View source for 262 BC

{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2011}}
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{{BC year in topic|262}}
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Year '''262 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 Valerius and Otacilius''' (or, less frequently, '''year 492 ''[[Ab urbe condita]]'''''). The denomination 262 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 ===
==== Greece ====
* After [[Ancient Athens|Athens]] surrenders in the [[Chremonidean War]] following a long siege by [[Macedon]]ian forces, [[Antigonus II Gonatas]] re-garrisons Athens and forbids the city from making war. Otherwise, he leaves Athens alone as the seat of philosophy and learning in Greece. <ref>The Freedom of the Greeks in the Early Hellenistic Period (337-262 BC). A Study in Ruler-City Relations,  Shane Wallace</ref>

==== Roman Republic ====
* [[Roman Republic|Rome]] besieges the city of [[Agrigentum]] which is held by [[Carthage]] under the command of [[Hannibal Gisco]]. Rome's siege involves both consular armies &ndash; a total of four Roman legions &ndash; and takes several months to resolve. The garrison of Agrigentum manages to call for reinforcements and a Carthaginian relief force commanded by [[Hanno the Great|Hanno]] comes to the rescue and destroys the Roman supply base at Erbessus. Nevertheless, after a few skirmishes, the [[battle of Agrigentum]] is fought and won by Rome, and the city falls. Gisco manages to escape to Carthage in the late stages of the battle.
* After the loss of Agrigentum, the Carthaginians retire to organise their fleet. In the meantime, the Romans sack Agrigentum and enslave its Greek inhabitants. The Romans are now determined to drive the Carthaginians out of Sicily.

==== Seleucid Empire ====
* [[Seleucid]] king [[Antiochus I Soter|Antiochus I's]] eldest son Seleucus, who has ruled in the east of the kingdom as viceroy for a number of years, is put to death by his father on the charge of rebellion.
* Antiochus I tries to break the growing power of [[Pergamum]] by force of arms. [[Eumenes I]], the new ruler of Pergamum, liberates his city from the overlordship of the Seleucids by defeating the army of Antiochus I near [[Sardis]] (the capital of [[Lydia]]), and thereby establishing an independent city-state.
* Antiochus I dies and is succeeded by his second son [[Antiochus II Theos]].
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==== China ====
* Following the surrender of the [[Shangdang Commandery]], formerly of [[State of Han|Han]], to the [[State of Zhao]], fighting between Zhao and the [[State of Qin]] begins in the area of [[Battle of Changping|Changping]].<ref>{{cite book|first=Sima|last= Qian|title=Records of the Grand Historian, Section: Basic Annals of Qin, Section: Bai Qi}}</ref>

== Births ==
* [[Apollonius of Perga]] (Pergaeus), Greek astronomer and mathematician specialising in geometry and noted for his writings on conic sections (d. c. [[190 BC]])

== Deaths ==
* [[Antiochus I Soter]], king of the [[Seleucid]] Kingdom from [[281 BC]] (b. c. [[323 BC]])
* [[Acrotatus II]], Agiad king of [[Sparta]]
* [[Philemon (poet)|Philemon]], [[Ancient Athens|Athenian]] poet and playwright of the [[New Comedy]] (b. c. [[362 BC]])
* [[Zeno of Citium]], Hellenistic [[Stoicism|Stoic]] philosopher from [[Citium]], [[Cyprus]] (b. [[333 BC]])

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

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[[Category:262 BC| ]]