316 BC

Millennium:	1st millennium BC
Centuries:	5th century BC 4th century BC 3rd century BC
Decades:	330s BC 320s BC 310s BC 300s BC 290s BC
Years:	319 BC 318 BC 317 BC 316 BC 315 BC 314 BC 313 BC

316 BC in various calendars

Gregorian calendar	316 BC CCCXVI BC
Ab urbe condita	438
Ancient Egypt era	XXXIII dynasty, 8
- Pharaoh	Ptolemy I Soter, 8
Ancient Greek era	116th Olympiad (victor)¹
Assyrian calendar	4435
Balinese saka calendar	N/A
Bengali calendar	−908
Berber calendar	635
Buddhist calendar	229
Burmese calendar	−953
Byzantine calendar	5193–5194
Chinese calendar	甲辰年 (Wood Dragon) 2382 or 2175     — to — 乙巳年 (Wood Snake) 2383 or 2176
Coptic calendar	−599 – −598
Discordian calendar	851
Ethiopian calendar	−323 – −322
Hebrew calendar	3445–3446
Hindu calendars
- Vikram Samvat	−259 – −258
- Shaka Samvat	N/A
- Kali Yuga	2785–2786
Holocene calendar	9685
Iranian calendar	937 BP – 936 BP
Islamic calendar	966 BH – 965 BH
Javanese calendar	N/A
Julian calendar	N/A
Korean calendar	2018
Minguo calendar	2227 before ROC 民前2227年
Nanakshahi calendar	−1783
Thai solar calendar	227–228
Tibetan calendar	阳木龙年 (male Wood-Dragon) −189 or −570 or −1342     — to — 阴木蛇年 (female Wood-Snake) −188 or −569 or −1341

Year 316 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Rutilus and Laenas (or, less frequently, year 438 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 316 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

By place

Macedonian Empire

• Eumenes and Antigonus, rivals to Cassander for control of Macedonia, meet in the Battle of Gabiene in Media to the northeast of Susa. Antigonus defeats Eumenes, with the aid of Seleucus and Peithon (the satraps of Babylonia and Media, respectively). The result is inconclusive. However, some of Eumenes' soldiers take matters into their own hands. Learning that Antigonus has captured many of their wives, children and the cumulative plunder of nearly 40 years of continuous warfare, they secretly open negotiations with Antigonus for their safe return. They hand over Eumenes and his senior officers to Antigonus in return for their baggage and families. Eumenes is put to death by Antigonus after a week's captivity.

Greece

• Cassander returns from the Peloponnesus and defeats Macedonia's regent Polyperchon in battle. Cassander blockades Olympias, mother of the late Alexander the Great, in Pydna, where she surrenders. Cassander takes Roxana and her son Alexander IV of Macedon into his custody.
• Olympias is condemned to death by Cassander, but his soldiers refuse to carry out the sentence. She is eventually killed by relatives of those she has previously had executed.
• Cassander marries Thessaloniki, half-sister of Alexander the Great. He has Alexander's widow, Roxana and son, Alexander IV of Macedon, imprisoned at Amphipolis in Thrace. They are never to be seen alive again.
• Cassander founds, on Pallenê, a city called Cassandreia
• Thebes, which has been destroyed by Alexander the Great, begins to be rebuilt by Cassander with the help of the citizens of Athens.
• In Rhodes (city), a major flood occurs. At least five hundred people die and many houses collapse.

Sicily

• Agathocles, the new tyrant of Syracuse, extends his rule over the eastern part of the island.

Roman Republic

• The Romans, with an eye to capturing Apulia, send an army (led by dictator Quintus Fabius Maximus Rullianus) to seize the town of Lucera from the Samnites. They are badly beaten in the Battle of Lautulae and the Samnites go on to reach within 32 kilometres of Rome.

China

• King Hui of Qin decides, on the advice of General Sima Cuo, to invade and annex the ancient states of Ba and Shu in Sichuan, in order to increase Qin's agricultural output and obtain a strategic platform from which to defeat the state of Chu.

Births

• Arsinoe II, Queen of Thrace and later co-ruler of Egypt with her brother and husband Ptolemy II of Egypt (d. 270 BC)

Deaths

• Olympias, Epirote princess, wife of Macedonian king Philip II and the mother of Alexander the Great (b. c. 376 BC)
• Eumenes, Greek general and diadochi (b. c. (362 BC)
• Antigenes (general), Greek general
• Eudemus (general), Greek general
• Sun Bin, Chinese military strategist and general from the State of Qi