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183 BC

Hannibal, the great Carthaginian general, commits suicide at the court of Prusia I, the ruler of Bithyna.

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184 BC

Cato the Elder is elected censor along with Lucius Valerius Flaccus, and initiates a number of unpopular reforms and crackdowns. He expels seven members of the Senate; one of them, a Manilius, for having "embraced his wife" during the day in the presence of their daughter (David Matz notes that the Greek verb periplakenai may have meant a more intimate sort of activity).

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186 BC

The Roman Senate passes a law (the Senatus consultum de Bacchanalibus) prohibiting Bacchanalia — or the worship of Bacchus — except under certain circumstances that required the approval of the Senate. The decree proves ineffective.

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188 BC

In Italy, the city of Forlì is founded.

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190 BC

- Battle of the Eurymedon: Roman forces under Lucius Aemilius Regillus defeat a Seleucid fleet commanded by Hannibal, fighting his last battle.
- Battle of Myonessus: Another Seleucid fleet is defeated by the Romans under Lucius Regillus.

Re: Event of the Year
 

192 BC

Rome declares war upon Antiochus III the Great, king of Syria.

Rome

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194 BC

Construction of the first city wall of Chang'an began.

Asia

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196 BC

A new category of Roman priests, the tresviri epulones, are elected to supervise the feasts of the gods; the first three are Gaius Licinius Lucullus, Publius Manlius, and Publius Porcius Laeca.

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197 BC

Roman Spain is divided into two provinces

Rome

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198 BC

Battle of Panium Antiochus III the Great secures the conquest of Coele-Syria and Judea from Egypt with this victory.

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200 BC

= Roman forces defeat the Gauls of Cisalpine Gaul in the Battle of Cremona.
= The bacchanalia are wild and mystic festivals of the Roman god Bacchus which are introduced into Rome from lower Italy by way of Etruria.

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202 BC

Accused of treason by the Carthaginians after being defeated by the Romans at the Battle of the Great Plains, Hasdrubal Gisco commits suicide to avoid being lynched by a Carthaginian mob.

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204 BC

The Battle of Crotona is fought between Hannibal's Carthaginian army, and a Roman force led by Publius Sempronius Tuditanus, with no decisive outcome for either side.

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205 BC

The Peace of Phoenice prohibits Philip from expanding westward into Illyria or the Adriatic Sea, so the king turns his attentions eastwards to the Aegean Sea, where he starts to build a large fleet. After concluding the First Macedonian War, Philip of Macedon, seeing his chance to defeat Rhodes, forms an alliance with Aetolian and Spartan pirates who begin raiding Rhodian ships. The Cretan War begins between Philips' Macedonians, the Aetolian League, several Cretan cities (of which Olous and Hierapytna are the most important) and Spartan pirates against the forces of Rhodes and later Attalus I of Pergamum, Byzantium, Cyzicus, Athens and Knossos.

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206 BC

The city of Italica (north west of modern Seville, Spain) is founded by Scipio as a place to settle for the Roman soldiers wounded in the Battle of Ilipa

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207 BC

Emperor Qin Er Shi of the Qin Dynasty is assassinated by his chief eunuch Zhao Gao. He is replaced by his nephew Ziying, who in turn assassinates Zhao Gao.

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208 BC

The Chinese general Zhang Han of the Qin Dynasty pacifies a peasant rebellion led by Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, and then lays siege to the rebel city of Julu.

China

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210 BC

Following the death of his father, Publius Cornelius Scipio, and his uncle, Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus, at the hands of the Carthaginians, the young Publius Cornelius Scipio takes over command of the Roman troops in Spain. His appointment reflects the Roman Senate's dissatisfaction with the cautious strategy of the propraetor, Gaius Claudius Nero, then commander in Spain north of the Ebro.

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212 BC

Publius Licinius Crassus Dives is elected "pontifex maximus" over more distinguished candidates, despite never having held any major offices. He will hold this position until his death.

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214 BC

Philip V of Macedon attempts an invasion of Illyria by sea with a fleet of 120 craft. He captures Oricum and, sailing up the Aous (modern Vjosë) river, he besieges Apollonia, Illyria.

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215 BC

Philip V of Macedon and Hannibal negotiate an alliance under which they pledge mutual support and defence. Specifically, they agree to support each other against Rome, and that Hannibal shall have the right to make peace with Rome, but that any peace would include Philip and that Rome would be forced to give up control of Corcyra, Apollonia, Epidamnus, Pharos, Dimale, Parthini and Atintania and to restore to Demetrius of Pharos all his lands currently controlled by Rome.

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216 BC

# The Carthaginian general, Hannibal, moves his forces southward through Italy and seizes the large army supply depot at Cannae on the Aufidus River.

# 2 August — The Battle of Cannae (east of Naples) ends in victory for Hannibal whose 40,000-man army defeats a Roman force of 70,000 led by consuls Lucius Aemilius Paullus (who is killed in the battle) and Gaius Terentius Varro.

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# Hannibal sets out with around 40,000 men and 50 elephants from New Carthage (Cartagena) to northern Spain and then into the Pyrenees where his army meets with stiff resistance from the Pyrenean tribes. This opposition and the desertion of some of his Spanish troops greatly diminishes his numbers, but he reaches the Rhône River facing little resistance from the tribes of southern Gaul. After crossing the Rhône River and meeting with friendly Gallic leaders headed by the northern Italian Boii, whose knowledge of the Alpine passes are of assistance to Hannibal, the Carthaginians cross the Durance River. Hannibal's army approaches the Alps either by the Col de Grimone or the Col de Cabre, then through the basin of the Durance descending into the territory of the hostile Taurini, where Hannibal storms their chief town (modern Turin).

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220 BC

Together with fellow Illyrian, Scerdilaidas, Demetrius of Pharos attacks Illyrian cities under Roman protection and leads a piratical squadron into Greek waters. Together with the Aetolians, they unsuccessfully attack Pylos, an Achaean town on the Messenian coast, in the Peloponnesus of Greece.

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222 BC

Almost all of Greece falls under Macedonian suzerainty after Antigonus III re-establishes the Hellenic Alliance as a confederacy of leagues, with himself as president.

Greece

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224 BC

After the Spartan King Cleomenes III takes Pellene, Phlius and Argos, Aratus of Sicyon is forced to call upon King Antigonus III of Macedonia for assistance. Antigonus III's forces fail to pierce Cleomenes' lines near Corinth, but a revolt against Cleomenes at Argos put the Spartans on the defensive.

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226 BC

An earthquake destroys the city of Kameiros on the island of Rhodes and the Colossus of Rhodes.

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227 BC

Gaius Flaminius Nepos becomes Rome's first governor of Sicily.

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228 BC

The Illyrian Queen Teuta's governor, Demetrius of Pharos has little alternative but to surrender to the overwhelming Roman force. In return, the Romans award him a considerable part of Teuta's holdings to counter-balance the power of Teuta. Meanwhile, the Roman army lands farther north at Apollonia. The combined Roman army and fleet proceed northward together, subduing one town after another and besieging Shkodra, the Illyrian capital.

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330 BC

King Agron of Illyria dies. Pinnes, the son of Agron, and Agron's first wife Triteuta officially succeeds his father as king, but the kingdom is effectively ruled by Agron's second wife, Queen Teuta (Tefta), who expels the Greeks from the Illyrian coast and then launches Illyrian pirate ships into the Ionian Sea, preying on Roman shipping. She continues her husband's policy of attacking cities on the west coast of Greece and practising large-scale piracy in the Adriatic and Ionian Seas.

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332 BC

After a victory over the Samnites and Lucanians near Paestum, Alexander of Epirus makes a treaty with the Romans.

Italy

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334 bc

King Alexander III of Macedonia crosses the Dardanelles, leaving Antipater, who has already faithfully served his father, Philip II, as his deputy in Greece with over 13,000 men. Alexander himself commands about 30,000 foot soldiers and over 5,000 cavalry, of whom nearly 14,000 are Macedonians and about 7,000 are allies sent by the Greek League.

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336 BC

The Macedonian general Parmenion declares for Alexander III and assists in the murdering of the princes of the Lynkestis region, who are alleged to be behind Philip's murder, along with other possible rivals and members of factions opposed to Alexander. Olympias, Alexander's mother, has Philip's last wife Eurydice, her infant daughter and her influential uncle, Attalus, killed.

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337 BC

A plebeian is chosen to be praetor of Rome for the first time.

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339 BC

Philip II of Macedon decides to attack the Scythians, using as an excuse their reluctance to allow Philip to dedicate a statue of Heracles at the Danube estuary. The two armies clash on the plains of modern-day Dobruja. The ninety-year-old King of the Scythians, Ateas, is killed during the battle and his army is routed.

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341 BC

The First Samnite War ends with Rome triumphant and the Samnites willing to make peace. The war is ended with a hasty peace agreement, owing to a revolt by Rome's Latin allies, who resent their dependence on the dominant city. Despite its brevity, the First Samnite War results in the major acquisition by Rome of the rich land of Campania with its capital of Capua.

Roman Republic

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343 BC

The most powerful group of the native tribes in highland Italy, the confederated Samnites, swarm down into Campania. The citizens of the city of Capua appeal to Rome for help in settling their internal quarrels and to save their city from destruction from the Samnites. The Romans respond, which beings the First Samnite War.

Roman Republic

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344 BC

The Greek philosopher and scientist, Aristotle, travels from Assus to Lesbos to study natural history, especially marine biology.

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346 BC

The Peace of Philocrates is signed between Macedonia and Athens. The document agrees to a return to the status-quo, but Philip II of Macedon keeps the right to punish the Phocians for starting the Sacred War.

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347 BC

Coinage is introduced into Rome for the first time

Roman Republic

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349 BC

After recovering from illness, Philip II of Macedon turns his attention to the remaining Athenian controlled cities in Macedonia and to the city of Olynthus, in particular. The Athenians organise to send help.