View source for 259 BC

{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2011}}
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{{BC year in topic|259}}
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Year '''259 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 Scipio and Florus''' (or, less frequently, '''year 495 ''[[Ab urbe condita]]'''''). The denomination 259 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 ==
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=== By place ===

==== Seleucid Empire ====
* The Seleucid king [[Antiochus II Theos|Antiochus II]] starts the [[Syrian Wars|Second Syrian War]] against [[Ptolemy II Philadelphus]] to avenge his father's losses.  Antiochus II finds a willing ally in [[Antigonus II Gonatas]], the king of [[Macedon]]ia, who has been dealing with Ptolemy II's attempts to destabilize Macedonia.

==== Sicily ====
* The [[Carthage|Carthaginians]] under [[Hamilcar (Drepanum)|Hamilcar]] take advantage of their victory at Thermae in [[Sicily]] by counterattacking the [[Roman Republic|Romans]] and seizing [[Enna]]. [[Hamilcar (Drepanum)|Hamilcar]] continues south to [[Camarina]], in [[Syracuse, Sicily|Syracusan]] territory, to try to convince the Syracusans to rejoin the Carthaginian side.

====China====
* The [[State of Zhou]] cedes to the [[State of Qin]] the [[State of Han|Han]] region of Yuanyong and six cities of Zhao in exchange for peace.<ref>{{cite book|first=Sima|last= Qian|title=Records of the Grand Historian, Section: Bai Qi}}</ref>
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== Births ==
* [[February 18]] &ndash; [[Qin Shi Huang]], first emperor of [[China]] (d. [[210 BC]])
* [[Bashu Guafu Qing]], Chinese businesswoman (d. [[210 BC]])

== Deaths ==
*

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

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[[Category:259 BC| ]]