阳土猴年 (male Earth-
Monkey) −185 or −566 or −1338 — to — 阴土鸡年 (female Earth-
Rooster) −184 or −565 or −1337
Year 312 BC was a year of the
pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Corvus and Mus (or, less frequently, year 442 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 312 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.
Events
By place
Cyrenaica
The people of
Cyrene in the
Cyrenaica rise up in a revolt against
Ptolemy, putting the Ptolemaic garrison, which occupies their citadel, under siege. After they execute Ptolemy's envoys, who came to bade them to cease their sedition, he sends Agis (one of his generals) with an army and Epaunetus (another general) with a fleet to put down the rebellion. Agis storms the city, captures the rebels, and sends the ringleaders to Alexandria.[1][2]
Cyprus
After putting down the revolt in Cyrene, Ptolemy sails to
Cyprus with a great force. He arrests the rulers of
Kition,
Lapethus,
Kyrenia, and
Marion for being too friendly towards
Antigonus and/or too hostile towards himself, he then establishes his friend
Nicocreon of Salamis as
strategos (governor-general) of Cyprus .[1][3]
At the end of the year,
Ptolemy invades
Antigonus' territories in Palestine with an army of 18,000 infantry and 4,000 cavalry. The resulting
Battle of Gaza leads to a triumph for Ptolemy over
Antigonus' son,
Demetrius.[5]
Demetrius rallies the remnants of his army at
Tripolis and summons reinforcements from the garrisons of upper Syria and
Cilicia; he also writes his father,
Antigonus, and urges him to send help. Meanwhile
Ptolemy captures
Acre,
Joppa,
Samaria and
Sidon, and starts to besiege
Tyre.[6]
Seleucus ceases his service to Ptolemy and returns to his former province, Babylonia. This event takes place on October 1 and becomes the starting point of the
Seleucid era.[7]
Asia Minor
At the start of the year,
Asander (
Antigonus' governor of
Caria) rebels, forcing Antigonus (wintering with his main army in
Phrygia) to invade Caria. Calling all his forces from their winter quarters, he divides them into four columns: the first is sent to take
Miletus; the second, under his nephew
Ptolemy, campaigns through central Caria from east to west; a third marches to and takes
Theangela; Antigonus himself with the main army campaigns from north to south capturing
Tralles,
Iasus and
Kaunos. Caria is taken in the space of weeks.[8]
Antigonus sends his nephew
Telesphoros with an army of 5,000 infantry and 500 cavalry to mainland
Greece to carry on the war against Cassander.[9]
Alcetas advances on the Macedonian garrison of
Acarnania under
Lyciscus, a general of
Cassander. Three battles are fought and a defeated Alcetas flees to a fortress in Epirus. Cassander marches the main Macedonian field army into Epirus and forces Alcetas to ally with him.[11]
Cassander marches on
Apollonia, which people had driven out his garrison with the help of the
Illyrians, but the Appolonians and Illyrians defeat him in battle, driving him out of western Greece for the time being.
The people of Epirus, tired of Alcetas (who ruled Epirus harshly), rose up and murdered him and his sons.
Telesphorus arrives in to the
Peloponnese and starts expelling
Cassander's garrisons. He successfully liberates all cities and towns that are being held for Cassander by
Polyperchon and his son
Alexander; all except
Sicyon and
Corinth who are being defended by Polyperchon and Alexander themselves.[12]
Cassander sails against the city of
Oreus on
Euboea with a fleet of 30 ships. He blockades its port trying to force the city's surrender.
Telesphorus comes to the aid of Oreus from the
Peloponnese with 20 ships and 1,000 infantry, while
Antigonid admiral
Medius sails to relieve Oreus with a 100 ships from
Asia Minor; they break Cassander's blockade.
Cassander receives reinforcements from Athens (under Thymochares the Sphettian, descendant of
Thymochares) and defeats Telesphoros' squadron.[13]
Antigonus sends his nephew
Ptolemy, whom he has made
Strategos of Greece, with 5,000 infantry, 500 cavalry and 150 warships (he had recalled and reinforced Medius' fleet) to take command of all Antigonid forces and affairs in Greece.[14]
Cassander abandons the siege of Oreus, concentrating his forces at
Chalcis to counter
Ptolemy who has landed at Bathys in
Boeotia and has been reinforced by the Boeotian League with 2,200 infantry and 1,300 cavalry.[15]
Antigonus marches his main field army to the
Hellespontine region threatening to invade Europe and attack Macedon, forcing Cassander to retreat to Macedon to prepare its defences.[16]
Antigonus arrives at the
Propontis and tries to negotiate an alliance with
Byzantium, but the city, at the urging of
Lysimachus, remains neutral; without it Antigonus gives up on the idea of crossing over into Europe.[17]
The
Corcyraeans come to the aid of
Apollonia and
Epidamus and help the Apollonians and the people of Epidamus to remove the garrisons Cassander put there. They free Apollonia, but give the city of Epidamus to the Illyrian king
Glaucias.[18]
Ptolemy captures
Chalcis, removes Cassander's garrison, but does not install a garrison of his own.
Eretria and
Carystus, both on
Euboea as well, join Antigonus' alliance. Ptolemy crosses over to mainland Greece and captures
Oropos, again removing Cassander's garrison, he then hands it over to Antigonus' ally, the
Boeotian League. After Oropos he invades
Attica putting pressure on
Athens to negotiate a truce. From Attica he marches on
Thebes, captures it and removes Cassander's garrison. He moves on to
Phocis, drives out Cassander's garrisons in that region as well, and moves into
Opuntian Locris, where he besieges
Opus.[19]
Telesphorus, who had been subordinated to Antigonus' other nephew
Ptolemy considered this an insult and ends his friendship with
Antigonus through betrayal.[20]
Telesphorus enters
Elis, fortifies its citadel, and enslaves the city. He then marches on
Olympia and plunders its sacred precinct collecting 500 talents; with his booty Telesphorus stars hiring mercenaries.[20]
Ptolemy soon restores the situation and persuades Telesphorus to give up his revolt.[21]
Sicily
Agathocles, tyrant of
Syracuse, increased the size of his forces until they surpassed the
Carthaginian garrison forces on the island.[22]
Carthage, concerned with Agathocles' increasing powers, decided to send 130 warships and 14,200 soldiers under the command of a general named Hamilcar (son of Gisco, grandson of
Hanno the Great).[23]
Hamilcar's fleet was caught by several storms which sank 60 warships and destroyed 200 transports.[24]
After landing on Sicily, Hamilcar gathered the remnants of his army, he also started to hire mercenaries, enlist those Sicilians opposed to Agathocles and enroll soldiers from the Carthaginian garrisons already on Sicily. In this way he was able to muster a large army.[25]
Agathocles, fearing
Gela would turn against him, took over the city, executed 4,000 leading Geloans he suspected of treason, and confiscated their property.[26]
Italy
The
Second Samnite War continues: there are rumours of a mobilisation of the
Etruscans; since the
consul Marcus Valerius Maximus Corvus is campaigning in
Samnium and his consular colleague
Publius Decius Mus is to ill to lead an army, the people appoint
Gaius Sulpicius Longus as
dictator. Sulpicius appoints
Gaius Junius Bubulcus Brutus as his
Magister Equitum (Second-in-command). Sulpicius ' mission is to defend against the Etruscan invasion which never materialize; Sulpicius and Brutus remain in camp at Rome until the end of the campaigning season.[27]
The
Roman censor,
Appius Claudius Caecus, a
patrician, enters office and begins construction of the
Appian Way (the
Via Appia) between
Rome and
Capua. He also embarks on a program of political reform, including the distribution of the landless citizens of Rome among the tribes, which at this time constitute basic political units. Appius also admits sons of freedmen into the
Roman Senate. He also asserts the right of freed slaves to hold office.
Rome gets its first pure drinking water as engineers complete the first aqueduct into the city, the
Aqua Appia.