2nd century BC

Millennium:	1st millennium BC
Centuries:	3rd century BC · 2nd century BC · 1st century BC
Decades:	190s BC 180s BC 170s BC 160s BC 150s BC 140s BC 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC 100s BC
Categories:	Births – Deaths Establishments – Disestablishments

The 2nd century BC started the first day of 200 BC and ended the last day of 101 BC. It is considered part of the Classical era, 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 Hellenistic period).

Fresh from its victories in the Second Punic War, the Roman Republic continued it's expansion into neighbouring territories, eventually annexing Greece, and the North African coast after completely destroying the city of Carthage at the end of the Third Punic War. Rome's influence was also felt in the near east, as crumbling Hellenistic states like the Seleucid Empire were forced to make treaties on Roman terms in order to avoid confrontation with the new masters of the western Mediterranean. 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 Roman Army from a citizen army to a voluntary professional force, under the guidance of the great general and statesman Gaius Marius - (Marian Reforms).

In East Asia, the Sinitic world reached its first high point with Qin's successor, the Han dynasty. The Han 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 Xiong Nu/(Huns) west.

Events

Coin of Antiochus IV. Reverse shows Apollo seated on an omphalos. The Greek inscription reads ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ ΘΕΟΥ ΕΠΙΦΑΝΟΥ ΝΙΚΗΦΟΡΟΥ (Antiochus, image of God, bearer of victory). He was the last ruler of the Seleucid Empire to rule unopposed

• 190 BC, March 14: Solar eclipse recorded in Rome [Livy: Ab Urbe Condita 37.4.4].
• 175 BC — Antiochus IV Epiphanes, took possession of the Syrian throne, at the murder of his brother Seleucus IV Philopator, which rightly belonged to his nephew Demetrius I Soter.
• 168 BC — Battle of Pydna — The Macedonian phalanx defeated by Romans.
• 168 BC, June 21: Lunar eclipse recorded in Rome [Livy: Ab Urbe Condita 44.37.8].
• 164 BC, 25 Kislev: Judas Maccabaeus, son of Mattathias of the Hasmonean family, restores the Temple in Jerusalem. Events commemorated each year by the festival of Hanukkah.
• 147 BC — Hasmonean victories restore autonomy to Judea.
• 148 BC — Rome conquers Macedonia.
  • Rome destroys Carthage in the Third Punic War.
  • Rome conquers Corinth.
• 129 BC — collapse of the Seleucid Empire.
• 108 BC — Han Dynasty finally destroyed Wanggeom seong, the capital of Gojoseon. And Han Dynasty founded Sagunhyeon to govern Gojoseon.
• 113 BC–101 BC — Migration of the Cimbri and the Teutons, defeated at the battles of Aquae Sextiae and Vercellae.
• Theravada Buddhism is officially introduced to Sri Lanka by the Venerable Mahinda.
• 2nd or 1st century BC — Hagesandros, Polydoros, Athanadoros of Rhodes make Laocoön and his Sons. Perhaps the original or a Roman copy of the 1st century AD is discovered in 1506. It is now at Musei Vaticani, Museo Pio Clementino, Cortile Ottagono, Rome.
• Old woman is made. It is now kept at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
• Porta Augusta, Perugia, is built.
• Shortly before 100 BC the Scythians overran Parthia.

Significant persons

Gaius Marius, instigator of the Marian reforms which allowed the recruitment of landless citizens as professional soldiers

• Andriscus, last independent ruler of Macedon
• Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the last effective ruler of the Seleucid Empire
• Antiochus VII Sidetes, last King of a United Seleucid Empire
• Apollonius of Perga, Greek geometer
• Apollonius of Rhodes, author of Jason and the Argonauts
• Appius Claudius Pulcher, Roman consul and censor
• Boiorix, king of the Cimbri
• Flaccus, musical collaborator of Terence
• Hipparchus, considered the greatest astronomical observer
• Jonathan Maccabaeus, leader of the Hasmonean rebellion and first autonomous ruler of Judea
• Judas Maccabeus, leader of the Hasmonean rebellion and its first successful general
• Liu An, Chinese prince and noted geographer
• Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus, Roman general and politician
• Lucius Cornelius Sulla, Roman general and politician
• Lucius Mummius Achaicus, conqueror of Corinth
• Gaius Marius, Roman general and politician
• Perseus of Macedon, last King of the Antigonid dynasty
• Plautus, Latin playwright
• Quintus Lutatius Catulus, Roman general
• Scipio Aemilianus Africanus, conqueror of Carthage
• Sima Qian, father of Chinese historiography
• Terence, Latin playwright
• Teutobod, King of the Teutons
• Emperor Wu of Han, considered one of the greatest emperors throughout the History of China
• Zhang Qian, Chinese diplomat and explorer

Inventions, discoveries, introductions

Hipparchus' equatorial ring.

• The Chinese first produce Paper.
• Silk Road between Europe and Asia
• Hipparchus discovers precession of Earth's equinoxes and compiles first trigonometric tables
• Liu An invented tofu
• The Roman concrete (puzzolana) first used
• Rotary mill invented by the ancient Greeks
• A system for sending signs to communicate quickly over a long distance is described by Polybios
• The earliest known winnowing machine is depicted in a Han Dynasty Chinese tomb model.

Decades and years

[[::Decades|Decades]] and [[::Years|Years]]

2nd century BC

[[::4th century BC|4th century BC]] ←[[::3rd century BC|3rd century BC]] ← ↔ →[[::1st century BC|1st century BC]]→[[::1st century|1st century]]

[[::209–200 BC|209–200 BC ]]	[[::209 BC|209 BC ]]	[[::208 BC|208 BC ]]	[[::207 BC|207 BC ]]	[[::206 BC|206 BC ]]	[[::205 BC|205 BC ]]	[[::204 BC|204 BC ]]	[[::203 BC|203 BC ]]	[[::202 BC|202 BC ]]	[[::201 BC|201 BC ]]	[[::200 BC|200 BC ]]
[[::190s BC|190s BC ]]	[[::199 BC|199 BC ]]	[[::198 BC|198 BC ]]	[[::197 BC|197 BC ]]	[[::196 BC|196 BC ]]	[[::195 BC|195 BC ]]	[[::194 BC|194 BC ]]	[[::193 BC|193 BC ]]	[[::192 BC|192 BC ]]	[[::191 BC|191 BC ]]	[[::190 BC|190 BC ]]
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[[::170s BC|170s BC ]]	[[::179 BC|179 BC ]]	[[::178 BC|178 BC ]]	[[::177 BC|177 BC ]]	[[::176 BC|176 BC ]]	[[::175 BC|175 BC ]]	[[::174 BC|174 BC ]]	[[::173 BC|173 BC ]]	[[::172 BC|172 BC ]]	[[::171 BC|171 BC ]]	[[::170 BC|170 BC ]]
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[[::150s BC|150s BC ]]	[[::159 BC|159 BC ]]	[[::158 BC|158 BC ]]	[[::157 BC|157 BC ]]	[[::156 BC|156 BC ]]	[[::155 BC|155 BC ]]	[[::154 BC|154 BC ]]	[[::153 BC|153 BC ]]	[[::152 BC|152 BC ]]	[[::151 BC|151 BC ]]	[[::150 BC|150 BC ]]
[[::140s BC|140s BC ]]	[[::149 BC|149 BC ]]	[[::148 BC|148 BC ]]	[[::147 BC|147 BC ]]	[[::146 BC|146 BC ]]	[[::145 BC|145 BC ]]	[[::144 BC|144 BC ]]	[[::143 BC|143 BC ]]	[[::142 BC|142 BC ]]	[[::141 BC|141 BC ]]	[[::140 BC|140 BC ]]
[[::130s BC|130s BC ]]	[[::139 BC|139 BC ]]	[[::138 BC|138 BC ]]	[[::137 BC|137 BC ]]	[[::136 BC|136 BC ]]	[[::135 BC|135 BC ]]	[[::134 BC|134 BC ]]	[[::133 BC|133 BC ]]	[[::132 BC|132 BC ]]	[[::131 BC|131 BC ]]	[[::130 BC|130 BC ]]
[[::120s BC|120s BC ]]	[[::129 BC|129 BC ]]	[[::128 BC|128 BC ]]	[[::127 BC|127 BC ]]	[[::126 BC|126 BC ]]	[[::125 BC|125 BC ]]	[[::124 BC|124 BC ]]	[[::123 BC|123 BC ]]	[[::122 BC|122 BC ]]	[[::121 BC|121 BC ]]	[[::120 BC|120 BC ]]
[[::110s BC|110s BC ]]	[[::119 BC|119 BC ]]	[[::118 BC|118 BC ]]	[[::117 BC|117 BC ]]	[[::116 BC|116 BC ]]	[[::115 BC|115 BC ]]	[[::114 BC|114 BC ]]	[[::113 BC|113 BC ]]	[[::112 BC|112 BC ]]	[[::111 BC|111 BC ]]	[[::110 BC|110 BC ]]
[[::109–100 BC|109–100 BC ]]	[[::109 BC|109 BC ]]	[[::108 BC|108 BC ]]	[[::107 BC|107 BC ]]	[[::106 BC|106 BC ]]	[[::105 BC|105 BC ]]	[[::104 BC|104 BC ]]	[[::103 BC|103 BC ]]	[[::102 BC|102 BC ]]	[[::101 BC|101 BC ]]	[[::100 BC|100 BC ]]
[[::90s BC|90s BC ]]	[[::99 BC|99 BC ]]	[[::98 BC|98 BC ]]	[[::97 BC|97 BC ]]	[[::96 BC|96 BC ]]	[[::95 BC|95 BC ]]	[[::94 BC|94 BC ]]	[[::93 BC|93 BC ]]	[[::92 BC|92 BC ]]	[[::91 BC|91 BC ]]	[[::90 BC|90 BC ]]

[[::Centuries|Centuries]] and [[::Millennia|Millennia]]

Millennium	Century
Before Christ / Before Common Era (BC/BCE)
[[::4th millennium BC|4th]]:	[[::40th century BC|40th]]	[[::39th century BC|39th]]	[[::38th century BC|38th]]	[[::37th century BC|37th]]	[[::36th century BC|36th]]	[[::35th century BC|35th]]	[[::34th century BC|34th]]	[[::33rd century BC|33rd]]	[[::32nd century BC|32nd]]	[[::31st century BC|31st]]
[[::3rd millennium BC|3rd]]:	[[::30th century BC|30th]]	[[::29th century BC|29th]]	[[::28th century BC|28th]]	[[::27th century BC|27th]]	[[::26th century BC|26th]]	[[::25th century BC|25th]]	[[::24th century BC|24th]]	[[::23rd century BC|23rd]]	[[::22nd century BC|22nd]]	[[::21st century BC|21st]]
[[::2nd millennium BC|2nd]]:	[[::20th century BC|20th]]	[[::19th century BC|19th]]	[[::18th century BC|18th]]	[[::17th century BC|17th]]	[[::16th century BC|16th]]	[[::15th century BC|15th]]	[[::14th century BC|14th]]	[[::13th century BC|13th]]	[[::12th century BC|12th]]	[[::11th century BC|11th]]
[[::1st millennium BC|1st]]:	[[::10th century BC|10th]]	[[::9th century BC|9th]]	[[::8th century BC|8th]]	[[::7th century BC|7th]]	[[::6th century BC|6th]]	[[::5th century BC|5th]]	[[::4th century BC|4th]]	[[::3rd century BC|3rd]]	[[::2nd century BC|2nd]]	[[::1st century BC|1st]]
Anno Domini / Common Era (AD/CE)
[[::1st millennium|1st]]:	[[::1st century|1st]]	[[::2nd century|2nd]]	[[::3rd century|3rd]]	[[::4th century|4th]]	[[::5th century|5th]]	[[::6th century|6th]]	[[::7th century|7th]]	[[::8th century|8th]]	[[::9th century|9th]]	[[::10th century|10th]]
[[::2nd millennium|2nd]]:	[[::11th century|11th]]	[[::12th century|12th]]	[[::13th century|13th]]	[[::14th century|14th]]	[[::15th century|15th]]	[[::16th century|16th]]	[[::17th century|17th]]	[[::18th century|18th]]	[[::19th century|19th]]	[[::20th century|20th]]
[[::3rd millennium|3rd]]:	[[::21st century|21st]]	[[::22nd century|22nd]]	[[::23rd century|23rd]]	[[::24th century|24th]]	[[::25th century|25th]]	[[::26th century|26th]]	[[::27th century|27th]]	[[::28th century|28th]]	[[::29th century|29th]]	[[::30th century|30th]]
[[::4th millennium|4th]]:	[[::31st century|31st]]