This article concerns the period 159 BC – 150 BC.

Events

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159 BC

By place

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Greece

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Seleucid Empire
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Bactria
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158 BC

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By place

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Asia Minor
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  • At the request of the Romans, Ariarathes V, king of Cappadocia, rejects a proposal from the Seleucid king, Demetrius I, for him to marry the sister of Demetrius I. In response, Seleucid forces attack Cappadocia and remove Ariarathes V from the Cappadocian throne. Demetrius I then replaces him with Orophernes Nicephorus, a supposed son of the late king, Ariarathes IV. With Ariarathes V deprived of his kingdom, he flees to Rome.

157 BC

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By place

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Roman Republic
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  • The Carthaginians, prevented by their treaty with Rome from engaging in armed resistance, but equally guaranteed against any loss of territory, appeal to Rome against the depredations of King Masinissa of Numidia. The Roman censor Marcus Porcius Cato heads a commission which arbitrates a truce between Carthage and her former ally, Masinissa.
  • During his time in Carthage, Cato is so struck by the evidence of Carthaginian prosperity that he is convinced that the security of Rome now depends on the annihilation of Carthage. From this time on, Cato keeps repeating the cry "Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam" ("Moreover, I advise that Carthage must be destroyed") at the end of all his speeches, no matter what subject they concern.
  • After Ariarathes V has been deposed from the Cappadocian throne by the Seleucid king Demetrius I Soter and has fled to Rome, the new king of Cappadocia, Orophernes, sends two ambassadors to Rome to join the Seleucid emissaries of Demetrius in opposing Ariarathes V's return to power. Despite their efforts, Ariarathes V is restored to his throne by the Romans. However, Rome allows Orophernes to reign jointly with him. The joint government, however, does not last long, as Ariarathes V becomes sole king of Cappadocia shortly afterwards.
Seleucid Empire
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156 BC

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By place

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Roman Republic
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155 BC

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By place

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Hispania
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Roman Republic
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Bactria
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154 BC

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By place

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Hispania
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Asia Minor
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Egypt
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China
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153 BC

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By place

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Roman Republic
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  • The uprisings in Rome's Hispanic provinces oblige the year's consuls to take office earlier than the traditional date of 15 March, a change that becomes permanent. Some suggest that, as a consequence, January 1 becomes the first day of the Roman year.
Seleucid Empire
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Greece
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152 BC

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By place

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Seleucid Empire
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  • The pretender to the Seleucid throne, Alexander Balas, makes contact with Jonathan Maccabeus offering him terms even more favorable than those offered by the king Demetrius I Soter. In particular, Alexander offers him the official appointment as High Priest in Jerusalem. In response, Jonathan withdraws his support from Demetrius and declares his allegiance to Alexander. Thus Jonathan becomes the first member of his family to achieve appointment as High Priest.[3]

151 BC

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By place

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Carthage
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  • The Carthaginian debt to Rome is fully repaid, meaning that, according to Carthage, the treaty with Rome, which was put in place at the end of the Second Punic War, is no longer in force. The Romans do not agree with this interpretation. Instead they view the treaty as a permanent declaration of Carthaginian subordination to Rome.
  • Numidia launches another border raid on Carthaginian soil, besieging a town. In response Carthage launches a large military expedition (25,000 soldiers) to repel the Numidian invaders.
Roman Republic
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India
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150 BC

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By place

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Carthage
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Roman Republic
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  • The Roman Senate shows displeasure with Carthage's decision to wage war against its neighbour without Roman consent, and tells Carthage that in order to avoid a war it has to "satisfy the Roman People". The Roman censor, Cato the Elder, urges the destruction of Carthage and the Roman Senate orders the gathering of an army.
Seleucid Empire
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Asia Minor
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  • Nicomedes, the son of king Prusias II of Bithynia, who has been sent to Rome to argue for smaller reparations arising from his father's unsuccessful war against Pergamum, gains the support of the Roman Senate to the point where Prusias sends an emissary with secret orders to assassinate Nicomedes. However, the emissary reveals the plot to Nicomedes and persuades him to rebel against his father.
  • Mithridates V Euergetes succeeds his uncle Mithridates IV Philopator Philadelphus as king of Pontus. He continues the strategy of maintaining an alliance with the Romans which was started by his predecessor.
Hispania
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  • The Romans, led by praetor Servius Sulpicius Galba, defeat the Lusitanians in a major battle in Hispania. He then breaks his promise to the defeated Lusitanian rebels by instituting a massacre of 9,000 of their number during the peace talks. Later 20,000 more Lusitanians are sold as slaves in Gaul.

By topic

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Art
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Births

159 BC

158 BC

157 BC

156 BC

154 BC

Deaths

159 BC

158 BC

157 BC

155 BC

154 BC

152 BC

151 BC

150 BC

References

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  1. ^ a b "Attalus II Philadelphus". Encyclopædia Britannica. February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  2. ^ Dzino, Danijel (2010-01-21). Illyricum in Roman Politics, 229 BC-AD 68. Cambridge University Press. p. 180. ISBN 978-0-521-19419-8.
  3. ^ "JONATHAN MACCABEUS - JewishEncyclopedia.com". www.jewishencyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  4. ^ Balsdon, John P.V. Dacre. "Gaius Marius". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  5. ^ Pollard, Elizabeth (2015). Worlds together, worlds apart. Clifford D. Rosenberg, Robert L. Tignor, Jeremy Adelman, Stephen Aron, Peter Brown, Benjamin A. Elman, Stephen Kotkin, Xinru Liu, Suzanne L. Marchand, Holly Pittman, Gyan Prakash, Brent D. Shaw, Michael Tsang-Woon Tsin. New York. p. 238. ISBN 978-0-393-93769-5. OCLC 890068060.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  6. ^ "Marcus Aemilius Lepidus | Triumvir, Pontifex Maximus, Consul | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  7. ^ Sinha, Binod (1977). History of the Shunga Dynasty. Bharatiya Publishing House.
  8. ^ "Demetrius I Soter". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved February 26, 2024.