istoryworld
Events relating to asia
Indian cavalrymen ride with their big toes in loops of leather or fabric - a first step towards the stirrup
The oasis city of Palmyra acquires importance on the caravan route between Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean
Hannibal, to avoid falling into Roman hands, commits suicide in the Bithynian town of Libyssa
The Yuezhi, defeated by the Xiongnu, move west - before eventually descending into Bactria and northwest India
Parchment is invented by Eumenes II, king of Pergamum, according to traditional accounts
Antiochus IV places a statue of Zeus above the altar of the Temple in Jerusalem, provoking violent reactions from the Jews
The Jewish leader Judas the Maccabee captures Jerusalem and cleanses the Temple
Simon the Maccabee is appointed high priest of the Temple in Jerusalem, with the position declared hereditary in his family
The priestly Sadducees are confronted in the Sanhedrin by a new opposition party - the Pharisees
Zhang Qian, a Chinese diplomat, begins a spell of twelve years as a captive of the nomadic horde, the Xiongnu
Zhang Qian reaches Bactria and is the first to bring news of western Asia back to China
Under the Han dynasty the Confucians become the official civil servants in China, with entry to the service regulated by examination
Antipater, a Greek author living on the Phoenician coast, lists the seven wonders of the world
Sima Qian undertakes (and carries through against unusual odds) a major survey of Chinese history
A caravan leaves China with goods destined for Persia - proof that the eastern half of the Silk Road is now open
The Essenes, a Jewish sect, withdraw from secular life to form monastic communities in the desert
Hindu temple sculptors develop a sinuous and full-bodied style for the naked female form
The Parthians develop the site of Ctesiphon, on the east bank of the Tigris opposite Seleucia
The practice of acupuncture is described in Nei Qing, a Chinese medical text
To escape from Italy Caesar joins the army, and serves in Asia with distinction (winning the Civic Crown for courage in action)
Pompey takes Antioch and brings Syria under control as a Roman province
The Roman annexation of Syria brings the Silk Road all the way to the Mediterranean
Pompey captures Jerusalem, bringing Judaea under Roman control
Silla becomes the first of the three kingdoms of Korea, followed by Koguryo in 37 BC and Paekche in 18 BC
Crasssus is killed at Carrhae, in Turkey, when the Parthians defeat his army, largely thanks to their brilliance as mounted archers
