Originally Posted by The EB team
This year in history: Apollodorus is the Eponymous Archon in Athenai for the year, in its 572 year after the first Olympiad, the first year of the 144th Olympiad. M. Cornelius Cethegus and P. Sempronius Tuditanus are elected as consuls at Roma, in this 549nd year ab urbe condita. The inundation of the Neilos marks the start of the season of Achet (in late October) and is reckoned as the first year of the Pharaoh Ptolemaios V Epiphanes.
In Egypt, Ptolemaeus launches a huge warship, 280 cubits long, with 40 banks of oars. He subsequently constructs two enormous ships more, one for the sea and one for the river Nile. He begins building walls around Gortyn in Crete, but does not complete them. The Ptolemaic king, after eighteen years of reign, dies, and leaves his kingdom to his son Ptolemaios V, surnamed Epiphanes.
In Greece, the tyrant Nabis rebuilds Spartan power, intensifying Kleomenes’ reform program. He exiles the wealthy, divides the estates and frees an unexpectedly large number of slaves, bolstering Lacedemonian numbers, but he maintains the Helot slavery as part of the system he was claiming to restore. To consolidate his power as sole ruler of Sparta, he executes the last remnants of the Eurypontid and Agaid dynasties. He unsuccessfully attacks Meglopolis
In the Aegean, a war outbreaks between Crete and Rhodes, allegedly caused by Heracleides, an agent of Philippus.
In Italy, M.Cato becomes a political ally of Fabius Maximus. He then is assigned to Scipio in Sicily as a quaestor. In April, the image of the Magna Mater arrives at Rome; P.Scipio Nasica and Claudia are chosen to lead it into the city. Twelve Latin colonies are punished for failing to provide contingents during the last six years. In Bruttium, indecisive fighting takes place between Hannibal and Sempronius. The censors celebrated the lustrum ceremony. 214,000 citizens were registered.
The senate debates the conduct of Scipio in Sicily, and the crimes of Pleminius at Locri. Roman commissioners, led by the praetor M.Pomponius, punish Pleminius, but approve the preparations of Scipio's army, which then departs to Africa from Lilybaeum. In Africa, Hasdrubal persuades Syphax to repudiate his friendship with Scipio, and to embrace an alliance with Carthage instead. Scipio lands at Pulchri Promunturium, north of Utica, and is joined by Masinissa. Both defeat and kill Hanno, the son of Hamilcar, near Salaeca, and then besiege Utica. Scipio is then forced to raise the siege because of the approaching of the combined force of Hasdrubal, son of Gisco, and Syphax.
Pyrrhias of Aitolia won the stadion at Olympia. Other victors include Damokrates of Tenedos in wrestling, Sodamos of Assos in the boy's stadion, and an Argive in the diaulos.
