istoryworld
All Events
Some 20 years after the death of Alexander the Great one of his generals, Ptolemy, extends his rule from Egypt to include Jerusalem
The Celts move across the Channel into Britain, soon becoming the dominant ethnic group in the island
Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma emerge as India's trio of main gods, with the Vedic religion of the Aryans evolving into Hinduism
The Greek author Theophrastus writes On the History of Plants, the earliest surviving work on botany
The flexibility of the Roman legion transforms the Greek phalanx into an even more effective fighting machine
Euclid, teaching at the museum in Alexandria, writes what becomes Europe's standard textbook on geometry
The people of Paracas, a coastal region of central Peru, create extremely sophisticated fabrics of woven cotton or vicuña wool
Vesta, goddess of the hearth, is served in Rome by virgin priestesses who tend the sacred flame in her shrine
The Indian epic of romance and adventure, the Ramayana, is probably the work of a single author at about this time
Epicurus postulates a universe of indestructible atoms in which man himself is responsible for achieving a balanced life
Phoenicia is brought into the new Hellenistic empire, changing hands frequently between contending successors of Alexander
In the Chinese religion of Taoism it is argued that species have developed in response to their environment
In Greece the philosopher Epicurus believes that the animals known to us today are those whose ancestors were best fit for survival
The Roman siege technique is improved by the 'tortoise' which protects the attacking force
Seleucus founds Antioch as a Greek city on the trade route between Mesopotamia and Europe
The Colossus, a giant statue of Helios the sun god, is erected beside the harbour of Rhodes
Pyrrhus lands in Italy, with 25,000 men and 20 elephants, to fight for the Greek colony of Tarentum against the Romans
The Jewish community of Alexandria coins the word diaspora for Jews living far from Israel
The Alexandrian school of medicine develops an alarming form of clinical anatomy – human vivisection
A great lighthouse, subsequently one of the Seven Wonders of the World, is built on the island of Pharos, off Alexandria
The Jews of Alexandria commission the Greek translation of the Old Testament which becomes known as the Septuagint
Asoka, a devotee of Buddhism, wins the Mauryan throne and establishes India's first empire
On the small Greek island of Samos an astronomer, Aristarchus, comes to the startling conclusion that the earth is in orbit round the sun
A clash in Sicily, between Rome and Carthage, leads to the First Punic War
The first gladiatorial contests in Rome are part of the entertainment at a funeral, and soon become popular
