216 BC

Millennium:	1st millennium BC
Centuries:	4th century BC – 3rd century BC – 2nd century BC
Decades:	240s BC  230s BC  220s BC  – 210s BC –  200s BC  190s BC  180s BC
Years:	219 BC 218 BC 217 BC – 216 BC – 215 BC 214 BC 213 BC

216 BC by topic Politics State leaders – Sovereign states Birth and death categories Births – Deaths Establishments and disestablishments categories Establishments – Disestablishments

216 BC in other calendars Gregorian calendar 216 BC Ab urbe condita 538 Armenian calendar N/A Bahá'í calendar -2059 – -2058 Bengali calendar -808 Berber calendar 735 Buddhist calendar 329 Burmese calendar -853 Byzantine calendar 5293 – 5294 Chinese calendar 甲年 (2421/2481) — to — [[Sexagenary cycle|]]年 (2422/2482) Coptic calendar -499 – -498 Ethiopian calendar -223 – -222 Hebrew calendar 3545 – 3546 Hindu calendars  - Bikram Samwat -159 – -158  - Shaka Samvat N/A  - Kali Yuga 2886 – 2887 Holocene calendar 9785 Iranian calendar 837 BP – 836 BP Islamic calendar 863 BH – 862 BH Japanese calendar Korean calendar 2118 Thai solar calendar 328

Events

By place

Roman Republic

• The Carthaginian general, Hannibal, moves his forces southward through Italy and seizes the large army supply depot at Cannae on the Aufidus River.^[1]
• 2 August—The Battle of Cannae (east of Naples) ends in victory for Hannibal whose 40,000-man army defeats a Roman force of 70,000 led by consuls Lucius Aemilius Paullus (who is killed in the battle) and Gaius Terentius Varro.^[2]
• A loan of money and supplies for the Roman army in Sicily is sought and obtained from Hiero II of Syracuse.^[3]
• The Roman historian Quintus Fabius Pictor is sent to Delphi in Greece to consult the Oracle for advice about what Rome should do after its defeat in the Battle of Cannae.^[4]
• Following Hannibal's victory, many regions begin to defect from Rome, while others are conquered by Hannibal's forces. In Apulia, Lucania, Samnium and in Bruttium, Hannibal finds many supporters.^[5]
• The city of Capua switches sides to join Hannibal and the Carthaginian army winters there.^[4]
• After the defeat at Cannae, Roman general, Marcus Claudius Marcellus, commands the remnants of the Roman army at Canusium and saves the city of Nola and southern Campania from occupation by Hannibal.^[4]
• A Roman force of 25,000 led by Lucius Postumius Albinus is ambushed by Gauls near Litana and almost completely wiped out.^[6]

Spain

• Hasdrubal is ordered by the Carthaginian government to march to Italy.^[7]
• Roman forces in Spain led by Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus and Publius Cornelius Scipio successfully thwart Hasdrubal's attempt to march to Italy.^[8]

Syracuse

• The Carthaginian fleet ravages the territory of The Kingdom of Syracuse.^[9]

Greece

• Philip V of Macedon, still resenting Rome's interference in Illyrian politics, seizes his opportunity to invade Illyria. Ambassadors from Philip V visit Hannibal at his headquarters in Italy. These actions mark the beginning of the First Macedonian War between Rome and Macedonia.

Egypt

• A revolt of the Egyptian peasants is put down by Ptolemy IV.

Births

Deaths

• August 2—Lucius Aemilius Paullus, Roman consul and general (killed in the Battle of Cannae)^[3]
• August 2—Gnaeus Servilius Geminus, Roman consul 217 BC (killed in the Battle of Cannae)^[10]
• August 2—Marcus Minucius Rufus, Roman consul 221 BC, Master of the Horse 217 BC (killed in the Battle of Cannae)^[10]
• After August 2 – Gelo, son of Hiero II^[11]

References