300s BC (decade)

Map of the world in 300 BC.

This article concerns the period 309 BC – 300 BC.

Events

309 BC

By place

Asia Minor

• Ptolemy I Soter personally commands a fleet that captures the coastal regions of Lycia and Caria from Antigonus I Monophthalmus.

Greece

• Cassander, who has held Roxana, widow of Alexander the Great, in prison for a number of years, has her put to death along with her young son Alexander, the nominal King Alexander IV of Macedon.
• Antigonus attempts to renew his alliance with the Macedonian general and former regent Polyperchon, who still controls part of the Peloponnesus. He sends Heracles, the illegitimate son of Alexander the Great, to Polyperchon to be treated as a pretender to the throne of Macedonia.
• Polyperchon manages to form an army consisting of 20,000 infantry and 1,000 cavalry and challenges Cassander's army. Instead of fighting, Cassander starts negotiations with Polyperchon. By offering to make him a general of his own army and placing him as governor of Peloponnesus, he convinces Polyperchon to change allegiance to him instead of Heracles. As a result, Polyperchon murders Heracles and his mother Barsine.
• Areus I succeeds his grandfather Cleomenes II as king of Sparta.
• A census is carried out in Athens. 21,000 citizens, 10,000 foreign residents and 400,000 others – women, children and slaves – are living in the city.

Carthage

• Since 480 BC, an aristocratic Council of Elders has effectively ruled Carthage. The titular king of Carthage, Bomilcar, attempts a coup to restore the monarchy to full power. His attempt fails, which leads to Carthage becoming, in name as well as in fact, a republic.
• Leaving his brother Antander to continue the defence of Syracuse, Agathocles lands in North Africa with the aim of distracting the Carthaginians from their siege of Syracuse. Agathocles concludes a treaty with Ophellas, ruler of Cyrenaica. He then takes advantage of the civil unrest in Carthage and nearly succeeds in conquering the city.

Roman Republic

• The Samnites again rise against Rome. Lucius Papirius Cursor is appointed dictator for the second time and wins a great victory at Longula over the Samnites.

China

• Soon after the State of Qin has conquered the State of Shu (in modern-day Sichuan province), they employ the Shu engineer Bi Ling to create the Guanxian irrigation system, which will eventually provide for over five million people in an area of 40 to 50 square miles (130 km²), still in use today.

308 BC

By place

Greece

• Ptolemy crosses from Asia Minor into Greece, where he takes possession of Corinth, Sicyon and Megara.
• Ptolemy makes peace with Cassander
• Cleopatra of Macedon is assassinated by the order of Antigonus

Roman Republic

• The Second Samnite War escalates when the tribes of the central Apennines, the Umbrians, Picentini, and Marsians join the war against Rome. However, Rome is able to control the uprising.
• The Etruscans sue for peace with Rome, which is granted by the Romans on severe terms.

307 BC

By place

Babylonia

• Antigonus makes peace with Seleucus, who is left free to consolidate his kingdom.
• Antigonus founds the city of Antigonia (Syria)

Greece

• The governor (despot) of Athens for 10 years and supporter of Cassander, Demetrius Phalereus, is obliged to flee from Athens on the approach of the Macedonian prince, Demetrius Poliorcetes. He settles in Alexandria
• Demetrius Poliorcetes re-establishes the old Athenian constitution. The grateful Athenians honour Antigonus and Demetrius as divine saviours (theoi soteres).
• Upon becoming ruler of Epirus, Pyrrhus allies himself with his brother-in-law, Demetrius Poliorcetes, son of Antigonus.

Sicily

• The tyrant of Syracuse, Agathocles is forced to return to Syracuse to deal with growing unrest in his Sicilian dominions. Those of Agathocles' army that remain behind in Carthage are soon destroyed.
• The Carthaginian general Hamilcar fails to take Syracuse and is captured and killed.
• The city of Segesta in Sicily is destroyed by Agathocles.

China

• The Chinese King Wuling of Zhao reforms the military of the State of Zhao by putting more emphasis on cavalry over charioteers.

By topic

Philosophy

• Epicureanism, a system of philosophy based upon the teachings of Epicurus, is founded (approximate date).

306 BC

By place

Cyprus

• Demetrius Poliorcetes lands on Cyprus and besieges Menelaus, brother of Egypt's ruler, Ptolemy I Soter, at Salamis. Ptolemy Soter, coming to his brother's aid, is decisively defeated in the Battle of Salamis. The battle completely destroys the naval power of Egypt and results in the capture of Cyprus by Demetrius. This gives Demetrius' father, Antigonus I Monophthalmus, control of the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean.

Syria

• Antigonus I Monophthalmus proclaims himself king of Asia Minor and northern Syria thus commencing the Antigonid dynasty. He appoints his son Demetrius king and co-regent.

Sicily

• A peace agreement is reached between Syracuse and Carthage. The peace restricts Carthaginian power in Sicily to the area west of the Halycus (Platani) River. This agreement allows the tyrant of Syracuse, Agathocles, to strengthen his rule over the Greek cities of Sicily.

Egypt

• Antigonus Monophthalmus tries to follow up his victory in Cyprus by invading Egypt with a large army and a formidable fleet, but Ptolemy Soter successfully holds the frontier against him. However, the year's events mean that Ptolemy no longer engages in overseas expeditions against Antigonus.

Thrace

• A four-drachma coin, picturing Alexander the Great, is issued by Lysimachos from this time until 281 BC. At least one of them is now preserved at the British Museum in London.

305 BC

By place

Seleucid Empire

• Seleucus, former officer of Alexander the Great, considers himself emperor of Persia. He attempts to recover lands taken by Chandragupta that had been a part of Alexander's Empire. Seleucus establishes Seleucia on the Tigris River as his capital.

Syria

• Antigonus I Monophthalmus sends his son Demetrius to initiate the Siege of Rhodes, as the city has refused him armed support against Ptolemy.

Roman Republic

• The Roman consuls, Marcus Fulvius Curvus Paetinus and Lucius Postumius Megellus, decisively defeat the Samnites in the Battle of Bovianum to end the Second Samnite War.

304 BC

By place

Greece

• Demetrius shows ingenuity in devising a new siege engine: a wheeled siege tower named Helepolis (or "Taker of Cities"), which stands 40 meters tall and 20 meters wide and weighs 180 tons.
• The Siege of Rhodes ends after a year.
• Demetrius Poliorcetes and the Rhodians come to a truce, with the agreement that the city should be autonomous, should keep its own revenue and that the Rhodians should be allies of Antigonus unless he is at war with Ptolemy.
• Antigonus then concludes a peace treaty and an alliance with the island state, guaranteeing it autonomy and neutrality in his conflicts with Ptolemy.
• Cassander invades Attica and besieges Athens. He captures the island of Salamis off the coast of Athens.
• Demetrius Poliorcetes invades mainland Greece for Asia-Minor, drives Cassander out of central Greece and liberates Athens. In return, the Athenians bestow on him a new religious honour, synnaos (meaning "having the same temple") of the temple of the goddess Athena.

Roman Republic

• The second Samnite war formally ends with a peace agreement in which the Samnites obtain peace on terms that are severe but not as crushing as those agreed by the Romans with the Etruscans four years earlier. Under the peace, Rome gains no territory, but the Samnites renounce their hegemony over Campania. Rome is also successful in ending the revolts amongst the tribes surrounding Roman territory.

Sicily

• The tyrant Agathocles takes on the title of King of Sicily. He extends his influence into southern Italy and the Adriatic.

India

• The Mauryan emperor Chandragupta defeats Seleucus I Nicator as he tries to invade India.

303 BC

By place

Seleucid Empire

• Seleucus I Nicator expands his kingdom throughout Persia as far east as India, but his advance is eventually halted by Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of the Maurya dynasty of India. In a pact concluded by the two leaders, Seleucus agrees to territorial concessions in exchange for 500 war-trained elephants.
• Seleucus refounds the town of Orrhoa in northern Mesopotamia as a military colony and mixes Greek settlers with its eastern population. He names Edessa in memory of the ancient capital of Macedon.

Greece

• Cassander and Lysimachus persuade Seleucus and Ptolemy to join them in trying to destroy Antigonus.
• Demetrius Poliorcetes invades the Peloponnese and occupies Corinth, Sicyon, and Argos in the Peloponnese, and Achaea, Elis and almost all of Arcadia join his side.

Italy

• The citizens of Tarentum seek the help of the Spartan general, Cleonymus. He is able to pacify the Lucanians with the agreement of the Romans.

302 BC

By place

Asia Minor

• Following their agreement to work together to defeat Antigonus, Seleucus invades Asia Minor from Babylonia, while Ptolemy attacks Syria and Lysimachus moves into the western part of Asia Minor.
• Docimus, the regent of Phrygia, and Phoenix, the strategos of Lycia, desert Antigonus.
• The Macedonian general, Philetaerus, moves his allegiance from Antigonus to Antigonus' rival, Lysimachus. In return, Lysimachus makes Philetaerus guardian of the fortress of Pergamum with its treasure of some 9,000 talents.

Greece

• Antigonus' son Demetrius Poliorcetes attacks Cassander's forces in Thessaly. Cassander loses his possessions south of Thessaly to Demetrius. Antigonus and Demetrius crown their success by renewing the pan-Hellenic league. Ambassadors from all the Hellenic states (with the exception of Sparta, Messenia and Thessaly) meet at Corinth to elect Antigonus and Demetrius protectors of the new league.
• As Antigonus is finding his enemies closing in on him, a truce is made and the gains by Demetrius have to be abandoned. Demetrius reaches Ephesus to support his father.
• Pyrrhus is dethroned as King of Epirus by an uprising and joins Demetrius while in exile.

301 BC

By place

Asia Minor

• In the Battle of Ipsus in Phrygia, the armies of Antigonus, the ruler of Syria, Asia Minor, Phoenicia and Judea, and his son Demetrius Poliorcetes are defeated by the forces of Lysimachus and Seleucus. Antigonus is killed in the battle.
• Antigonus' defeat and death secures Cassander's control of Macedonia. Through this victory, Lysimachus is able to add the greater part of Asia Minor to his European possessions while Seleucus now controls most of Syria. However, Demetrius is able to keep a foothold in Greece.

Seleucid Empire

• The southern part of Syria is occupied by Ptolemy.

300 BC

By place

Greece

• Pilgrims travel to the healing temples of Asclepieion to be cured of their ills. After a ritual purification the followers bring offerings or sacrifices.

Egypt

• Pyrrhus, the King of Epirus, is taken as a hostage to Egypt after the Battle of Ipsus and makes a diplomatic marriage with the princess Antigone, daughter of Ptolemy and Berenice.
• Ptolemy concludes an alliance with King Lysimachus of Thrace and gives him his daughter Arsinoe II in marriage.

China

• Warring States period

Seleucid Empire

• Seleucus founds the city of Antioch, some 20 miles up the Orontes River, naming it after his father.
• After the death of his wife Apama, Seleucus marries Stratonice, daughter of Demetrius Poliorcetes.

By topic

Art

• In Pella, the capital of Macedonia, the artist Gnosis creates his Stag Hunt mosaic floor decoration.

Births

309 BC

• Ptolemy II Philadelphus, King of Egypt (d. 246 BC)

308 BC

• Hiero II, Greek Sicilian tyrant and king of Syracuse (approximate date)
• Zhao Sheng, Chinese chancellor of the Zhao State (approximate date)

305 BC

• Zou Yan, Chinese philosopher (d. 240 BC)
• Arsinoe I, queen of Egypt

304 BC

• Ashoka, Indian emperor and ruler of the Maurya Empire in present-day Eastern India 273–232 BC (d. 232 BC)
• Erasistratus, Greek anatomist and physician (approximate date)

303 BC

• Xiaowen of Qin, 34th Ruler of Qin (d. 251 BC)

302 BC

• Maharani Devi, Mauryan empress and wife of Ashoka
• Xiaowen of Qin, Chinese king of the Qin State (d. 250 BC)

Deaths

309 BC

• King Alexander IV of Macedon (b. 323 BC)
• Cleomenes II, Agiad King of Sparta
• Heracles, illegitimate son of Alexander the Great and claimant to the throne of Macedon (b. 327 BC)
• Ptolemy (general) general of Antigonus I Monophthalmus
• Roxana, wife of Alexander the Great, and mother of Alexander IV of Macedon
• Zhang Yi, strategist of the Chinese state of Qin

308 BC

• Cleopatra of Macedon, sister of Alexander the Great and daughter of King Philip II of Macedon and Olympias (b. c. 356 BC)

305 BC

• Tiberius Minucius Augurinus

301 BC

• Antigonus I Monophthalmus, Macedonian general under Alexander the Great who founded and became the first king of the Macedonian dynasty of the Antigonids (b. 382 BC)
• Aristobulus of Cassandreia, Greek historian (b. ca. 375 BC)