The 2nd century BC started the first day of
200 BC and ended the last day of
101 BC. It is considered part of the
Classicalera, although depending on the region being studied, other terms may be more suitable. It is also considered to be the end of the
Axial Age.[1] In the context of the
Eastern Mediterranean, it is the mid-point of the
Hellenistic period.
Fresh from its victories in the
Second Punic War, the
Roman Republic continued its expansion in the western Mediterranean, campaigning in the
Iberian peninsula throughout the century and annexing the
North African coast after the destruction of the city of
Carthage at the end of the
Third Punic War. They became the dominant force in the
Aegean by destroying
AntigonidMacedonia in the
Macedonian Wars and
Corinth in the
Achaean War. The Hellenistic kingdoms of
Ptolemaic Egypt and
Attalid Pergamon entered into subordinate relationships with the Romans – Pergamon was eventually annexed. The end of the century witnessed the evolution of the
Roman army from a citizen army into a voluntary professional force, which later scholars would misattribute to putative reforms by noted general and statesman
Gaius Marius (the so-called
Marian Reforms).
c.
200 BC: In ancient Philippines, the archipelago's indigenous people began to increase their contact with other nations in Southeast and East Asia, resulting in the establishment of fragmented city-states-like polities formed by complex sociopolitical units known as barangay or
barangay states.[4]
(March 27) Upon reaching the age of 14,
Ptolemy V Epiphanes is crowned as the
King of Egypt at
Memphis. The decree made in conjunction with the coronation, dated the first day of the Egyptian month of Pharmouthi, is written in the
Egyptian language in both
hieroglyphics and in
demotic script, as well as in
Greek on the
Rosetta Stone, providing the key to deciphering the hieroglyphics almost 20 centuries later.[9]
(June 1) In China,
Emperor Gaozu of Han dies and is succeeded by his 15-year-old son
Prince Liu Ying. As the second
Han dynasty ruler, Liu Ying is given the regnal name of Emperor Hui and reigns until his death in 188 BC at the age of 22. However, the true resides with his mother, the
Empress Lü Zhi, who serves as the Regent as widow of Gaozu.
(April 4) — The first
Games of Megalesia and a festival are held in Rome after games were promised in honor of
Cybele following Rome's triumph over Carthage in the
Punic Wars. The festival and games last seven full days, closing on April 10.[12]
(February)— Antiochus, the son of Antiochus III and co-regent for the Seleucid throne since 209 BC, dies; according to cuneiform tablets, news reaches Babylon sometime during the month of Addara after April 8.[14]
(November) — Antiochus III leads an army into Greece to challenge Roman control, at the invitation of the
Aetolians, starting the
Roman-Syrian War.[15][16]
188 BC: (September 26)
Prince Liu Gong, the 5-year old younger brother of Emperor Hui becomes the third
Han dynasty Emperor of China upon his brother's death, taking the regnal name of Emperor Qianshao. Because of his minority, his grandmother, Empress Lü continues as the actual ruler and serves as the regent.
184 BC: (June 15)
Emperor Qianshao of Han, the 11-year old nominal ruler of China, is removed, imprisoned and then put to death on order of his grandmother, Empress Lü.
Prince Liu Hong, the brother of Qianshao, is installed by the regent as the new Emperor, under the name of Emperor Houshao.
180 BC: (November 14)
Lü Clan Disturbance: with the death of
Empress Lü of China, the nominal
Houshao is killed along with the rest of the Lü Clan. Another son of Gaozu, the first Han emperor,
Prince Liu Heng, becomes the fifth Han emperor and takes the name of Emperor Wen.
175 BC: (September 3) Upon the assassination of Seleucus IV Philopator, his brother
Antiochus IV Epiphanes takes possession of the Seleucid throne.[27]
171 BC: At the prompting of the Attalid king Eumenes II, the Romans declare war on Perseus, beginning the
Third Macedonian War.[28]
141 BC (March 9):
Emperor Jing of Han dies and is succeeded by his son
Prince Liu Che, who is enthroned as the Emperor Wu and begins a 54-year reign. The new emperor's attempts at reform are immediately stymied by
his grandmother.
130 BC: Greek astronomer
Hipparchus continues lifelong studies, becoming the first to calculate the precession of moon and sun and to create a sizable catalog of stars.
The
Fibonacci numbers and their sequence first appear in Indian mathematics as mātrāmeru, mentioned by
Pingala in connection with the Sanskrit tradition of prosody.[30]
Pingala was the first who accidentally discovered binary numbers in which he used laghu(light) and guru(heavy) rather than 0 and 1.
Tube drawn technology:
Indians used tube drawn technology for glass bead manufacturing which was first developed in the 2nd century BCE
^Green, Peter (1990). Alexander to Actium : the historical evolution of the Hellenistic age. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 304.
ISBN978-0-520-08349-3.
^Willy Clarysse, Dorothy J. Thompson, Ulrich Luft, Counting the People in Hellenistic Egypt, Volume 2, Historical Studies (Cambridge University Press, 2006) p263
^Bernard Mineo, A Companion to Livy (Wiley, 2014) p412 (drawn by author from
Polybius and
Livy
^Walbank, F. W. (1992). The Hellenistic world ([Rev.] ed.). London: Fontana. p. 98.
ISBN0-00-686104-0.
^
abAlan K. Bowman, Egypt After the Pharaohs, 332 BC-AD 642: From Alexander to the Arab Conquest (University of California Press, 1989), p30
^Errington, R. M. (1989). "Rome against Philip and Antiochus". In Astin, A. E.; Walbank, F. W.; Frederiksen, M. W.; Ogilvie, R. M. (eds.). The Cambridge Ancient History 8: Rome and the Mediterranean to 133 BC (Second ed.). Cambridge [England]: Cambridge University Press. p. 271.
ISBN978-0-521-23448-1.
^Cartledge, Paul; Spawforth, A. (2002). Hellenistic and Roman Sparta : a tale of two cities (2nd ed.). London: Routledge. pp. 74–79.
ISBN0-415-26277-1.
^Eckart Kèohne, Gladiators and Caesars: The Power of Spectacle in Ancient Rome (University of California Press, 2000) p10
^Kim, Jinwung (2012). A history of Korea : from "Land of the Morning Calm" to states in conflict. Bloomington, Indiana. p. 16.
ISBN978-0-253-00024-8.{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link)
^T. Boiy, Late Achaemenid and Hellenistic Babylon (Peeters Publishers, 2004) p157
^Bringmann, Klaus (2007). A history of the Roman republic. Cambridge, UK: Polity. p. 91.
ISBN978-0-7456-3371-8.
^Walbank, F. W. (1992). The Hellenistic world ([Rev.] ed.). London: Fontana. p. 237.
ISBN0-00-686104-0.
^Grainger, John D. (2002). The Roman war of Antiochos the Great. Leiden: Brill. pp. 240–246.
ISBN978-90-04-12840-8.
^Grainger, John D. (2002). The Roman war of Antiochos the Great. Leiden: Brill. pp. 320–329.
ISBN978-90-04-12840-8.
^Grainger, John D. (2002). The Roman war of Antiochos the Great. Leiden: Brill. pp. 341–344.
ISBN978-90-04-12840-8.
^Hölbl, Günther (2013). A History of the Ptolemaic Empire. p. 156.
ISBN978-1-135-11983-6.
^Thapar, Romila (2013). The past before us : historical traditions of early north India (First Harvard University Press ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts. p. 296.
ISBN978-0-674-72651-2.{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link)
^Harris, W. V. (1989). "Roman Expansion in the West". In Astin, A. E.; Walbank, F. W.; Frederiksen, M. W.; Ogilvie, R. M. (eds.). The Cambridge Ancient History 8: Rome and the Mediterranean to 133 BC (Second ed.). Cambridge [England]: Cambridge University Press. p. 125.
ISBN978-0-521-23448-1.
^Joseph Needham, Science and Civilization in China: Volume 4, Physics and Physical Technology, Part 2, Mechanical Engineering (Cambridge University Press, 1985) p118