2nd century BC

The 2nd century BC started the first day of and ended the last day of. It is considered part of the, although depending on the region being studied, other terms may be more proper (for instance, if regarding only the Eastern Mediterranean, it would best be called part of the ).

Fresh from its victories in the, the continued it's expansion into neighbouring territories, eventually annexing , and the North African coast after completely destroying the city of  at the end of the. Rome's influence was also felt in the near east, as crumbling states like the  were forced to make treaties on Roman terms in order to avoid confrontation with the new masters of the western. The period is noted for the emergence of a new arrogance on the part of the Romans, which manifested itself in provincial corruption, and a shameless lust for wealth and status among the privileged classes. The end of the century witnessed the reforming of the from a citizen army to a voluntary professional force, under the guidance of the great general and statesman  -.

In East Asia, the world reached its first high point with 's successor, the  dynasty. The empire extended it's boundaries from Korea in the east to Vietnam in the South to the borders of modern day Kazakhstan in the west. Also in the 2nd century BC, the Han defeated the Mongol-Turkic tribes of the steppes, driving the /(Huns) west.

Events



 * , : recorded in Rome [Livy: Ab Urbe Condita 37.4.4].
 * —, took possession of the n throne, at the murder of his brother , which rightly belonged to his nephew.
 * — — The  defeated by.
 * 168 BC, : recorded in Rome [Livy: Ab Urbe Condita 44.37.8].
 * , 25 :, son of Mattathias of the family, restores the . Events commemorated each year by the festival of.
 * — victories restore autonomy to.
 * — conquers ia.
 * destroys in the.
 * conquers.
 * — collapse of the.
 * — finally destroyed, the capital of . And  founded  to govern.
 * – — Migration of the and the, defeated at the battles of   and.
 * is officially introduced to by the.
 * 2nd or —, ,  of  make . Perhaps the original or a Roman copy of the  is discovered in . It is now at , , ,.
 * Old woman is made. It is now kept at The,.
 * ,, is built.
 * Shortly before the  overran.

Significant persons



 * , last independent ruler of Macedon
 * , the last effective ruler of the
 * , last King of a United
 * , Greek
 * , author of
 * , Roman consul and censor
 * , king of the
 * , of Terence
 * , considered the greatest astronomical observer
 * , leader of the rebellion and first autonomous ruler of
 * , leader of the rebellion and its first successful general
 * , Chinese prince and noted
 * , Roman general and politician
 * , Roman general and politician
 * , conqueror of
 * , Roman general and politician
 * , last King of the
 * , Roman general
 * , conqueror of
 * , father of
 * , King of the
 * , considered one of the greatest emperors throughout the
 * , Chinese diplomat and explorer
 * , considered one of the greatest emperors throughout the
 * , Chinese diplomat and explorer

Inventions, discoveries, introductions



 * The first produce.
 * between and
 * discovers of 's es and compiles first   tables
 * invented
 * The (puzzolana) first used
 * invented by the ancient Greeks
 * A system for sending signs to communicate quickly over a long distance is described by
 * The earliest known machine is depicted in a.