265 BC

Millennium:	1st millennium BC
Centuries:	4th century BC 3rd century BC 2nd century BC
Decades:	280s BC 270s BC 260s BC 250s BC 240s BC
Years:	268 BC 267 BC 266 BC 265 BC 264 BC 263 BC 262 BC

265 BC in various calendars

Gregorian calendar	265 BC CCLXV BC
Ab urbe condita	489
Ancient Egypt era	XXXIII dynasty, 59
- Pharaoh	Ptolemy II Philadelphus, 19
Ancient Greek era	128th Olympiad, year 4
Assyrian calendar	4486
Balinese saka calendar	N/A
Bengali calendar	−857
Berber calendar	686
Buddhist calendar	280
Burmese calendar	−902
Byzantine calendar	5244–5245
Chinese calendar	乙未年 (Wood Goat) 2433 or 2226     — to — 丙申年 (Fire Monkey) 2434 or 2227
Coptic calendar	−548 – −547
Discordian calendar	902
Ethiopian calendar	−272 – −271
Hebrew calendar	3496–3497
Hindu calendars
- Vikram Samvat	−208 – −207
- Shaka Samvat	N/A
- Kali Yuga	2836–2837
Holocene calendar	9736
Iranian calendar	886 BP – 885 BP
Islamic calendar	913 BH – 912 BH
Javanese calendar	N/A
Julian calendar	N/A
Korean calendar	2069
Minguo calendar	2176 before ROC 民前2176年
Nanakshahi calendar	−1732
Seleucid era	47/48 AG
Thai solar calendar	278–279
Tibetan calendar	阴木羊年 (female Wood-Goat) −138 or −519 or −1291     — to — 阳火猴年 (male Fire-Monkey) −137 or −518 or −1290

Year 265 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Gurges and Vitulus (or, less frequently, year 489 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 265 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

Greece

• Although the Egyptian fleet blockades the Saronic Gulf, the Macedonian King Antigonus II defeats the Spartans and kills the king of Sparta, Areus I near Corinth, after which he besieges Athens.
• Acrotatus II succeeds his father Areus I as king of Sparta.

Italy

• Hiero II threatens to renew his attack on the Mamertines. They appeal to Carthage and receive the support of a Carthaginian garrison. The Mamertines also appeal to the Romans who are also willing to help.
• The Battle of Messana (265-264 BCE) takes place as the first military clash between the Roman Republic and Carthage.
• The Etruscan city of Volsinii is brought under Roman control. During a siege, the consul Quintus Fabius Maximus Gurges is killed.

China

• The State of Zhao stations general Li Mu in Yanmen Commandery, where he proceeds to win multiple victories over the Xiongnu.

By topic

Arts & sciences

• The Archimedes screw for raising water is devised by the Greek mathematician Archimedes, who is studying at Alexandria.

Births

• Agis IV, king of Sparta (approximate date)
• Ziaelas, king of Bithynia (approximate date)

Deaths

• Alexinus, Greek philosopher of Elis
• Areus I, king of Sparta (killed in battle)
• Quintus Fabius Maximus Gurges, Roman consul
• Xiang of Qi, Chinese king of Qi (Warring States Period)
• Xuan, Chinese queen dowager of Chu (b. 338 BC)