245 BC
Arsaces and the Parni take Parthia: the birth of the Parthian statebetween 247 and 238 BC
Modu becomes chanyu and founds the Xiongnu empire209 BC
Antiochus III besieges Euthydemus in Bactra208–206 BC

South Asia

Megasthenes describes India from the Maurya capitalbetween 303 and 291 BC
Reign of Bindusarac. 297 BC – between 273 and 272 BC
Ashoka's conquest of Kalingabetween 262 and 260 BC
Ashoka's rock-cut caves at Barabarbetween 261 and 250 BC
Ashoka builds the Great Stupa at Sanchibetween 268 and 232 BC
Ashoka's edicts and the policy of dhammac. 260 BC – c. 232 BC
Mahinda brings Buddhism to Sri Lankabetween 247 and 232 BC

East Asia

The Jixia Academy at Linzibetween 375 and 318 BC – 284 BC
Qin takes the Chu capital Ying; the death of Qu Yuan278 BC
Battle of Changping260 BC
Li Bing builds the Dujiangyan irrigation systemc. 256 BC
The mausoleum of the First Emperor and the Terracotta Army246 BC – between 210 and 209 BC
Qin conquers the six states230–221 BC
King Zheng becomes the First Emperor: the Qin empire221 BC
Meng Tian drives back the Xiongnu and builds the northern wall215–210 BC
The burning of the books and the killing of the scholarsbetween 213 and 212 BC
The Dazexiang uprising of Chen Sheng and Wu Guangbetween August and September 209 BC – January 208 BC
The Chu–Han war and the founding of the Han dynasty206–202 BC

Southeast Asia and Oceania

Co Loa: the ramparts of Vietnam's first city300–100 BC

North America

The Adena mound at Grave Creek250–150 BC

Latin America

Chorrera culture of Ecuadorc. 1300 BC – c. 300 BC
The earliest dated Maya writing and calendar date at San Bartolobetween 300 and 200 BC
Kaminaljuyu, highland Maya capital of the Late Preclassicbetween 400 and 100 BC – between 100 BC and AD 100
El Mirador’s Late Preclassic urban developmentc. 300 BC – c. 150

Still going on

Processes that began earlier and continued through this period

Nok culturec. 1500 BC – c. 1 BC · Africa
Temple centre of Chavín de Huántarbetween 1200 and 900 BC – between 500 and 250 BC · Latin America
Talaiotic culture of the Balearic Islandsbetween 1000 and 850 BC – 123 BC · Western and Central Europe
Castro culture of north-western Iberiac. 900 BC – between 100 and 1 BC · Western and Central Europe
Paracas culture of southern Perubetween 840 and 800 BC – c. 100 BC · Latin America
Adena burial and mound-building traditionsc. 1000 BC – c. 100 · North America
Dong Son culture and bronze-drum networksc. 1000 BC – c. 100 · Southeast Asia and Oceania
Tagar culture of the Minusinsk Basinc. 800 BC – between 200 and 1 BC · Central and Northern Asia
Sa Huỳnh culturec. 1000 BC – c. 200 · Southeast Asia and Oceania
Tchefuncte culture of the Lower Mississippic. 800 BC – c. 1 · North America
Groswater Palaeo-Eskimo culture of Labrador and Newfoundlandbetween 850 and 800 BC – c. 50 · North America
La Tène culture: the Celtic Iron Age north of the Alpsc. 450 BC – between 100 BC and AD 15 · Western and Central Europe
Khao Sam Kaeo: an early port on the Kra isthmusbetween 400 and 300 BC – c. 100 BC · Southeast Asia and Oceania
Buni culture on Java’s north coastc. 400 BC – c. 100 · Southeast Asia and Oceania
The Chupícuaro culture of the Lerma riverbetween 600 and 400 BC – between 200 and 250 · Latin America
The Tumaco–La Tolita culture: the first platinum smithsc. 350 BC – c. 400 · Latin America
The Urewe tradition: pottery and early iron-working in the Great Lakes regionbetween 800 and 500 BC – between 600 and 800 · Africa

Years of this century in the atlas

300 BC280 BC260 BC202 BC