By place Egypt •
Egypt's Ptolemy II dies and is succeeded by his son,
Ptolemy III. At the time of Ptolemy II's death, Egypt comprises the ancient kingdom of Egypt in the
Nile Valley,
Cyrene,
Judea and the coast of southern
Syria,
Cyprus and a number of cities on the shores and islands of the
Aegean Sea. The
Macedonian Ptolemies maintain their authority over their territories with a small
mercenary army made up of Macedonians and other Greeks.
India • The Ashokan pillar in
Lauriya,
Nandangarh (from the
Maurya period) is made.
Seleucid Empire •
Antiochus II leaves
Berenice in order to live again with his former wife
Laodice and his son
Seleucus. However, Laodice poisons him and proclaims her son as King Seleucus II Callinicus, while her supporters in
Antioch kill Berenice and her children who have taken refuge at Daphne, near Antioch, in
Syria. • Berenice's brother,
Ptolemy III, sets about to avenge his sister's murder by invading Syria which begins the
Third Syrian War (also known as the
Laodicean War). Ptolemy III's navy, perhaps with the aid of rebels in the cities, advances against Seleucus II's forces as far as
Thrace, across the
Hellespont, and also captures some islands off the
Anatolian coast. • Ptolemy III wins major victories over Seleucus II in Syria and Anatolia and briefly occupies Antioch. These victories are marred by the loss of the
Cyclades to
Antigonus II Gonatas in the
Battle of Andros. • Seleucus II Callinicus' mother, Laodice attempts to take control over the Seleucid Empire by insisting that Seleucus II make his younger brother,
Antiochus Hierax, co-regent and give him all the Seleucid territory in
Anatolia. Antiochus promptly declares independence and begins fighting a war with his brother. • In order to secure the
Bactrian King
Diodotus' friendship, Seleucus II Callinicus arranges the marriage of one of his sisters to King Diodotus.
Roman Republic • With
Hamilcar Barca wearing the
Romans down in
Sicily, the Romans, by private subscription, build another fleet with the aim of regaining command of the sea. • In Rome, the number of
praetors is increased from one to two. The second praetor is appointed to relieve the backlog of judicial business and to give the Republic a magistrate with Imperium who can field an army in an emergency when both consuls are away fighting a war.
China • The
Zhengguo Canal, approximately one hundred miles long, is built across the current-day province of
Shaanxi in
China, greatly adding to the agricultural productivity of the area and to the military potency of the
Qin dynasty. • The Qin general Meng Ao crushes a revolt in Jinyang. == Births==