310 BC to 270 BC; Crucial Points in Human History

In this organic review of the past 3,000 years of global history, posts are intended to evolve and to evoke commentary from you the reader. If you know of important events from this era, or have insight into the events posted, please contribute via the Comments section below.

Circa 300 BC in China, the state of Qin attacks eight cities of the state of Chu. Chu then sends an envoy to ask the King of Huai to go to Qin to negotiate peace. Qu Yuan risks his life to go up to the court to persuade the King of Huai not to go to the negotiation.King Wuling of Zhao abdicates the throne of Zhao to his son. Six years later, he State of Qin, lead by commander Bai Qi, wins a decisive victory over the States of Wei andHan in the Battle of Yique. As part of the terms of defeat, Han and Wei are forced to concede land to Qin.

Around the same time in India, Bindusara succeeds his father Chandragupta Maurya as emperor of the Mauryan Empire, ascending to the Pataliputra throne,.while Chandragupta Maurya goes to Sravana Belagola near Mysore to live in the way of Jains.

About 295 BC, Athens falls to Demetrius Poliorcetes after a bitter siege, and its tyrant Lachares is killed. A year or so later, Alexander V of Macedon is ousted by his brother, Antipater II. Therefore Alexander V turns to Demetrius Poliorcetes for help in recovering his throne. However, Demetrius Poliorcetes establishes himself on the throne of Macedonia and then murders Alexander V. Antipater II loses the throne of Macedonia but is able to survive.

In Persia, when an invasion of nomads threatens the eastern possessions of his realm (i.e. between the Caspian Sea and the Aral Sea and the Indian Ocean), Seleucus hands over the government of these lands west of the Euphrates to his son Antiochus. Antiochus is appointed co-regent and commander-in-chief of these territories.

Further west on the southern shores of the Mediterranean, in 290 BC Berenice, wife of Ptolemy, is proclaimed queen of Egypt. Ptolemy has the city of Berenicebuilt on the Red Sea in her honour. It becomes a great emporium for Egyptian trade with the East.

In 288 in Greece, the Macedonian King, Demetrius Poliorcetes, faces a combined attack from Lysimachus andPhyrrhus, king of Epirus, after Seleucus, Ptolemy and Lysimachus form a coalition to block plans by Demetrius to invade Asia Minor. Ptolemy's fleet appears off Greece, inciting the cities to revolt. Athens revolts and Demetrius besieges the city. Pyrrhus takes Thessaly and the western half of Macedonia and, with the assistance of Ptolemy's fleet, relieves Athens from Demetrius' siege. After the Egyptian fleet participates decisively in the liberation of Athens from Macedonian occupation, Ptolemy obtains the protectorate over the League of Islanders, which includes most of the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea. Egypt's maritime supremacy in theMediterranean in the ensuing decades is based on this alliance.

Also about this time, the Sri Maha Bodhi Sacred Fig tree is planted at Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.

On June 26 in 285 BC, Egypt's Ptolemy I Soter abdicates. He is succeeded by his youngest son by his wife Berenice, Ptolemy II Philadelphus, who has been co-regent for three years. After this, Ptolemy I's eldest (legitimate) son, Ptolemy Keraunos, whose mother, Eurydice, the daughter of Antipater, had been repudiated by the new King Ptolemy II, flees Egypt to the court of Lysimachus, the king of Thrace, Macedon and Asia Minor.

Circa 283 BC, The canal from the Nile River to the Red Sea, initially started but not completed by the Egyptian pharaoh Necho II and repaired by the Persian king Darius I, is again repaired and made operational by Ptolemy II. Ptolemy II enlarges the library at Alexandria and appoints the grammarian Zenodotus to collect and edit all the Greek poets. Arsinoe, daughter of Lysimachus, king of Thrace, marries Ptolemy II of Egypt as part of the alliance between Thrace and Egypt against Seleucus.

The Battle of Corupedium in Lydia is the last battle of the Diadochi, the rival successors toAlexander the Great. It is fought between the armies of Lysimachus, King of Thrace andMacedonia, and Seleucus, ruler of Eastern Anatolia, Syria, Phoenicia, Judea, Babylonia andIran. Seleucus kills Lysimachus during the battle.

Following the Battle of Corupedium, Lysimachus' widow, Arsinoe, flees to Cassandrea, a city in northern Greece, where she marries her half-brother Ptolemy Keraunos. This proves to be a serious misjudgement, as Ptolemy Keraunus promptly kills two of her sons, though the third is able to escape. Arsinoe flees again, this time to Alexandria in Egypt.

Around 281 BC, Seleucus is succeeded as ruler of the Seleucid empire by Antiochus. He is immediately beset by revolts in Syria (probably instigated by Ptolemy II of Egypt) and by independence movements in northern Anatolia.

280 BC saw the passing of Herophilus, Alexandrian physician who has been an early performer of public dissections on human cadavers; often called the father of anatomy.

The aggression of Ptolemy II of Egypt continues to cause friction with Antiochus, who losesMiletus, in south-western Asia Minor, to Ptolemy. Antigonus concludes a peace with Antiochus who surrenders his claim to Macedonia. Thereafter Antigonus II's foreign policy is marked by friendship with the Seleucids.

In China the region of Chu's heartland in the modern Hubei province is overrun by the powerful state of Qin from the west under Bai Qi's leadership. The Chu government moves to the east in various temporary capitals until settling in Shouchun in 241 BC.Around 278 BC marked the death of Qu Yuan, Chinese poet from southern Chu who lived during the Warring States Period. His works are mostly found in an anthology of poetry known as Chu Ci.

By 276 BC the Egyptian King Ptolemy II's first wife, Arsinoe I (daughter of the late King Lysimachus ofThrace) is accused, probably at instigation of Ptolemy II's sister (who also has the nameArsinoe), of plotting his murder and is exiled by the King. Arsinoe then marries her own brother, a customary practice in Egypt, but scandalous to the Greeks. The suffix "Philadelphoi" ("Brother-Loving") consequently is added to the names of King Ptolemy II and Queen Arsinoe II. The former queen, Arsinoe I, is banished to Coptos, a city of Upper Egyptnear the Wadi Hammamat, while her rival adopts her children.

Within a couple of years, Magas of Cyrene marries Apama, the daughter of Antiochus and uses his marital alliance to foment a pact to invade Egypt. He opens hostilities against his half brother Ptolemy II, by declaring his province of Cyrenaica to be independent and then attacks Egypt from the west as Antiochus I takes the Egyptian controlled areas in coastal Syria and southern Anatolia, after which he attacks Palestine. Magas has to stop his advance against Ptolemy II due to an internal revolt by the LibyanMarmaridae nomads.

Impressed by Rome's defeat of Pyrrhus, Ptolemy II sends a friendly embassy. The visit is reciprocated. The Seleucid king Antiochus I Soter is defeated by Egypt's Ptolemy II during the First Syrian War. Ptolemy II annexes Miletus, Phoenicia and western Cilicia from Antiochus. As a result, Ptolemy II extends Egyptian rule as far as Caria and into most of Cilicia.

Egypt's victories solidify the kingdom's position as the undisputed naval power of the easternMediterranean; the Ptolemaic sphere of power now extends over the Cyclades to Samothrace, and the harbours and coastal towns of Cilicia Trachea, Pamphylia, Lycia and Caria.

In India, The Mauryan emperor, Bindusara, sends the Mauryan army to conquer the southern kingdoms, and Kadamba is conquered.

By 270 BC the Mediterranean port City-State of Carthage, already in control of Sardinia, southern Spain and Numidia, is ruled by an oligarchy of merchants under two Suffetes or chief magistrates. While Carthage's military commanders are strong, the state relies on mercenaries (including Spanish ones) for its soldiers.

350 BC to 310 BC; Organic Chronology of Interesting Events

In this open source review of world history, we are concentrating on the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean royal families that feature so prominently in the Old Testament. Each post is a rough sketch, intended to be fleshed out by comments from you the reader, and expansions of posts by myself. I will also respond to intriguing, intelligent comments, but not always immediately.

Circa 350 BC, Alexander I becomes king of Epirus after his brother-in-law Philip II of Macedon dethrones Alexander's cousin Arymbas, while over in Greece Aristotle argues for a spherical Earth using lunar eclipses and other observations. Also he discusses logical reasoning in Organon.

Around 330 BC according to wikipedia.org:

• January 20—Alexander the Great defeats the Persians, led by satrap Ariobarzanes, at thePersian Gates. In this battle, Ariobarzan, supported by only 700 Persian Immortals, holds the vast Macedonian army of 17,000 men at bay for 30 days. At the end, his troops are surrounded by Alexander's army, because of a Persian shepherd, who leads it around the Persian defenses. However, instead of surrendering, Ariobarzan and his 700 Immortals fight to the last man. Some historians consider him to be the Leonidas of Persia.
• January 30—After gaining the Pass of the Persian Gates, Alexander enters Persepolis. There he ceremonially burns down the palace of Xerxes I, as a symbol that the Panhellenic war of revenge is at an end.
• Before continuing his pursuit of Darius III, who has retreated into Bactria, Alexander assembles all the Persian treasure and entrusts it to Harpalus, who is to hold it at Ecbatana as chief treasurer. Parmenion is also left behind in Media to manage communications between Alexander and the rest of his rapidly growing lands.

By 320 BC:

• Alexander the Great's various generals control different parts of Alexander's empire. Ptolemy controls Egypt, Seleucus controls Babylon and Syria, Antipaterand his son Cassander control Macedon and Greece, Antigonus controls Phrygia and other parts of Asia Minor, Lysimachus controls Thrace and Pergamum and Eumenes controls theCappadocia and Pontus areas.
• Judea and Syria are annexed by Ptolemy and he gives Judea a large measure of self-government.
• Eudemus makes himself master of the territories of the Indian king Porus, and treacherously puts that monarch to death.

Here is a more recent explanation of Dhul-Qarmayn, Alexander the Great in Muslim tradition.

Persian Empire era 2009 research study by Charles Pope

New Chronology Ancient Egypt; 15th to 18th Dynasties

Proposing that the famine occurring during the concurrent 13th and 14th Dynasties was caused by the drought and darkness in the decade and a half after the climatic catastrophe in 1159 BC, whether triggered by a meteor or an Icelandic volcano or a combination of as yet unidentified factors, we are pegging the start of the 15th Dynasty to about 1145 BC, which fits well with many known events of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt that occurred between about 1030 BC and 860 BC. As you can see by the dates on the above wikipedia link, most Egyptologists still date the 18th Dynasty several centuries earlier.

Here is a very rough preliminary sketch of the newly revised chronology of the 15th to 18th Dynasties, which we will expand in future days, weeks and months.

15th and 16th (concurrent) Dynasty - c1145 BC to 1065 BC

17th Dynasty - c 1080 BC to c 1030 BC

18th Dynasty - c 1030 BC to 845 BC

First draft of estimated birth dates of Eighteenth Dynasty luminaries:

Ahmose - 1055 BC

Amenhotep I - 1035 BC

Thutmose I - 1025 BC

Thutmose II - 1010 BC

Thutmose III - 995 BC

Amenhotep II - 965 BC

Yuya - 950 BC

Tuya - 943 BC

Amenhotep III - 928 BC

Amenhotep IV - 917 BC

Tutankhamun - 888 BC

Peace 2 All!

410 BC to 350 BC; Organic Review of 3,000 Years of Global History

Readers are invited to post occurrences and opinions, lives and interpretations relative to the post provided for each time period. Consider this as a first draft, to be expanded in the months and years ahead.

Academia and culture were in conflict with the oppressors in Athens, as Aristophanes' comedies protested war and in 403 BC Socrates refused to cooperate with the 30 tyrants. By 399 BC, Socrates was tried and executed in Athens.

Circa 410 BC, Carthage's Iberian colonies revolt and secede cutting off Carthage's major supply of silver and copper. Hannibal Mago, the grandson of the Carthaginian general Hamilcar (who unsuccessfully invaded Sicily in 480 BC), begins preparations to reclaim Sicily.

Around 400 BC, Artaxerxes II King of Persia appoints Tissaphernes to take over all the districts in Asia Minor over which Artaxerxes II's brother Cyrus had been governor before his revolt. London has its origins on a rise above marshy waters at the point where the Walbrook joins the River Thames. The Celtic king, Belin, rebuilds an earth wall surrounding a few dozen huts and orders a small landing place to be cut into the south side of the wall, along the river front, where a wooden quay is built (approximate date).

Amyrtaeus of Sais successfully completes a revolt against Persian control by gaining control of all of Upper Egypt. By 390 BC, the Pharaoh of Egypt, Hakor (Akoris), concludes a tripartite alliance with Evagoras, king of Cyprus, and Athens. Circa 384 BC, Aristotle was born, and four years later the Egyptian Pharaoh Hakor dies and is succeeded by his son Nepherites II, but he is overthrown by Nectanebo I within the year, ending the Twenty-ninth Dynasty of Egypt. Nectanabo (or more properly Nekhtnebef) becomes the first Pharaoh of the Thirtieth Dynasty of Egypt.

By 360 BC, with the assistance of King Agesilaus II of Sparta, Nectanebo II deposes Teos and becomes king of Egypt. Teos flees to Susa and makes peace with the Persians. Nectanebo II is reported to have paid the Spartans 230 talents for their help.

Notable births in this era included Philip II of Macedonia (b 382 bc). Chinese astronomers Gan De and Shi Shen, Chinese philosopher and sage Mencius (b 371 bc; expanded upon and expounded teachings of Confucious), and Ptolemy I Soter (b 367 bc). By the middle of the century, Panini describes the grammar and morphology of Sanskrit in the text Ashtadhyayi. Panini's standardized Sanskrit is today known as Classical Sanskrit.

Also close to 350 BC, Aristotle argues for a spherical Earth using lunar eclipses and other observations, and he discusses logical reasoning in Organon.