Editing 281 BC

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{{BC year in topic|281}}
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Year '''281 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 [[Lucius Aemilius Barbula|Barbula]] and [[Quintus Marcius Philippus (consul 281 BC)|Philippus]]''' (or, less frequently, '''year 473 ''[[Ab urbe condita]]'''''). The denomination 281 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 ===
==== Asia Minor ====
* The [[Battle of Corupedium]] in [[Lydia]] is the last battle of the [[Diadochi]], the rival successors to [[Alexander the Great]]. It is fought between the armies of [[Lysimachus]], King of [[Thrace]], [[Macedonia (ancient kingdom)|Macedonia]], Western [[Anatolia]] and [[Seleucus I Nicator|Seleucus]], ruler of Eastern [[Anatolia]], [[Syria]], [[Phoenicia]], [[Judea]], [[Babylonia]] and [[Iran]]. Seleucus kills Lysimachus during the battle.
* Following the Battle of Corupedium, Lysimachus' widow, [[Arsinoe II of Egypt|Arsinoe]], flees to [[Cassandrea]], a city in northern [[Ancient Greece|Greece]], where she marries her half-brother [[Ptolemy Keraunos]]. This proves to be a serious misjudgement, as Ptolemy Keraunus promptly kills two of her sons, though the third is able to escape. Arsinoe flees again, this time to [[Alexandria]] in [[Ancient Egypt|Egypt]].

==== Greece ====
* Seleucus takes over Thrace and then tries to seize Macedonia. However, he falls into a trap near [[Lysimachia (Thrace)|Lysimachia]], [[Thrace]], set by Ptolemy Keraunos, one of the sons of Ptolemy I and Arsinoe II's half brother, who murders Seleucus and takes Macedonia for himself.
* [[Cineas]], a [[Thessaly|Thessalian]] serving as chief adviser to King [[Pyrrhus of Epirus]], after visiting [[Roman Republic|Rome]] attempts, without success, to dissuade Pyrrhus from invading southern [[Italy]].

==== Seleucid Empire ====
* Seleucus is succeeded as ruler of the [[Seleucid empire]] by [[Antiochus I Soter|Antiochus]], who was already king of the Syrian part of the empire. He is immediately beset by revolts in [[Syria]] (probably instigated by [[Ptolemy II Philadelphus|Ptolemy II]] of [[Ancient Egypt|Egypt]]) and by independence movements in northern [[Anatolia]].<ref name=antiochus>{{cite web | url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Antiochus-I-Soter | access-date=February 25, 2024 | title=Antiochus I Soter | date=February 13, 2024 | series=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref>
* Although he has only a few bases in [[Ancient Greece|Greece]], [[Antigonus II Gonatas]] lays claim to Macedonia. His claim is disputed by Antiochus I.
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== Births ==
* [[King Zhuangxiang of Qin|Zhuangxiang of Qin]], Chinese king of the [[Qin (state)|Qin State]] (d. [[247 BC]])

== Deaths ==
* [[Lysimachus]], king of [[Thrace]] and [[Macedonia (ancient kingdom)|Macedonia]] (b. c. [[360 BC]])<ref>{{cite web |title=King Lysimachus, King of Thrace, Asia Minor and Macedon (c.360-281 BC) as horned Alexander the Great (356 – 323 BC) 1276669.2 |url=https://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/1276669.2 |website=www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk |access-date=26 February 2022 |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Seleucus I Nicator]], founder of the [[Seleucid Empire]]<ref name=antiochus/> (b. c. [[354 BC]])<ref>{{cite book |last1=Roberts |first1=John |title=The Oxford dictionary of the classical world |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780192801463 |page=689}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

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[[Category:281 BC| ]]