istoryworld
Events relating to europe
Euclid, teaching at the museum in Alexandria, writes what becomes Europe's standard textbook on geometry
Vesta, goddess of the hearth, is served in Rome by virgin priestesses who tend the sacred flame in her shrine
Epicurus postulates a universe of indestructible atoms in which man himself is responsible for achieving a balanced life
The Roman siege technique is improved by the 'tortoise' which protects the attacking force
Seleucus founds Antioch as a Greek city on the trade route between Mesopotamia and Europe
The Colossus, a giant statue of Helios the sun god, is erected beside the harbour of Rhodes
Pyrrhus lands in Italy, with 25,000 men and 20 elephants, to fight for the Greek colony of Tarentum against the Romans
On the small Greek island of Samos an astronomer, Aristarchus, comes to the startling conclusion that the earth is in orbit round the sun
A clash in Sicily, between Rome and Carthage, leads to the First Punic War
The first gladiatorial contests in Rome are part of the entertainment at a funeral, and soon become popular
A Carthaginian quinquereme, captured by the Romans, is used as the model for the first Roman fleet - constructed in two months
The new Roman fleet wins a decisive victory over the Carthaginians at Mylae, thanks largely to the 'raven' (corvus in Latin)
Archimedes (it is said) leaps out of his bath shouting eureka ('I have found it') when he perceives how to test for relative density
The Chinese develop the crossbow, many centuries before its use in Europe
The Romans evolve a system of numerals which, until the end of the Middle Ages, is a handicap to western arithmetic
To help the king of Syracuse extract water from the hold of a ship (so the story goes), Archimedes invents the screw now known by his name
A Roman naval victory at Trapani, off the northwest tip of Sicily, completes the blockade of the Carthaginians and ends the First Punic War
At the end of the First Punic War, Sicily becomes Rome's first overseas province
Spain, with its mines of gold, silver and copper, is a hotly disputed region between Carthage and Rome
Hamilcar Barca dies fighting in Spain, after establishing a strong Carthaginian presence in the peninusula
Sardinia and Corsica are annexed by Rome, becoming the second Roman overseas province
A treaty defines the Ebro river as the Spanish boundary between Carthage and Rome
Hannibal succeeds to the command of the Carthaginian forces in Spain, on the death of his brother-in-law Hasdrubal
The Greek mathematician Eratosthenes calculates the circumference of the world with the help of shadows and camels
Hannibal crosses the Alps with his elephants, beginning the Second Punic War
