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Other: The 0 AD Chronology, 2nd Century BC
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In 0 AD Part I we will be covering the five centuries before the birth of Christ. In this article we shall chronicle the most important happenings of each of the games' six civilizations in the 2nd Century BC.
The Romans: For the Roman State the 2nd Century was a time of great expansion and victory. As the century opens Rome is embroiled in a war with Makedon over control of Greece. The Second Macedonian War came to an end in 197, with the power of Makedon broken, Greece passes into effective Roman control. Rome would fight another war with the Successors in 192, this time with Antiochos III of the Seleukids. But as with before the Romans smash their foe. After these great victories Rome turned her attention westward. Iberia had been conquered in the previous century during the Second Punic War, but the exact of status of Iberia was essentially in limbo. So Iberia was divided into two provinces, Hispania Citerior and Hispania Ulterior, which was greeted by the Celt-Iberians with a revolt. However no real large scale uprising occurred until 181 and the breakout of the First Celt-Iberian War which lasted till 179. In 171 Rome fought a third war with Makedon. When it ended in 168 the Kingdom of Makedon was dissolved and divided into four republics by Rome. The next spot of Roman focus fell again in Iberia as Rome fought throughout the 150s with the Lusitani (inhabitants of what is now Portugal) and the Celt-Iberians. However North Africa soon called for attention. Even though Carthage had been soundly defeated during the Second Punic War, and stripped of its' empire, the city had begun to recover its' economic prosperity. Which was reason enough for the more paranoid Romans to worry. When Carthage declared war on the Roman ally of Numidia in 149 Rome pounced. The Roman victory in this war was a forgone conclusion, even so the Carthaginians held on for three years. When Carthage fell in 146 the city was completely destroyed. The Roman province of Africa was created from former Carthaginian lands and other cities. At the same time Makedon was turned into a province as well. A short war in Greeceresulted in Corinth suffering the same fate as Carthage and province of Achaia was created. Just three years later the Third Celt-Iberian War erupted, not ending until 133 with the sack of Numantia. The domestic revolution of the Gracchi brothers begins during this time, and would change the face of Roman society and politics. Rome received a massive boost when the Kingdom of Pergamum is deeded to Rome by Attalos' III will. The province of Asia is organized from this land. In 112 the Jugurthine War, fought against the Numidian king Jugurtha begins. This war lasts until 106. The Republic has barely time to breath before Germanic tribes migrate south and threaten Rome. In this war the Roman army undergoes a dramatic reformation, spearheaded by Rome's greatest soldier, Marius. As the 2nd Century drawls to a close Marius and his new army defeats the Germans, saving Rome. Two of the most prominent Romans of the 2nd Century was Scipio Aemilianus, the destroyer of Carthage and Numantia, and Gaius Marius, the great reformer of the army.
The Hellenes: For the Hellenes the 2nd Century BC would mark their final eclipse. At the start of the century the Kingdom of Makedon was itching for revenge against the Roman Republic for their defeat during the First Macedonian War. The second war with Rome began when Phillip V began to attack the Greeks, intent on conquering them. Rome intervened and Philip saw his opportunity for revenge. Instead however he was himself defeated, in more then one way. Not only did Phillip lose much of his land but the famous Macedonian phalanx, which had never been defeated in open battle before was destroyed at the battle of Cynoscephalae. This defeat sent shockwaves through the Hellenic world. Antiochos III the Great, king of the Seleukids, was soon drawn into war with Rome when he attempted to succeed where Philip V had failed. But to the great surprise of the Hellenes he too was defeated and forced into a humiliating peace. Antiochos III was the last hope of reviving the glory of Alexander, his defeat marked that the days of glory were over. Despite the losses they suffered at the hands of the Romans the Successor States continued to feud amongst themselves. In 179 BC Phillip V of Makedon died, and the throne passed to his son Perseos. Though Perseos pretended to be a friend of Rome, he was really scheming to bring Makedon back to glory. Soon the Third Macedonian War erupted, at first it seemed that Perseos would win the war, but the Romans rallied and handed him a defeat at Pydna in 168 that was even more humiliating then before. In a move that would be remembered for years to come the Kingdom of Makedon was abolished, and in it's place was created four separate republics. Never before had a Successor been defeated like that and forced to submit to such terms. Problems soon arose from other quarters of the Hellenic world. The Maccabee revolt in Seleukid territory set off a whole wave of disintegration in those lands. Plus there was the threat of the Parthians, horse nomads who considered themselves Persian and thus fighting for their homeland. Rome soon interjected itself in Hellenic affairs once more when it annexed the former Kingdom of Makedon in 147, then turned south to attack the Greeks who had revolted against them. In an event that etched itself on the Hellenic psyche the Romans completely destroyed the city of Corinth and annexed Greece. In the ensuing decades problems plagued the Successor States: The Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt suffered some of the worst political instability of its' history, The Seleukids lost nearly all of their territory to the Parthians and civil war. In Pergamum Attalos III passed his kingdom to the Romans upon his death, giving them a foot hold in Asia Minor. As the 2nd Century draws to a close twilight has fallen on the Hellenic world, the once mighty Successor States have been reduced from masters of the world to being the last vestiges of an old glory. One of the most prominent Hellenes of the 2nd Century was Antiochos III the Great, who nearly restored the old glory of Alexander, but was in the end defeated by Rome.
The Celts: For the Celts the 2nd Century was a time of war and also of flourish. Again for all information on the Celts we have to turn to the sources of other peoples. Perhaps the best known Celts in 2nd Century are the Galatians, and we know the most about them as a result. By the 2nd Century the Galatians had suffered a great defeat at Kaikos Spring at the hands of Pergamum which confined them to Galatia, never to expand again. But the influence of the Galatians on Asia Minor in this period was still strong. Through the various wars the Galatians had earned the respect of their foes who respected them in turn. As a result Galatian mercenaries became a common sight in the east, even serving in the armies of their old foes Pergamum and the Seleukids. Then came the Romans. When Antiochos III marched west to fight Rome he made a stop in Galatia to forge an alliance with them. The Galatians agreed and during the war between the Seleukids and Rome the Galatian troops became some of the most feared in Antiochos' army. Following the defeat of Antiochos' army at Magnesia the Romans under Manlius Vulso attacked. Vulso managed to defeat the Galatians, making them allies of Rome. However rather then resent their defeat the Galatians became the Roman Republic's (and later Empire's) most enthusiastic supporters, staying loyal for hundreds of years. On the other end of the Celtic world was Gaul. In the lands of the Gallic Celts an interesting thing was occurring. Even though the Celts looked down upon the Romans, they were exerting a powerful cultural influence. Most of southern Gaul was dominated by cities and rich with trade, many tribes were organized on republican lines, having magistrates and elections instead of actual kings. Northern Gaul, which was rarely reached by traders stayed mostly the same as they had in previous centuries. In 125 Rome became involved in a war in Gaul when the Romans annexed the Greek trading city of Massilia. Not willing to be happy with just that city the Romans expanded outwards, creating in 121 the province of Transalpine Gaul, better known as The Province. This dragged Rome into a war with the Arverni Confederacy and Allobroges, who was not happy to see Roman encroachment on their lands. There is no prominent Celt for the 2nd Century.
The Persians: For the Persian Parthians the 2nd Century was a time of great glory. The Parthians were originally a nomadic tribe called the Parni that emigrated into Persian lands and became Persian in culture and religion. In the 3rd Century the Parni launched a revolt against the Hellenic Seleukids, whom they considered invaders. In their revolt the Parni captured the satrapy of Parthia and so they became known. For the most part the Parthians decided to bide their time, waiting for the Seleukids to weaken enough for conquest. Throughout the early half of the 2nd Century the Parthians witnessed the decline of the Seleukids, though this was not passive by any means, as the Parthians had to endure two major assualts from the Seleukids. In 171 Mithradates I, later called the Great King, launched a massive full scale assault on the Seleukids. It was a unmitigated success, nearly all of the Seleukids' territory outside of Syria were lost before the Parthian onslaught, even the great city of Seleukeia, second in size and spender only to Antioch, fell to the Parthians in 141. The Seleukids would make many attempts to recapture their lost land, only to fail miserably each time. Very quickly the Parthians would come into conflict with the Kingdom of Armenia, which would in time become the object of a national obsession for Parthia. The establishment of the Silk Road, and later trade agreements with the Han Empire in China in 110 would make the Parthians rich indeed even before the century was out. As the 2nd Century drew to a close Mithradates II the Great was fighting against the Armenians and the Seleukid remnants in Syria. The most prominent Parthian of this period was Mithradates I, who forged the Parthians into a great empire.
The Iberians: For the Celt-Iberians the 2nd Century would be their most momentous. The Celt-Iberians were a people with a free spirit so strong that they could never stand to stay in submission to anyone for long. In 197 the Romans divided Iberia into two provinces. Some of the Celt-Iberian city-states in the southeast and northeast rose in revolt. Rome's reaction was swift, but their armies suffered continuous defeat at the hands of the Celt-Iberians. In 195 the tide turned against them when Rome sent Marcus Cato the Elder to subdue them. The rebelling cities were forced to surrender and the Romans left again. However the provincial government left in place by the victorious Cato was cruel and repressive, and before long the Celt-Iberians were planning to be rid of the Romans for good. In 181 BC the Celt-Iberians rose up in an event known as the First Celt-Iberian War. This war ended in 179 with the victory of Sempronius Gracchus, the father of the famous reformer brothers. Unlike Cato, Gracchus was a kind man. The government he left in control was tolerated, due to the respect that the Celt-Iberians held for Gracchus. However before long the government was filled with corruption and vice once more. The Lusitani, cousins of the Celt-Iberians who had engaged the Romans in a guerrilla war, were able to convince them to join in the struggle against Rome. In 154 the Second Celt-Iberian War began, and it would be the greatest of all. The war went great for the Celt-Iberians at first, and they scored spectacular victories over the Romans. Claudius Marcellus would be the one to finally turn the tide against the Celt-Iberians, mostly due to his light terms. Technically Marcellus brought the Second Celt-Iberian War to an end, but his successor in Iberia, Licinius Lucullus, refused to accept that. Lucullus, together with his buddy Galba, would subject the Celt-Iberians to the worst treatment they received yet at the hands of the Romans. This cruelty would infuse in the Celt-Iberians a more defiant spirit then ever before. In 143 the Third Celt-Iberian War erupted. Led by Viriato, a Lusitani, the war went very well for the Celt-Iberians, and continued to do so even after his death. In 134 Scipio Aemilianus took command and after that point the Celt-Iberians were doomed. Just one year later Aemilianus brought the war to an end when he obliterated the key city of Numantia. The most prominent Iberian of the 2nd Century was Viriato, the great rebel leader who was a great thorn in the Roman side.
The Carthaginians: For Carthage the 2nd Century would be their last. At the end of the monumental Second Punic War the formerly great city of Carthage had been stripped of her great empire, forced to pay a huge war indemnity, forced to cut down her navy, and no longer allowed to have an army or even declare war without the ok of Rome. Carthage suffered under this heavy treaty, but things began to make a turn around when Hannibal, the great general, was made Shoffet, Judge of Carthage. Under Hannibal the Carthaginians reformed their political system. However the former general had many enemies, and he was chased out of Carthage and forced into exile, becoming an admiral under Antiochos III. The new party that came to power following Hannibal's exile were intent on getting on the good side of their former foes, hoping to become friends of Rome. The new policies of the ruling party soon increased the wealth of Carthage, before long the city's trading power had recovered. Carthage used its' newfound wealth to attempt to please the Romans, but instead of pleasing them the realization that Carthage was actually recovering set the Romans on edge. In 162 the Numidian king Masinissa, a continual thorn in Carthage's side, invaded. Carthage pleaded with Rome to help them, but the Romans ignored the plea, supporting Masinissa. Carthage continued to send pleas for aid, finally prompting the Romans into action in 153. What the delegation saw caused panic in Rome, not only was Carthage recovering, but it's wealth nearly equaled what it once was. Cato the Elder, whose hatred of Carthage is legendary, then began to egg the Senate into destroying Carthage. The inaction of the Romans caused Carthage to have a sudden change in government. In 151 the elections ousted the old party and put a far more radical, anti-Rome, party in power. In defiance of the peace treaty a new army was raised to protect Carthage from the Numidians. Of course word got out and the Senate promptly dispatched an army. When news of this reached Carthage they tried their best to appease the Romans, but it fell on deaf ears. In 149 the Carthaginians declared war, the Third Punic War had begun. That Carthage would lose the war would be a forgone conclusion, even the Carthaginians themselves knew it. In 146 the city finally fell before the forces of Scipio Aemilianus, who wiped the city off the face of the earth, destroying Carthage completely. With the destruction of Carthage the once mighty Carthaginian Republic came to an end. There was no truly prominent Carthaginian from this period.
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