阳土鼠年 (male Earth-
Rat) −85 or −466 or −1238 — to — 阴土牛年 (female Earth-
Ox) −84 or −465 or −1237
Year 212 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 Pulcher (or, less frequently, year 542 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 212 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the
Anno Dominicalendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.
Syphax, king of the western
Numidian tribe, the
Masaesyli, concludes an alliance with the Romans and they send military advisers to help Syphax train his soldiers. He then attacks the eastern Numidians (the
Massylii) ruled by
Gala, who is an ally of the Carthaginians. The
Carthaginian general
Hasdrubal travels to northern Africa from
Spain to stamp out the uprising by the Numidians.
Having recovered the central part of
Anatolia from the usurper
Achaeus,
Antiochus III turns his forces to recover the outlying provinces to the north and east of the
Seleucid kingdom.
Antiochus III gives his sister Antiochia in marriage to King
Xerxes of Armenia, who acknowledges Antiochus III's
suzerainty and pays him
tribute.
Roman Republic
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.
The
Roman soldiers billeted in
Tarentum so alienate the citizens of the city that conspirators admit the Carthaginian general
Hannibal to the city. The conspirators then defeat the Roman contingent in it. Hannibal keeps control of his troops so that looting is limited to Roman houses. The citadel in Tarentum remains under Roman control, which denies Hannibal the use of the harbour.
The Capuans then send an appeal for help to Hannibal. In response, Hannibal sends 2,000
Numidian cavalry as reinforcements to Capua. The combined Carthaginian forces defeat the Roman force led by Flaccus and Pulcher, the latter of whom will soon die of wounds he has sustained.
The
Battle of the Silarus is fought between Hannibal's army and a Roman force led by
praetor Marcus Centenius Penula. The Carthaginians are victorious, effectively destroying Centenius Penula's army.
The
Battle of Herdonia is fought between Hannibal's Carthaginian army and Roman forces who are laying siege to Herdonia led by praetor Gnaeus Fulvius Flaccus, brother of the consul, Quintus Fulvius Flaccus. The Roman army is destroyed, leaving
Apulia free of Romans for the year.
After a two year siege, Roman general,
Marcus Claudius Marcellus, gradually forces his way into
Syracuse and takes it in the face of strong Carthaginian reinforcements and despite the use of engines of war designed by the Greek mathematician and scientist
Archimedes (such as the
Claw of Archimedes).
Although Marcellus wishes to spare the lives of the Syracusans, he is unable to prevent the sack of the city by his soldiers, which includes the killing of
Archimedes. Marcellus carries off the art treasures of Syracuse to Rome, the first recorded instance of a practice which is to become common.
Archimedes of Syracuse,
Greek mathematician and scientist, who has calculated formulae for the areas and volumes of spheres, cylinders, parabolas and other plane and solid figures. He has also founded the science of
hydrostatics, including the principle of the upthrust on a floating body which has led to his cry, "Eureka". Thirdly, he has invented siege-engines for use against the
Romans and the
Archimedean screw to raise water (b. c.
287 BC)