Philip V of Macedon dies at
Amphipolis in
Macedonia, remorseful for having put his younger son Demetrius to death, at the instigation of his older son
Perseus. Nevertheless, he is succeeded by his son Perseus.
One of
Perseus' first acts on becoming king of
Macedonia is to renew the treaty between Macedonia and Rome. In the meantime, Perseus builds up the Macedonian army and puts out feelers for creating an alliance with the Greek leagues, with his northern barbarian neighbours, and also with the Seleucid king
Seleucus IV.
King
Seleucus IV of
Syria arranges for the exchange of his brother
Antiochus for
Demetrius, the son of Seleucus IV, who has been a hostage in
Rome following the
Treaty of Apamea in
188 BC. However, Seleucus IV is assassinated by his chief minister
Heliodorus who then seizes the Syrian throne.
Antiochus manages to oust Heliodorus and takes advantage of Demetrius' captivity in Rome to seize the throne for himself under the name
Antiochus IV Epiphanes.
During this period of uncertainty in Syria, the Egyptian ruler, Ptolemy VI, lays claim to
Coele Syria,
Palestine, and
Phoenicia, which the Seleucid king
Antiochus III has previously conquered. Both the Syrian and Egyptian parties appeal to Rome for help, but the
Roman Senate refuses to take sides.
Timarchus is appointed governor of
Media in western
Persia by Antiochus IV to deal with the growing threat from the
Parthians while Timarchus' brother, Heracleides, becomes minister of the royal finances.
By topic
Art
The construction of the western front of the altar in
Pergamum,
Turkey, begins (approximate date) and is finished in
156 BC. A reconstruction of it is now kept at the
Pergamon Museum in
Berlin.
Since the reign of the Seleucid king,
Antiochus III, the
Jewish inhabitants of
Judea enjoy extensive autonomy under their high priest. However, they are divided into two parties, the orthodox
Hasideans (Pious Ones) and a reform party that favours Hellenism.
Antiochus IV supports the reform party because of the financial support they provide him with. In return for a considerable payment, he has permitted the high priest,
Jason, to build a
gymnasium in
Jerusalem and to introduce the Greek mode of educating young people. Jason's time as high priest is brought to an abrupt end when he sends
Menelaus, the brother of Simon the Benjamite, to deliver money to Antiochus IV. Menelaus takes this opportunity to "outbid" Jason for the priesthood, resulting in Antiochus IV confirming Menelaus as the High Priest.
Carthage
The peace treaty at the end of the
Second Punic War requires that all border disputes involving
Carthage be arbitrated by the
Roman Senate and requires Carthage to get explicit Roman approval before going to war. As a result, envoys from Carthage appear before the Roman Senate to request resolution of a boundary dispute with
Numidia. The dispute is decided in Numidia's favour.
The first
Roman colony outside
Italy is founded at
Carteia in southern
Hispania after
Iberian-born descendants of Roman soldiers appear before the
Roman Senate to request a town to live in and are given
Carteia, which is named Colonia Libertinorum Carteia.
Antiochus IV decides to let Ptolemy VI continue as king of Egypt, but as his puppet. He does this to minimise any reaction from Rome towards his invasion. Antiochus IV then departs Egypt to deal with disturbances in
Palestine, but he safeguards his access to Egypt with a strong garrison in
Pelusium.
With Antiochus IV now absent from the country, the citizens of Alexandria choose Ptolemy VI's brother
Ptolemy VIII Euergetes II as their king. The two Ptolemy brothers agree to rule Egypt jointly with their sister
Cleopatra II and Coele Syria is invaded by the Egyptian forces.
Seleucid Empire
The usurped high priest of
Judea,
Jason, does not abandon his claims to being the high priest which he has lost to
Menelaus two years earlier. While Antiochus IV is waging war against Egypt, he succeeds in making himself master of
Jerusalem once more and forces Menelaus to seek refuge in the citadel.
Bactria
Around this time,
Eucratides, who is either a rebellious
Bactrian official or a cousin of the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes, captures the throne of the
Greco-Bactrian Kingdom by toppling the Euthydemid dynasty's king
Antimachus I.
Dong Zhongshu, Chinese scholar who is traditionally associated with the promotion of
Confucianism as the official ideology of the Chinese imperial state (d.
104 BC)
Liu An, Chinese prince, geographer, and cartographer (d.
122 BC)
Philip V, king of
Macedonia from
221 BC, whose attempt to extend Macedonian influence throughout
Greece has occurred at a time of growing
Roman involvement in Greek affairs and resulted in his military defeat by Rome (b.
238 BC)
Titus Quinctius Flamininus,
Roman general and statesman whose skillful diplomacy has enabled him to establish a Roman protectorate over
Greece (b. c.
227 BC) (approximate date)