200s BC (decade)

This article concerns the 200 BC decade, that lasted from 209 BC to 200 BC.

Millennium
1st millennium BC
Centuries
Decades
  • 220s BC
  • 210s BC
  • 200s BC
  • 190s BC
  • 180s BC
Years
  • 209 BC
  • 208 BC
  • 207 BC
  • 206 BC
  • 205 BC
  • 204 BC
  • 203 BC
  • 202 BC
  • 201 BC
  • 200 BC
Categories
  • Births
  • Deaths
  • Establishments
Map of the Eastern Hemisphere in 200 BC.

Events

209 BC

By place
Roman Republic
Seleucid Empire
  • The King of the Parthians, Arsaces II, is attacked by the Seleucid king Antiochus III, who takes Hecatompylos (southeast of the Caspian Sea), the Arsacid capital and Syrinx in Hyrcania. Antiochus III defeats Arsaces II at the Battle of Mount Labus and then forces Arsaces II to enter into an alliance with the Seleucids.
Greece
  • As strategos of the Achaeans, the Greek general Philopoemen is responsible for turning the Achaean League into an aggressive military power. He builds up the League's military capability. The Achaean League's army and cavalry under Philopoemen then defeat the Aetolians on the Elean frontier.
China
  • Jiao, Lord of Wey is deposed by Emperor Qin Er Shi, marking the end of the state of Wei
  • In August, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang begin an uprising to oppose Qin
  • The rebels restore the monarchies of Chu, Qi, Yan, Zhao, Wei and (in 208) Han.
  • The Qin general Zhang Han defeats an invasion of Guanzhong by the rebel general Zhou Wen.
  • Wu Guang is killed by his own officers, and Zhang Han defeats Chen Sheng, who is killed by an attendant while in flight.[1]
  • Having helped to conquer Baiyue in northern Vietnam and southern China for the Qin dynasty, the general Zhao Tuo uses the rebellions against the Qin to establish his own independent kingdom in Nanyue, and conquers the neighboring provinces of Guilin and Xiang. He declares himself King Wu of Nanyue.[2]
Central Asia

208 BC

By place
Roman Republic
Seleucid Empire
  • Antiochus III advances into Bactria, which is ruled by the Greco-Bactrian king Euthydemus I, and defeats Euthydemus at the Battle of the Arius. After resisting a siege of his capital Bactra (Balkh) by the Seleucids, Euthydemus obtains an honourable peace by which Antiochus promises Euthydemus' son Demetrius the hand of one of his daughters.
China
  • Zhang Han defeats and kills the rebel leader Xiang Liang in the Battle of Dingtao.
  • Qin Prime Minister Li Si is executed by Qin Er Shi, having been conspired against by the eunuch Zhao Gao, who replaces him as Prime Minister.
  • Zhang Han seizes the Zhao capital Handan and besieges its king Zhao Xie in Julu.
  • Xiang Liang's nephew Xiang Yu seizes control of Liang's army.[3]

207 BC

By place
Roman Republic
Greece
  • The general leading the Achaean League, Philopoemen, introduces heavier Macedonian armour and phalanx tactics. His army then crushes the Spartans under the Spartan regent and general, Machanidas, in the battle of Mantinea. Machanidas is killed by Philopoemen during the battle.
  • Nabis, a Syrian sold into slavery, rises to power in Sparta and becomes regent of the young Spartan king, Pelops, following the death of Machanidas. Nabis soon overthrows Pelops, claiming to be a descendant of the Eurypontid Spartan king Demaratus. Nabis then starts a social revolution which will lead to the freeing of all the helots, the destruction of the ruling oligarchy, the redistribution of land and the cancelling of debts.
Vietnam
China
  • The Chu rebel Xiang Yu defeats the Qin general Zhang Han in the Battle of Julu and becomes the leader of the rebellion against the Qin dynasty.
  • Xiang Yu defeats Zhang Han in the Battle of the Yushui River. Zhang Han then surrenders to Xiang Yu.
  • Emperor Qin Er Shi of the Qin dynasty is assassinated by Prime Minister Zhao Gao. He is replaced by his nephew Ziying, who in turn assassinates Zhao Gao. Ziying takes power as the king of Qin rather than as emperor.
  • The Chu rebel Liu Bang invades Guanzhong. After another military defeat, Ziying surrenders to Liu, who then occupies the Qin capital Xianyang. This marks the end of the Qin dynasty.[4]

206 BC

By place
Roman Republic
Carthage
  • Hasdrubal Gisco retreats to the coast and then crosses to North Africa, where he gives his daughter in marriage to Syphax, king of the Numidian Masaesyli tribe, to formalize their military alliance.
  • After being an ally of Carthage and fighting with them, Numidian chieftain, Masinissa switches sides when the Carthaginians are driven from Spain and offers to assist Rome. Syphax expels his rival Masinissa and claims himself to be King of Numidia. The Romans support Masinissa's claim to the Numidian throne against Syphax, the pro-Carthaginian ruler of the Masaesyli tribe.
Persia
Greece
  • The war between Macedonia and Rome drags on with no decisive advantage on either side. Rome's interest lies not in conquest, but in keeping Macedon, the Greek city-states and Greek political leagues continually divided and non-threatening.
  • Philip V of Macedon is able to take advantage of Roman inactivity. After sacking Thermum, the religious and political centre of Aetolia, Philip is able to force the Aetolians to accept a peace treaty based on his terms.
China
  • A period of civil war known as the Chu-Han contention begins.
  • Xiang Yu divides China in a power-sharing arrangement known as the Eighteen Kingdoms, with himself the de facto supreme ruler as Hegemon-King of Western Chu.
  • Xiang Yu appoints Huai II of Chu as Emperor Yi of China, but he has him assassinated later in the year.
  • Liu Bang, as the newly appointed king of Hanzhong, and his new General-in-Chief Han Xin, invade Guanzhong, defeat the king of Yong, Zhang Han, and conquer the lands of the Three Qins, thus beginning hostilities with Xiang Yu.
  • Liu Bang makes Yueyang his capital and begins to expand his realm into the Central Plain.
  • Xiang Yu campaigns against a rebellion in Qi.[5]
  • The Jian and Dao swords are created during this time (approximate date).

205 BC

By place
Seleucid Empire
Greece
Roman Republic
Egypt
  • The native Egyptian population rises in rebellion against their Greek rulers. The revolt spreads to Upper Egypt.
  • Ptolemy IV dies and is succeeded by his five-year-old son Ptolemy V. However, no public announcement is made about the king's death.
China
  • Xiang Yu defeats Liu Bang in the Battle of Pengcheng.
  • Han Xin captures Feiqiu, the last holdout of Zhang Han, thus completing the Han conquest of the Three Qins. Zhang Han commits suicide.
  • Han Xin defeats Wei Bao and conquers the kingdom of Wei.
  • Xiang Yu besieges Liu Bang's forces in Xingyang and Chenggao.
  • Han Xin begins the conquest of Dai and Zhao, and he defeats Chen Yu in the Battle of Jingxing.
  • Ying Bu, the king of Jiujiang, allies with Liu Bang.[7]
Northern Asia
  • The Xiongnu leader, Modu Chanyu, conquers the neighbouring nomadic Yuezhi and Donghu peoples, thereby establishing the Xiongnu Empire. He appoints a Tuqi King of the left (east) and a Tuqi King of the right (west) to prevent rebellions.[8]

204 BC

By place
Carthage
Egypt
  • The late Egyptian King Ptolemy IV's clique of favourites, led by Sosibius, Ptolemy's chief minister, keeps Ptolemy's death a secret, fearing retribution from the new king Ptolemy V's mother, Queen Arsinoe III. They arrange for the murder of Arsinoe, and then the five-year-old king is officially elevated to the throne with Sosibius as his guardian. Arsinoe has been popular with the Egyptian population so rioting follows the news of her assassination.
Roman Republic
Seleucid Empire
China
  • Han Xin completes the conquest of Zhao and receives the surrender of Yan. He captures the Zhao capital of Handan and defeats Chu relief forces sent by Xiang Yu.
  • Han Xin invades the State of Qi, defeats Qi's armies, captures their capital Linzi and crushes a coalition army of Chu and Qi forces under Long Ju in the Battle of the Wei River.[10][11]

203 BC

By place
Carthage
  • The Roman general, Publius Cornelius Scipio, while undertaking peace negotiations with the Carthaginians at Utica, makes a surprise attack on the Carthaginian camp and destroys it. Then, sweeping down on the forces that the Carthaginians and their allies, the Numidians, are trying to muster on the Great Plains near the upper Bagradas River (in modern Tunisia), he smashes that army in the Battle of the Great Plains. The Numidian king, Syphax, and the Carthaginian leader, Hasdrubal Gisco, manage to escape separately.
  • The Roman general, Gaius Laelius, and Rome's Numidian ally, Masinissa, follow Syphax towards Cirta, the Numidian capital. In the pursuit, Syphax is captured after his badly wounded horse throws him off. He is delivered to Scipio and is made a prisoner of the Romans, dying in the Italian town of Alba Fucens later in the year.
  • Masinissa becomes king of both the Massyli and the Massaesyli tribes in Numidia and remains a loyal ally to the Romans.
  • Hasdrubal Gisco persuades the Carthaginians to raise a new army and to send for Hannibal to return home from Italy. Hannibal finally leaves Italy and returns to Carthage.
  • The Carthaginian general, Mago Barca, is defeated and wounded by the Romans in the Battle of Insubria. He dies of his wounds on the return voyage to Carthage.
  • A preliminary armistice between Carthage and Rome is declared and the Carthaginian armies accept Scipio's severe terms. However, on his return to Carthage, Hannibal concentrates the remnants of the Carthaginian forces at Hadrumetum (modern Sousse, Tunisia) and prepares them for battle.
China
  • Han Xin completes the conquest of Qi, and Liu Bang appoints him as its king.
  • After Xiang Yu fails to persuade Han Xin to remain neutral, Han Xin and Liu Bang launch a five-pronged invasion of Chu. They decisively defeat Xiang Yu in the Battle of Chen and the Battle of Gaixia.
  • Xiang Yu flees toward Wuyue and, pursued by Han cavalry, commits suicide.[12]

202 BC

By place
Carthage
Roman Republic
Egypt
  • The Egyptian regent and chief minister, Sosibius, retires and Agathocles, another member of the ruling clique, becomes Ptolemy V's guardian.
  • Agathocles rule provokes Tlepolemus, the governor of Pelusium (Egypt's eastern frontier city), into action. Tlepolemus marches on Alexandria, where his supporters rouse a mob, compelling Agathocles to resign.
  • The Egyptian boy king, Ptolemy V, is encouraged by a mob clamouring for revenge against the murderers of his mother Arsinoe III to agree to Agathocles being killed. As a result, the mob searches out and butchers Agathocles and his family. Tlepolemus takes Agathocles' place as regent. However, he soon proves to be incompetent and is removed.
  • During this period of confusion and change amongst Egypt’s leadership, armies under the Seleucid king, Antiochus III, make serious inroads into the Egyptian territories in Coele-Syria.
China
  • Liu Bang and Han Xin defeat the remaining loyalists of Xiang Yu.
  • 28 February: Liu Bang declares himself Supreme Emperor of China, officially beginning the Han dynasty.
  • Liu Bang appoints Han Xin the king of Chu, but he deposes him later in the year after accusing him of disloyalty.
  • The construction of the new Chinese capital Chang'an begins.
  • Liu Bang gives the area of today's Fujian province to Wuzhu as his kingdom. Wuzhu starts the construction of his own capital Ye (Fuzhou).
  • The construction of Changsha begins.
  • The armies of Han, led by Fan Kuai, suppress a rebellion by the State of Yan, defeating its king Zang Tu.[14]

201 BC

By place
Carthage
  • On Hannibal's advice, Carthage sues for peace with the Romans, ending the Second Punic War. Carthage is reduced to a client state of Rome. In the peace treaty between Carthage and Rome, Carthage surrenders all her Mediterranean possessions to Rome, including her Iberian territories. The Carthaginians agree to pay Rome 200 talents per year for 50 years, allow Masinissa to rule Numidia as an independent kingdom, make no war without Rome's permission, and destroy all but 10 of the Carthaginian warships.
  • Following the conclusion of the peace with Rome, Hannibal is elected as suffet, or chief magistrate, of Carthage. The office has over the years become insignificant in Carthaginian politics, but Hannibal restores its power and authority. He sets out to reform the administration and finances of Carthage and reduce the power of the oligarchy which has ruled Carthage before and during the Second Punic War.
Roman Republic
  • The Romans oust the Carthaginians from Malta.
  • In Rome, according to the Roman historian Livy, land is distributed to veterans of the Second Punic War. This is the first documented instance of a practice that later becomes commonplace.
Greece
China

200 BC

By place
Seleucid Empire
Greece
Roman Republic
Bactria
South America
China

By topic
Art
Astronomy
  • The first good measurement of the distance between Earth and the Sun is made by Eratosthenes (approximate date). By studying lunar eclipses, his result is roughly 150 000 000 km. The currently accepted value is 149 597 870 691 ± 30 metres.

Births

208 BC

  • Liu Ruyi, Chinese prince and only son of the first Han emperor Liu Bang (d. 194 BC)
  • Polybius, Greek historian, famous for his book called "The Histories" or "The Rise of the Roman Empire", covering in detail the period between 220 and 146 BC (d. 120 BC)

200 BC

  • Chao Cuo, Chinese political advisor and official (approximate date)
  • Gongsun Hong, Chinese statesman and chancellor (d. 121 BC)
  • Jia Yi, Chinese statesman and poet (d. 170 BC)
  • Wen, Chinese emperor of the Han dynasty (d. 157 BC)

Deaths

209 BC

208 BC

  • Marcus Claudius Marcellus, Roman general who has captured Syracuse during the Second Punic War and has become known as "the sword of Rome" (b. 268 BC)
  • Li Si, Chinese philosopher and politician (assassinated) (b. 280 BC)

207 BC

206 BC

205 BC

204 BC

  • Arsinoe III, queen of Egypt, sister and wife of Ptolemy IV (assassinated) (b. c. 246 BC)
  • Dong Yi, Chinese general of the Qin Dynasty and conferred with the title of "King of Di"
  • Fan Zeng, Chinese adviser during the Chu-Han Contention (206–202 BC) (b. 277 BC)
  • Gong Ao, Chinese ruler of the Eighteen Kingdoms during the Chu-Han Contention
  • Hanno the Elder, Carthaginian general executed by Scipio Africanus
  • Ji Xin, Chinese general during the Chu-Han Contention
  • Li Yiji, Chinese politician and adviser (b. 268 BC)
  • Long Ju, Chinese general and Grand Marshal
  • Ptolemy IV Philopator, king (Pharaoh) of Egypt
  • Sima Xin, Chinese general of the Qin Dynasty

203 BC

  • Mago Barca, Carthaginian general during the Second Punic War against Rome who has accompanied his brother Hannibal on the invasion of Italy (b. 243 BC)
  • Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus, Roman general and statesman whose cautious delaying tactics (which have led to his surname Cunctator, meaning "delayer") during the early stages of the Second Punic War have given Rome time to recover its strength and take the offensive against the invading Carthaginian army of Hannibal (b. c. 275 BC)
  • Syphax, Numidian king allied with the Carthaginians during the Second Punic War against Rome

202 BC

201 BC

  • Gnaeus Naevius, Latin epic poet and dramatist, who has written historical plays (fabulae praetextae) that are based on Roman historical or legendary figures and events (b. c. 264 BC).[18]
  • Zhongli Mo, Chinese general during the Chu–Han Contention.

200 BC

References
  1. Hung, Hing Ming (2011). The Road to the Throne: How Liu Bang Founded China's Han Dynasty. pp. 21–32. ISBN 978-0875868387.
  2. Hung, Hing Ming (2020). The Magnificent Emperor Wu: China's Han Dynasty. p. 175. ISBN 978-1628944167.
  3. Hung, Hing Ming (2011). The Road to the Throne: How Liu Bang Founded China's Han Dynasty. pp. 32–54. ISBN 978-0875868387.
  4. Hung, Hing Ming (2011). The Road to the Throne: How Liu Bang Founded China's Han Dynasty. pp. 54–73. ISBN 978-0875868387.
  5. Hung, Hing Ming (2011). The Road to the Throne: How Liu Bang Founded China's Han Dynasty. pp. 73–111. ISBN 978-0875868387.
  6. Walbank, Frank William (1940). Philip V of Macedon. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 104. OCLC 491231292.
  7. Hung, Hing Ming (2011). The Road to the Throne: How Liu Bang Founded China's Han Dynasty. New York: Algora Publishing. pp. 111–131. ISBN 978-0-87586-838-7.
  8. Qian, Sima. Records of the Grand Historian, Section: Xiongnu.
  9. Stambaugh, John E. (1988). The Ancient Roman City. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 28. ISBN 0-8018-3574-7.
  10. Hung, Hing Ming (2011). The Road to the Throne: How Liu Bang Founded China's Han Dynasty. pp. 128–148. ISBN 978-0875868387.
  11. Qian, Sima. Records of the Grand Historian, Section: Han Xin, Section: Jin She.
  12. Hung, Hing Ming (2011). The Road to the Throne: How Liu Bang Founded China's Han Dynasty. pp. 148–163. ISBN 978-0875868387.
  13. LeGlay, Marcel; Voisin, Jean-Louis; Le Bohec, Yann (2001). A History of Rome (Second ed.). Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell. p. 79. ISBN 0-631-21858-0.
  14. Hung, Hing Ming (2011). The Road to the Throne: How Liu Bang Founded China's Han Dynasty. pp. 163–186. ISBN 978-0875868387.
  15. Walbank, Frank William (1940). Philip V of Macedon. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 340. OCLC 491231292.
  16. Yao, Yifeng (2016). Nanjing: Historical Landscape and Its Planning from Geographical Perspective. Singapore: Springer. p. 47. ISBN 978-9-81101-637-0.
  17. Walbank, Frank William (1940). Philip V of Macedon. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 340. OCLC 491231292.
  18. Thorburn, John E. (2005). The Facts On File Companion to Classical Drama. New York: Facts On File. p. 361. ISBN 978-0-81607-498-3.
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