By place Egypt • According to the
Letter of Aristeas,
Ptolemy II invited the
Jewish
residents of
Alexandria to have their
torah translated into
Greek. Because around seventy translators are used to
achieve this, the
translation is known as the
Septuagint. • Following the death of the King of
Cyrene,
Magas, Queen
Apama II, Magas' widow, and
Antigonus II arrange the marriage of Antigonus' half-brother
Demetrius the Fair to
Berenice of Cyrene, daughter of Magas and Apama. However, when Demetrius the Fair arrives, Apama becomes his lover. In response, Berenice leads an
uprising in which Demetrius is killed in Apama's bedroom.
Roman Republic • In the
Punic War, the
Romans shift their attention to the southwest of
Sicily. They send a naval expedition toward the
Carthaginian city of
Lilybaeum. En route, the Romans seize and
burn the Carthaginian held cities of Selinous and
Heraclea Minoa. The Romans then begin the
siege of Lilybaeum. • According to tradition (
Horace, Odes, iii. 5), after the defeat of the Carthaginians at the
Battle of Panormus, the Carthaginians release
Marcus Atilius Regulus from
prison and he is sent to Rome on
parole to negotiate a peace or an
exchange of prisoners. However, on his arrival, he strongly urges the
Roman Senate to refuse both proposals and continue fighting. After this he then honours his parole by returning to Carthage where he is executed by being placed in a spiked barrel, which is then let roll down a hill.
Persia •
Andragoras, a Seleucid
satrap of the province of Partahia (
Parthia), tries to gain independence from the
Seleucid Kingdom under
Antiochus II.
India • According to the
Theravāda commentaries and
chronicles, the
Third Buddhist Council is convened by the
Mauryan king
Ashoka at
Pataliputra (modern
Patna), under the leadership of the monk
Moggaliputta Tissa. Its objective is to purify the
Buddhist movement, particularly from opportunistic factions which are being attracted by the royal patronage. • The
Mauryan sculpture
Didarganj Yakshi holding a Fly Whisk, from
Patna,
Bihar in
India, is made (approximate date). It is now kept at the
Patna Museum in Patna. • The Mauryan
Lion Capital of Ashoka, is erected as part of a pillar at
Sarnath,
Uttar Pradesh in India (approximate date). It is now preserved at the
Sarnath Museum in Sarnath.
China •
Zichu becomes the king of
Qin, with
Lü Buwei his Prime Minister. • The Qin general Meng Ao captures the
Han cities of
Chenggao and
Xingyang, thereby establishing the
Sanchuan Commandery. == Births ==