阴土牛年 (female Earth-
Ox) −204 or −585 or −1357 — to — 阳金虎年 (male Iron-
Tiger) −203 or −584 or −1356
Year 331 BC was a year of the
pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Potitus and Marcellus (or, less frequently, year 423 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 331 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the
Anno Dominicalendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.
Events
By place
Macedonia
Late January –
Alexander the Great travels with a small bodyguard (among them is the future Egyptian ruler
Ptolemy I Soter) along the coastal road of
Egypt and reaches the settlement of
Paraetonium on the borders of
Cyrenaica. There, he receives a delegation of emissaries from
Cyrene, who grants him a number of gifts including fine horses and chariots. Alexander concludes a treaty of peace and alliance with them. He turns inland from the Mediterranean and travels through the
Libyan Desert to the
Siwah Oasis, which he reaches in late February. Alexander consults the famous oracle and is pronounced the son of
Zeus-
Ammon as his true father.
For the first time, Alexander encounters
war elephants after the battle in Darius' camp. In the capital, Susa, Alexander gains access to huge treasures amounting to 50,000 gold
talents (equivalent of today circa 77 billion
USD).
Greece
From
Thapsacus on the
Euphrastes River, Alexander led the Greek army toward the
Tigris River, leading to a victory over the Persians on October 31 at
Gaugamela, after which Darius fled and escaped.[1]
While Alexander is fighting in Asia,
Agis III of
Sparta, profiting from the Macedonian king's absence from
Greece, leads some of the Greek cities in a revolt. With Persian money and 8,000 Greek mercenaries, he holds
Crete against Macedonian forces. In the
Peloponnesus he routs a force under the Macedonian general
Coragus and, although
Athens stays neutral, he is joined by
Elis,
Achaea (except Pellene) and
Arcadia, with the exception of
Megalopolis, the staunchly anti-Spartan capital of Arcadia, which Agis III's forces besiege.
Tarentum turns against Alexander of Epirus when they realize that he intends to create a kingdom of his own in southern
Italy. Alexander is defeated and killed in the
Battle of Pandosia on the banks of the
Acheron.
Roman Republic
The
Gallic tribe of the
Senones and the
Romans conclude a peace and enter upon a period of friendly relations which lasts the rest of the century.