- 219 BC
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Events
By place
Egypt
* Following the defection of one of Ptolemy IV's best commanders, Egypt's
Syria n territories are seriously threatened by Antiochus III, thus initiating theFourth Syrian War . When theSeleucid ruler captures the important eastern Mediterranean sea ports of Seleucia-in-Pieria, Tyre, andPtolemais , Ptolemy IV's advisor,Sosibius , and the Ptolemaic court enter into delaying negotiations with the enemy, while the Ptolemaic army is reorganized and intensively drilled.
* The former King ofSparta ,Cleomenes III , escapes from his Egyptian prison and, after failing to raise a revolt inAlexandria , takes his own life.Roman Republic
* The Romans extend their area of domination around the head of the
Adriatic Sea as far as the peninsula of Histria by the conquest of peoples who dwell to the east of the Veneti. Thus, with the exception ofLiguria and the upper valley of thePo River , allItaly south of theAlps is brought within the Roman sphere.Carthage
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Hannibal lays siege toSaguntum [Gavin De Beer, "Hannibal: Challenging Rome's Supremacy", 1969, Viking Press, 319 pages] thus initiating theSecond Punic War betweenCarthage and Rome. Saguntum is an independent Iberian city south of theEbro River . In the treaty between Rome and Carthage concluded in226 BC , the Ebro has been set as the northern limit of Carthaginian influence in the Iberian Peninsula. Saguntum is south of the Ebro, but the Romans have "friendship" with the city and regard the Carthaginian attack on it as an act of war. The siege of Saguntum lasts eight months, and in it Hannibal is severely wounded. The Romans, who send envoys to Carthage in protest, demand the surrender of Hannibal.Greece
* The Roman Senate sends the
consul Lucius Aemilius Paullus, with an army toIllyria . Upon discovering Rome's intent, the Illyrian leaderDemetrius of Pharos puts to death those Illyrians who oppose his rule, fortifies Dimale and goes to Pharos. After a siege of seven days by the Roman fleet under Lucius Aemilius Paulus, Dimale is taken by direct assault. From Dimale the Roman navy goes onto Pharos where the Roman forces rout the Illyrians. Demetrius flees toMacedon ia where he becomes a trusted councilor at the court of King Philip V.
* The Cretan city ofKydonia joins theAetolia n alliance. [ [http://letmespeaktothedriver.com/site/10881/cydonia.html#fieldnotes C. Michael Hogan, "Cydonia", The Modern Antiquarian, January 23, 2008] ]China
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Qin Shi Huang orders his generals to capture present-dayGuangdong andGuangxi .Births
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Deaths
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Cleomenes III ,Sparta n king from235 BC to222 BC , who has reorganized Sparta's political structure and struggled unsuccessfully to destroy theAchaean League .References
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