View source for 257 BC

{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2011}}
{{Year nav|-257}}
{{BC year in topic|257}}
__NOTOC__
Year '''257 BC''' was a year of the [[Roman calendar|pre-Julian Roman calendar]]. At the time it was known as the '''Year of the Consulship of Regulus and Blasio''' (or, less frequently, '''year 497 ''[[Ab urbe condita]]'''''). The denomination 257 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the [[Anno Domini]] [[calendar era]] became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

== Events ==
<onlyinclude>
=== By place ===
==== Roman Republic ====
* The [[Roman Republic|Romans]] attack [[Sardinia]] and try to capture it from the [[Carthage|Carthaginians]].
* The [[Battle of Tyndaris]] is fought between the Roman fleet (with [[Gaius Atilius Regulus (consul 257 BC)|Gaius Atilius Regulus]] in command) and the Carthaginian fleet off [[Tyndaris]] (modern [[Tindari]]) in [[Sicily]]. [[Hiero II of Syracuse|Hiero II]], tyrant of [[Syracuse, Sicily|Syracuse]], has allowed Tyndaris to be a base for the Carthaginians. However, after this battle, the town falls to Roman forces.

==== China ====
* The [[State of Qin|Qin]] siege of [[Handan]], the capital of the [[State of Zhao]]:
:* The [[State of Chu]] and the [[State of Wei]] send armies to assist Zhao against the Qin, and they defeat the Qin army of Wang He outside Handan. This forces Wang He to lift the siege.
:* The Qin general [[Bai Qi]] is executed for his refusal to take command of the siege.<ref>{{cite book|first=Sima|last= Qian|title=Records of the Grand Historian, Section: Bai Qi}}</ref>

==== Vietnam ====
* [[Thục Phán]] ([[An Dương Vương]]), Chief of the Thục Tribe of the Âu Việts, defeats the [[Văn Lang]] Confederacy and unifies all [[Âu Việt]] and [[Lạc Việt]] tribes, thus founding the Kingdom of [[Âu Lạc]] and the [[Thục dynasty]].
</onlyinclude>

== Births ==
* [[Aristophanes of Byzantium]], Greek scholar and [[Philology|grammarian]] (approximate date)

== Deaths ==
* [[Bai Qi]], Chinese general of the [[Qin (state)|Qin State]] ([[Warring States period|Warring States Period]])

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:257 Bc}}
[[Category:257 BC| ]]