Editing 317 BC

{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2011}}
{{Year nav|-317}}
{{BC year in topic|317}}
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Year '''317 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 [[Gaius Junius Bubulcus Brutus|Brutus]] and [[Quintus Aemilius Barbula|Barbula]]''' (or, less frequently, '''year 437 ''[[Ab urbe condita]]'''''). The denomination 317 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 ===

==== Macedonian Empire ====
* [[Battle of Byzantium]]: At the start of the year, [[Antigonus I Monophthalmus|Antigonus Monophthalmus]] sends [[Nicanor (Antipatrid general)|Nicanor]] with a large fleet to do battle with [[Cleitus the White]] at the [[Dardanelles|Hellespont]]. The two fleets meet in near Byzantium, Cleitus wins a victory in which some 70 ships of Nicanor are captured, sunk or disabled, the remnant escaping to [[Chalcedon]], where they are joined by Antigonus and his army. Antigonus orders the remaining 60 ships to be readied for renewed action, and assigns his strongest and most loyal soldiers as marines to these ships. Meanwhile, the Byzantines transport his archers, slingers and peltast to the European shore, where Cleitus's victorious forces were encamped. At dawn the next day Antigonus launches an assault by land and sea and catches Cleitus completely by surprise; Cleitus’s entire force is captured or killed.<ref>[[Diodorus Siculus]], ''[[Bibliotheca Historica]]'' vol. XVIII 72, 3–4.</ref>
* [[Seleucus I Nicator|Seleucus]] joins Antigonus against [[Eumenes]] and recaptures [[Babylon]].
* [[Battle of Paraitacene]]: The first battle of Western armies each with an [[war elephant|elephant corps]] who fight for control over [[Alexander the Great|Alexander's]] empire. The armies of Antigonus and Eumenes fight each other near today's [[Isfahan]] in Persia with no clear victor.
* [[Armenia]]'s [[Persia]]n [[satrap]], [[Ardvates]], frees his country from [[Macedon]]ian control.
* After capturing [[Athens]] from Macedonia's regent [[Polyperchon]], [[Cassander]] entrusts the government of Athens to the Athenian orator, statesman, and philosopher, [[Demetrius of Phaleron|Demetrius Phalereus]].
* [[Polyperchon]] flees to [[Epirus]], where he joins [[Alexander the Great]]'s mother [[Olympias]], Alexander's widow [[Roxana]], and Alexander's infant son [[Alexander IV of Macedon|Alexander IV]]. He forms an alliance with Olympias, who is acting as regent for Alexander IV, and King [[Aeacides]] of Epirus.
* While [[Cassander]] is occupied in the [[Peloponnesus]], [[Olympias]] leads an army into [[Macedon]]ia. She is initially successful, defeating the army of King [[Philip III Arrhidaeus]] and capturing King Philip and his wife, [[Eurydice III of Macedon|Eurydice]], as well as Cassander's brother, [[Nicanor (son of Antipater)|Nicanor]]. She then has them murdered.
* [[Ptolemy I Soter|Ptolemy]] marries [[Berenice I of Egypt|Berenice]], lady-in-waiting to his first wife [[Eurydice of Egypt|Eurydice]].

==== Sicily ====
* [[Acestorides]], a native of [[Corinth]], is made supreme commander by the citizens of [[Syracuse, Sicily|Syracuse]].
* After twice being banished for attempting to overthrow the oligarchical party, [[Agathocles]] returns with an army and banishes or murders about 10,000 citizens (including the oligarchs), and sets himself up as tyrant of [[Syracuse, Sicily|Syracuse]]. Acestorides is banished from the city.

=== By topic ===

==== Art ====
* Private funeral monuments are banned in Athenian cemeteries.

==== Literature ====
* [[Menander]] wins the first prize at the [[Lenaia]]n festival with his play ''[[Dyskolos]]'' (''The Grouch'').
</onlyinclude>

== Births ==
*

== Deaths ==
* King [[Philip III of Macedon]] (b. c. [[359 BC]])
* Queen [[Eurydice III of Macedon]]
* [[Nicanor (Antipatrid general)|Nicanor]] Macedonian officer of Cassander and the son in law of Aristotle.
* [[Cleitus the White]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:317 Bc}}
[[Category:317 BC| ]]