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| c. 270 BC |
| | | On the small Greek island of Samos an astronomer, Aristarchus, comes to the startling conclusion that the earth is in orbit round the sun | |
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| 264 BC |
| | | A clash in Sicily, between Rome and Carthage, leads to the First Punic War | |
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| 264 BC |
| | | The first gladiatorial contests in Rome are part of the entertainment at a funeral, and soon become popular | |
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| c. 260 BC |
| | | The 500,000 scrolls in the library at Alexandria are listed in a catalogue, which itself runs to 120 scrolls | |
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| 260 BC |
| | | A Carthaginian quinquereme, captured by the Romans, is used as the model for the first Roman fleet - constructed in two months | |
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| 260 BC |
| | | The new Roman fleet wins a decisive victory over the Carthaginians at Mylae, thanks largely to the 'raven' (corvus in Latin) | |
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| c. 250 BC |
| | | The organ, using a mechanical device to pump air through a set of musical pipes, is invented in Alexandria by Ctesibius | |
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| c. 250 BC |
| | | Archimedes (it is said) leaps out of his bath shouting eureka ('I have found it') when he perceives how to test for relative density | |
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| c. 250 BC |
| | | Asoka, extending his rule over much of India, proclaims his Buddhist faith on pillars and in rock inscriptions | |
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| c. 250 BC |
| | | The Chinese develop the crossbow, many centuries before its use in Europe | |
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