Decade · 289 BCE – 280 BCE
The world in the 280s BCE
From 289 BCE to 280 BCE the atlas holds 93 states standing at some time. 10 things began - Achaean League, Kingdom of Pontus and Attalid dynasty among them - and 2 ended; 6 people were born and 13 died.
What began in the 280s BCE
By kind, the best known first.
States 4
- Achaean League · state · 280 – 146 BCE
- Kingdom of Pontus · state · 281 BCE – 62 CE
- Attalid dynasty · state · 282 – 133 BCE
- Kingdom of Pergamon · state · 282 – 133 BCE
Wars and battles 6
- Pyrrhic War · war · 280 – 275 BCE
- Battle of Heraclea · battle · 280 BCE
- Battle of Corupedium · battle · 281 BCE
- Battle of Arretium · battle · 284 – 283 BCE
- Battle of Lake Vadimon · battle · 283 BCE
- Battle of Populonia · battle · 282 BCE
What ended in the 280s BCE
States 1
- Lysimachus · state · 323 – 282 BCE
Wars and battles 1
- Battle of Arretium · battle · 284 – 283 BCE
Born and died
Born 6
- Archimedes · inventor · 287 – 211 BCE
- Ptolemy III Euergetes · ruler · 284 – 222 BCE
- Antiochus II Theos · ruler · 286 – 246 BCE
- King Zhuangxiang of Qin · politician · 281 – 247 BCE
- Publius Claudius Pulcher · politician · 283 – 246 BCE
- Demetrius the Fair · monarch · 285 – 250 BCE
Died 13
- Chanakya · philosopher · 375 – 283 BCE
- Mencius · philosopher · 372 – 289 BCE
- Theophrastus · physicist · 371 – 287 BCE
- Zhuang Zhou · philosopher · 369 – 288 BCE
- Ptolemy I Soter · military personnel · 367 – 282 BCE
- Seleucus I Nicator · ruler · 358 – 281 BCE
- Pytheas · explorer · 359 – 289 BCE
- Agathocles of Syracuse · politician · 361 – 289 BCE
- Demetrius of Phalerum · philosopher · 350 – 283 BCE
- Demetrius I Poliorcetes · politician · 336 – 283 BCE
- Antipater I of Macedon · monarch · 310 – 287 BCE
- Lucius Caecilius Metellus Denter · politician · 320 – 283 BCE
- Publius Cornelius Dolabella · politician · 325 – 282 BCE
States of the 280s BCE
The states that stood at some time in the 280s BCE, by region, the best known first, with who held the highest office in 289 BCE.
Europe16 states
- Ancient Greece · 1201 BCE – 600 CE
- Ancient Rome · 753 BCE – 476 CE · Quintus Caedicius Noctua, Roman consul since 289 BCE
- Roman Republic · 509 – 27 BCE · Quintus Caedicius Noctua, Roman consul since 289 BCE
- Macedonia · 808 – 167 BCE · Demetrius I Poliorcetes, king of Macedonia since 294 BCE
- Etruscan civilization · 750 – 265 BCE
- Scythians · 700 – 201 BCE
- Peloponnesian War · 323 – 257 BCE
- Colchis · 1701 – 164 BCE
and 8 more; every state of Europe.
Middle East and North Africa31 states
- Ancient Egypt · 4001 – 30 BCE · Ptolemy I Soter, pharaoh since 305 BCE
- Babylon · 1894 BCE – 1 CE
- Troy · 3000 BCE – 500 CE
- Phoenicia · 2500 – 64 BCE
- Seleucid Empire · 312 – 63 BCE · Seleucus I Nicator, Seleucid ruler since 312 BCE
- Persian Empire · 550 BCE – 1979 CE
- Kingdom of Aksum · 401 BCE – 960 CE
- Bithynia · 297 – 74 BCE · Zipoetes I of Bithynia, King of Bithynia since 326 BCE
and 23 more; every state of Middle East and North Africa.
South Asia13 states
- Maurya Empire · 322 – 185 BCE · Bindusara, Mauryan Emperor since 297 BCE
- Chola dynasty · 300 BCE – 1279 CE
- Gandhara · 751 BCE – 535 CE
- Yuezhi · 404 BCE – 42 CE
- Pandya dynasty · 300 BCE – 1650 CE
- Kalinga · 301 – 261 BCE
- Zhangzhung · 501 BCE – 625 CE
- Anuradhapura kingdom · 377 BCE – 1017 CE · Devanampiya Tissa, King of Anuradhapura since 307 BCE
and 5 more; every state of South Asia.
East and Southeast Asia24 states
- Zhou dynasty · 1101 – 256 BCE · King Nan of Zhou, king since 314 BCE
- Warring States period · 476 – 221 BCE · King Nan of Zhou, Chinese king since 315 BCE
- Xiongnu · 301 BCE – 500 CE
- Old Chosŏn · 2333 – 108 BCE
- Chu (state) · 722 – 223 BCE
- Qin · 905 – 221 BCE · King Zhaoxiang of Qin, Chinese king since 306 BCE
- Yan (state) · 750 – 223 BCE
- Qi (state) · 1045 – 221 BCE
and 16 more; every state of East and Southeast Asia.
Americas and Oceania2 states
- Maya civilization · 2001 BCE – 1521 CE
- Zapotec civilization · 6701 BCE – 1201 CE
Location unknown7 states
- Eastern Ye · 301 BCE – 500 CE
- Qedarites · 801 – 201 BCE
- Oddiyana · 401 BCE – 1100 CE
- Dao · 1001 – 222 BCE
- Kingdom of Rajarata · 601 BCE – 1300 CE
- Eastern Zhou (state) · 770 – 249 BCE
- Ruo · 1046 – 256 BCE
Open in the atlas
- On the timeline, 309 BCE – 260 BCE: every state, war and life of the 280s BCE, region by region.
- On the map in 284 BCE: the borders of the year, its cities under their names of the year, and what happened where.
Wikidata (CC0) · data built 2026-10-07 · Pastlas v2.13.1, by Oleh Voronko. The published atlas and its data are for non-commercial use.