280s BC

This article concerns the period 289 BC – 280 BC.

289 BC

This section is transcluded from 289 BC. (edit | history)

By place

Sicily

• The tyrant of Syracuse, Agathocles, dies after restoring the Syracusan democracy on his death bed by stating that he does not want his sons to succeed him as king. However, the resulting dissension among his family about the succession leads to a renewal of Carthaginian power in Sicily.

China

• General Sima Cuo of the State of Qin attacks the State of Wei, recaptures the city of Yuan and captures the cities of Heyong and Jueqiao.^[1]

Births

Transcluding articles: 289 BC, 288 BC, 287 BC, 286 BC, 285 BC, 284 BC, 283 BC, 282 BC, 281 BC, and 280 BC

287 BC

• 
  Archimedes

• Archimedes of Syracuse, Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, astronomer and philosopher (approximate date) (d. c. 212 BC)

286 BC

• Antiochus II Theos, king of the Hellenistic Seleucid Kingdom from 261 BC (d. 246 BC)

281 BC

• Zhuangxiang of Qin, Chinese king of the Qin State (d. 247 BC)

280 BC

• Han Fei, Chinese philosopher who has developed Xun Zi's philosophy (approximate date)
• Li Si, influential prime minister (or chancellor) of the feudal state and later of the dynasty of Qin (approximate date) (d. 208 BC)
• Philo of Byzantium, a Greek writer on mechanics (approximate date) (d. c. 220 BC)

Deaths

Transcluding articles: 289 BC, 288 BC, 287 BC, 286 BC, 285 BC, 284 BC, 283 BC, 282 BC, 281 BC, and 280 BC

289 BC

• Agathocles, tyrant of Syracuse, Sicily from 317 BC and self-styled king of Sicily after 304 BC (b. 361 BC)
• Mencius (Mèng Zǐ or Meng Zhu), Chinese philosopher (approximate date) (b. c. 372 BC)

287 BC

• Phila, daughter of Antipater, the regent of Macedonia
• Theophrastus, Greek Peripatetic philosopher and pupil of Aristotle (b. c. 372 BC)

285 BC

• Dicaearchus, Greek philosopher, cartographer, geographer, mathematician and author (b. c. 350 BC)
• Theophrastus, Greek philosopher, a native of Eressos in Lesbos, the successor of Aristotle in the Peripatetic school (b. c. 370 BC)

284 BC

• Agathocles, son of King Lysimachus of Thrace
• Ardvates, governor and later ruler of Armenia who founds a dynasty that will rule until 211 BC
• Lucius Caecilius Metellus Denter, Roman consul and general (killed in the Battle of Arretium) (b. c. 320 BC)

283 BC

• Demetrius I Poliorcetes, King of Macedonia (b. 336 BC)

282 BC

• Ptolemy I Soter, Macedonian military general who served under Alexander the Great and became ruler of Egypt (born c.367)^[6]

281 BC

• Lysimachus, king of Thrace and Macedonia (b. c. 360 BC)^[7]
• Seleucus I Nicator, founder of the Seleucid Empire^[4] (b. c. 354 BC)^[8]

280 BC

• Demetrius of Phaleron (or Demetrius Phalereus), Athenian orator, statesman, and philosopher, who has become prominent at the court of Ptolemy I, enjoying a high reputation as an orator (b. c. 350 BC)
• Herophilus, Alexandrian physician who has been an early performer of public dissections on human cadavers; often called the father of anatomy (b. c. 335 BC)

References

1. Qian, Sima. Records of the Grand Historian, Section: Basic Annals of Qin.
2. Qian, Sima. Records of the Grand Historian, Section: Basic Annals of Qin.
3. Qian, Sima. Records of the Grand Historian, Section: Lian Po.
4. "Antiochus I Soter". Encyclopædia Britannica. February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
5. Qian, Sima. Records of the Grand Historian, Section: Basic Annals of Qin, Section: Bai Qi.
6. Bierbrier, Morris L. (14 August 2008). Historical Dictionary of Ancient Egypt. Scarecrow Press. p. 184. ISBN 978-0-8108-6250-0.
7. "King Lysimachus, King of Thrace, Asia Minor and Macedon (c.360-281 BC) as horned Alexander the Great (356 – 323 BC) 1276669.2". www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
8. Roberts, John. The Oxford dictionary of the classical world. Oxford University Press. p. 689. ISBN 9780192801463.