2nd century BC

Fresh from its victories in the Second Punic War, the Roman Republic continued its expansion in the western Mediterranean, campaigning in the Iberian Peninsula throughout the century and annexing the North African coast after the destruction of the city of Carthage at the end of the Third Punic War.The end of the century witnessed the evolution of the Roman army from a citizen army into a voluntary professional force, which later scholars would misattribute to putative reforms by noted general and statesman Gaius Marius (the so-called Marian Reforms).The Han Empire extended its boundaries from Korea in the east to Vietnam in the South to the borders of modern-day Kazakhstan in the west.Han efforts to find allies against the Xiongnu by exploring the lands to their west would ultimately lead to the opening of the Silk Road.The Greco-Bactrians crossed the Hindu Kush and established the Indo-Greek Kingdom, but lost their homeland in Bactria to the Sakas, themselves under pressure from the Yuezhi.
Map of the Eastern Hemisphere in 200 BC, the beginning of the second century BC.
Map of the world in 100 BC, the end of the second century BC.
The Rosetta Stone , a trilingual decree recording the coronation of Ptolemy V at Memphis in Egypt.
Tomb of Empress Lü in Changling, Xianyang , Shaanxi
A silver coin of 1 karshapana of King Pushyamitra Shunga (185-149 BC), founder of the Shunga dynasty .
Bust of Antiochus IV at the Altes Museum in Berlin.
Cleopatra II ruled Egypt in co-operation and competition with her brothers Ptolemy VI and VIII for most of the century.
Mural from the tomb of Liu Wu whose principality was at the heart of the Rebellion of the Seven States
Emperor Wu of Han was probably the most powerful man in the world at the end of the century
Drachm of Mithridates II of Parthia , wearing a bejeweled tiara .
Scipio Aemilianus
Antiochus the Great
A bust purported to be of Gaius Marius
Polybius
Terence
Coin of Menander I , the Greek king who ruled most of Northern India ( c. 150-130 ) and converted to Buddhism .
Posidonius was acclaimed as the greatest polymath of his age.
Hipparchus' equatorial ring .
100s BC (decade)1st millennium BC3rd century BC1st century BC2nd century BCDecades190s BC180s BC170s BC160s BC150s BC140s BC130s BC120s BC110s BC100s BC200 BC101 BCClassicalAxial AgeEastern MediterraneanHellenistic periodSecond Punic WarRoman RepublicIberian PeninsulaNorth AfricanCarthageThird Punic WarAegeanAntigonidMacedoniaMacedonian WarsCorinthAchaean WarPtolemaic EgyptAttalid PergamonRoman armyGaius MariusMarian ReformsSeleucid EmpireAsia MinorIranian plateauMesopotamiaParthian empireHasmonean kingdomJudaeaEast AsiaHan dynastyextended its boundaries from Korea in the east to Vietnam in the South to the borders of modern-day KazakhstanXiongnuYuezhiCentral AsiaSilk RoadSouth AsiaMauryan EmpirePushyamitra ShungaShunga EmpireGreco-BactriansHindu KushIndo-Greek KingdomBactriaRosetta StonePtolemy VMemphisBattle of PaniumAntiochus IIIbarangay states190s BC198 BCFifth Syrian WarCoele Syria197 BCFlamininusPhilip VBattle of CynoscephalaeSecond Macedonian War196 BCPtolemy V EpiphanesKing of EgyptEgyptian languagehieroglyphicsdemotic scriptLampsacusSmyrnaThraceEmpress LüHan XinYing Bu195 BCEmperor Gaozu of HanPrince Liu YingEmpress Lü ZhiWar against NabisSpartan194 BCGames of MegalesiaCybelePunic WarsWiman of GojoseonWiman Joseon192 BCZhejiangChineseAetoliansRoman-Syrian War191 BCBattle of ThermopylaeManius Acilius Glabrio190 BCBattle of MagnesiaPergamon180s BCXianyangkarshapanaShunga dynasty189 BCGalatian WarGnaeus Manlius VulsoGalatians188 BCPrince Liu Gong187 BCSeleucus IV Philopator186 BCAnkhwenneferUpper Egypt185 BCMaurya184 BCEmperor Qianshao of HanPrince Liu Hong183 BCZhao TuoNanyue180 BCLü Clan DisturbanceHoushaoPrince Liu Heng170s BC179 BCPerseus178 BCTiberius Sempronius GracchusFirst Celtiberian War176 BCQilian MountainsIli valley175 BCAntiochus IV Epiphanes171 BCThird Macedonian War160s BCCleopatra IIPtolemy VI168 BCBattle of PydnaSixth Syrian WarAntiochus IVGaius Popillius Laenas167 BCMithradates I of ParthiaMargianaGreco-Bactrian Kingdom164 BCKislevJudas MaccabaeusHasmoneanTemple in JerusalemHanukkahMaccabean RevoltPtolemy VIIIAlexandriaAntiochus V163 BCHalley's CometCyrenaicaTimarchusBabylonia161 BCBattle of VijithapuraDutthagamaniEllalanDemetrius I SoterSeleucid160 BC150s BCLiu WuRebellion of the Seven States158 BC157 BCEmperor Wen of HanPrince Liu Qi155 BCLusitaniansLusitanian War154 BCCeltiberiansNumantiaNumantine WarLiu PiEmperor JingHan China152 BCAlexander BalasJonathan Maccabaeus140s BC148 BCEcbatanaSeleucidsFourth Macedonian War147 BC146 BCAchaean League145 BCBattle of AntiochAi-Khanoum141 BCEmperor Jing of HanPrince Liu Chehis grandmother130s BCEmperor Wu of Han139 BCViriathusDemetrius II Nicator138 BCMinyueHan campaigns against Minyue135 BCFirst Servile War133 BCAttalus IIIEmperor Wuan ambushHan–Xiongnu WarTiberius GracchusScipio AemilianusSiege of Numantia132 BC130 BCHipparchusHeliocles I120s BCDrachmMithridates IIParthia129 BCBattle of EcbatanaAntiochus VII Sidetes127 BCHyspaosinesCharacene126 BC125 BCZhang Qian124 BCArtabanus II of Parthia122 BCMithradates II of Parthia121 BCGaius Gracchus110s BC116 BCPtolemy VIII of EgyptCleopatra IIIPtolemy IX Soter113 BCCimbriTeutonesDanubeNoricumCimbrian War112 BCJugurthaNumidiaJugurthine War111 BCNam VietconquestTriệu dynastyFirst Chinese domination of Vietnam100s BC109 BCconquersUgeo of GojoseonGojoseon–Han War108 BCWanggeom seongFour Commanderies of Han107 BCconsulship106 BC105 BCBattle of ArausioWar of the Heavenly HorsesDayuan104 BCmanumissionSecond Servile WarSicily102 BCBattle of Aquae SextiaeBattle of VercellaeAntiochus the GreatPolybiusTerenceMenander IBuddhismPosidoniusAndriscusEucratides I MegasGreco-BactrianMithridates IAppius Claudius Pulcher (consul 143 BC)BoiorixCato the ElderLucius Aemilius Paullus MacedonicusLucius Cornelius SullaLucius Mummius AchaicusMarcus Claudius Marcellus (consul 166 BC)Perseus of MacedonAntigonid dynastyPublius Mucius Scaevola (triumphator)Publius Mucius Scaevola (pontifex maximus)Quintus Caecilius Metellus MacedonicusQuintus Caecilius Metellus NumidicusTeutobodTeutonsTrieu dynastyHuo QubingJudas MaccabeusLi GuangLucius Caecilius Metellus CalvusLucius Caecilius Metellus DalmaticusQuintus Lutatius CatulusScipio Aemilianus AfricanusWei QingApollodorus of AthensBion of SmyrnaGaius LuciliusLutatius CatulusLucius AcciusMoschusPacuviusQuintus EnniusSima XiangruTitus Maccius PlautusSangam literatureKaniyan PungundranarPurananuruApollonius of PergageometerCarneadesCrates of MallusDiogenes of BabylonEight Immortals of HuainanHypsiclesLiu AnPanaetiusSeleucus of SeleuciaSima QianZenodorusequatorial ringEuropeprecessionequinoxestrigonometricFibonacci numbersPingalaIndiansRoman concretePolybioswinnowing machineList of sovereign states in the 2nd century BCTwitchett, DennisLoewe, MichaelCambridge University PressBeckwith, Christopher I.Princeton University PressRivista di Filologia e di Istruzione Classica4th century BC3rd century BC1st century BC1st century200s BC209 BC208 BC207 BC206 BC205 BC204 BC203 BC202 BC201 BC200 BC199 BC198 BC197 BC196 BC195 BC194 BC193 BC192 BC191 BC190 BC189 BC188 BC187 BC186 BC185 BC184 BC183 BC182 BC181 BC180 BC179 BC178 BC177 BC176 BC175 BC174 BC173 BC172 BC171 BC170 BC169 BC168 BC167 BC166 BC165 BC164 BC163 BC162 BC161 BC160 BC159 BC158 BC157 BC156 BC155 BC154 BC153 BC152 BC151 BC150 BC149 BC148 BC147 BC146 BC145 BC144 BC143 BC142 BC141 BC140 BC139 BC138 BC137 BC136 BC135 BC134 BC133 BC132 BC131 BC130 BC129 BC128 BC127 BC126 BC125 BC124 BC123 BC122 BC121 BC120 BC119 BC118 BC117 BC116 BC115 BC114 BC113 BC112 BC111 BC110 BC109 BC108 BC107 BC106 BC105 BC104 BC103 BC102 BC101 BC100 BC90s BC99 BC98 BC97 BC96 BC95 BC94 BC93 BC92 BC91 BC90 BCCenturiesmillennia