Editing 3rd century BC (section)

==Events==
===[[290s BC]]===

*[[299 BC]]: The [[Samnites]], seizing their chance when Rome is engaged on the [[Lombardy|Lombard]] plain, start the [[Third Samnite War]] with a collection of mercenaries from [[Gaul]] and [[Sabine]] and [[Etruscan civilization|Etruscan]] allies to help them.
*[[298 BC]]: The Samnites defeat the [[Roman Republic|Romans]] under [[Lucius Cornelius Scipio Barbatus]] in the [[Battle of Camerinum]], the first battle of the Third Samnite War.
*[[294 BC]]: [[Antipater II of Macedon]] is killed by [[Lysimachus]], allowing [[Demetrius I of Macedon|Demetrius I]] to become [[King of Macedonia|king]] of [[Macedon]]ia, thus ending the [[Antipatrid dynasty]]'s control over [[Hellenistic Greece]] and ushering in a period of rule by the [[Antigonid dynasty]].
*[[293 BC]]: The Chinese [[Qin (state)|State of Qin]] reduced the threat of the [[Wei (state)|State of Wei]] and the [[Han (Warring States)|State of Han]] with the Qin victory in the [[Battle of Yique]].
*Roman armies penetrate into the heart of the Samnite territory and then capture the Samnite cities of Taurasia, Bovianum Vetus and [[Aufidena]].
*[[Agathocles of Syracuse|Agathocles]], king of [[Syracuse, Sicily]], assists the Italian Greeks against the [[Bruttians]].
*[[Bindusara]] succeeds his father [[Chandragupta Maurya]] as emperor of the [[Mauryan dynasty|Mauryan Empire]].
*The [[Epi-Olmec culture]] forms as a successor civilization to the [[Olmecs]] in [[Mesoamerica]].

===[[280s BC]]===
*[[285 BC]]: The [[Pharos of Alexandria]] is completed.
*[[281 BC]]: [[Antiochus I Soter]], on the assassination of his father [[Seleucus I Nicator|Seleucus]] becomes emperor of the [[Seleucid empire]].
*[[281 BC]]: [[Achaean League]] founded in Greece.
*[[280 BC]]: King [[Pyrrhus of Epirus]] invades Italy in an attempt to subjugate the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] and bring [[Italy]] under a new empire ruled by himself.
*280 BC: Construction of the [[Colossus of Rhodes]] is completed.

===[[270s BC]]===
[[File:Sarnath capital.jpg|thumb|The [[Lion Capital of Ashoka]] of [[Sarnath]], [[Uttar Pradesh]], India, now the [[National Emblem of India]], 3rd century BC, dated to the reign of [[Ashoka the Great]] during the [[Maurya Empire]]]]

*[[279 BC]]: [[Singidunum]] and [[Taurunum]], today's [[Belgrade]] and [[Zemun]], are founded by [[Scordisci]] Celts.
*After failing to decisively defeat the Romans, [[Pyrrhus of Epirus]] withdraws from [[Italy]].
*[[Gauls|Gallic]] migration to [[Macedonia (ancient kingdom)|Macedon]], [[Thrace]] and [[Galatia]]. During the [[Gallic invasion of Greece]], the Macedonian king [[Ptolemy Keraunos]] is killed in battle by the forces of the Celtic ruler [[Bolgios]]. However, both he and [[Brennus (3rd century BC)|Brennus]] are driven out of Macedonian territory by [[Sosthenes of Macedon]].
*[[277 BC]]: in the [[Battle of Lysimachia]], the invasion by Gauls is finally defeated by [[Antigonus II of Macedon]]. 
*[[274 BC]]: the [[Syrian Wars|First Syrian War]] erupts between [[Antiochus I Soter]] of the [[Seleucid dynasty]] and [[Ptolemy II Philadelphus]] of the [[Ptolemaic dynasty]] over control of [[Syria]] and southern [[Anatolia]].
*[[273 BC]] – [[232 BC]]: [[Ashoka the Great]] ruled the [[Maurya Empire]].

===[[260s BC]]===
*[[265 BC]]: [[Kalinga War]] takes place between [[Ashoka the Great]] and the [[Kalinga (historical kingdom)|kingdom of Kalinga]].
*[[264 BC]]: [[First Punic War]] breaks out between the Carthaginian Empire and the [[Roman Republic]].
*[[261 BC]]: [[Antiochus II Theos]], 2nd son, at the death of his father becomes emperor of the [[Seleucid empire]].
*[[260 BC]]: [[Battle of Changping]] between the [[Qin (state)|State of Qin]] and the [[Zhao (state)|State of Zhao]] in China; a decisive Qin victory.
*[[260 BC]]: [[Ashoka]] inscribes the [[Edicts of Ashoka]].

===[[250s BC]]===
*[[258 BC]]: [[An Dương Vương]] overthrows the [[Hồng Bàng dynasty]] in [[Viet Nam]].
*[[257 BC]]: [[Thục dynasty]] takes over Vietnam.

===[[240s BC]]===
*[[246 BC]]: The death of [[Antiochus II]] sparks the [[Third Syrian War]]; [[Ptolemy III]] conquers Syria and Babylon from the Seleucids, but loses the [[Nesiotic League]] to [[Antigonus II]]
*[[243 BC]]: Surprise attack on the [[Macedon]]ian garrison at [[Corinth]]. Expansion of the Achaean League.
*[[241 BC]]: [[First Punic War]] ends in Carthaginian defeat. Rome demands large reparations, and annexes [[Sicily]] and [[Corsica]].
*[[240 BC]]: On May 15, Chinese mathematicians observed and recorded the passage of the [[Halley's Comet]].
[[File:Terrakottaarmén.jpg|thumb|right|The [[History of China|Chinese]] [[Terracotta Army]] of [[Qin Shi Huang]]'s tomb at [[Xi'an]], [[Shaanxi]], China]]

===[[230s BC]]===
*[[230 BC]]: The Chinese [[State of Qin|Qin State]] conquers [[State of Han|Han]].
*[[230 BC]]: [[Simuka]] declares independence from Mauryan rule and establishes the [[Satavahana Empire]].

===[[220s BC]]===
*[[229 BC]]: The [[First Illyrian War]] ends with a Roman victory.
*229 BC: Last tyrants on the [[Peloponnese]] abdicate, [[Argos, Peloponnese|Argos]] joins the Achaean League, [[Athens]] liberated from Macedonian garrison.
*[[227 BC]]: The attempted assassination of [[Ying Zheng]] (嬴政), king of [[State of Qin|Qin State]], by [[Jing Ke]] (荊軻) from [[State of Yan|Yan]] failed.
*[[225 BC]]: A large Gallic army is defeated by the Romans at the [[Battle of Telamon]].
*[[225 BC]]: The Chinese [[State of Qin|Qin State]] conquers [[State of Wei|Wei]].
*[[223 BC]]: The Chinese [[State of Qin|Qin State]] conquers [[State of Chu|Chu]].
*[[222 BC]]: The Chinese [[State of Qin|Qin State]] conquers [[State of Yan|Yan]] and [[State of Zhao|Zhao]].
*222 BC: Spartan defeat in the [[Battle of Sellasia]] ends the [[Cleomenean War]].
*[[221 BC]]: With the conquest of the [[Qi (state)|State of Qi]], [[Qin Shi Huang]] (秦始皇) [[Qin's wars of unification|unifies the whole of China]] into one empire that also included northern Vietnam, forming the [[Qin dynasty]].
*[[220 BC]]: the [[Social War (220–217 BC)]] of Greece begins, pitting [[Macedonia (ancient kingdom)|Macedonia]] and the [[Achaean League]] against [[Sparta]] and the [[Aetolian League]], ultimately resulting in a Macedonian-Achaean victory with territorial gains for each.

===[[210s BC]]===
*[[218 BC]]: [[Second Punic War]] begins. [[Hannibal]] makes his famous [[Alps|Alpine]] crossing to invade [[Italy]], the Roman heartland.
*[[217 BC]]: [[Antiochus III]] invades the Levant in the [[Third Syrian War]], but is defeated by [[Ptolemy IV]] at the [[Battle of Raphia]].
*[[216 BC]]: [[Hannibal]] famously crushed the Roman legions at the [[Battle of Cannae]].
*[[214 BC]]: [[Qin Shi Huang]] (秦始皇) of the Chinese [[Qin dynasty]] ordered construction of the [[Great Wall of China]]. 
*[[214 BC]]: In the Mediterranean, the [[First Macedonian War]] between Rome and Macedon begins, with Rome encouraging its Greek allies, such as [[Attalus I]] of [[Pergamon]], to attack the forces of [[Philip V of Macedon]].
*[[210 BC]]: [[Qin Shi Huang]] dies while on a trip to the far eastern reaches of his empire in an attempt to procure an [[elixir]] of immortality from [[Taoist]] magicians.

===[[200s BC (decade)|200s BC]]===
*[[208 BC]]: [[Zhao Tuo]] (Triệu Đà) defeats the [[Vietnam]]ese king [[An Dương Vương]].
*[[207 BC]]: [[Triệu dynasty]] of Viet Nam is inaugurated.
*[[206 BC]]: [[Qin dynasty]] falls after men from all over China revolts, attacking officials, raising armies, and declaring themselves kings of seized territories.
*[[206 BC]] – [[202 BC]]: Civil war of the [[Chu-Han contention]] in China.
*[[205 BC]]: the [[Cretan War (205–200 BC)]] begins between [[History of Macedonia (ancient kingdom)|Macedonia]] and its allies against the Greek ''[[polis]]'' of [[Rhodes]] and its allies, resulting in a Rhodian victory.
*[[202 BC]]: Romans defeat Carthage, ending the [[Second Punic War]]. Carthage's territories are reduced to some of its North African holdings, and crippling reparations are demanded by Rome. 
*[[202 BC]]: In East Asia, the Chu-Han contention comes to a close, [[Xiang Yu]] commits suicide, and the [[Han dynasty]] of China is founded (202 BC–220 AD) by [[Liu Bang]].
*[[200 BC]]: The [[Second Macedonian War]] between Rome and Macedon begins.
*[[India]]n traders regularly visit [[Arabia]].
*[[Scythia]]ns occupy [[Sogdiana]], in modern-day [[Uzbekistan]].