Exploration & Expansion in the 4th century BC

52 sourced entries, 397 BCE to 300 BCE, oldest first. Also see Exploration & Expansion across every century or everything else in the 4th century BC.

• 397 BCEThe Carthaginians establish the town of Lilybaeum in Sicily to replace Motya.source
• 396 BCEThe Persians assemble a joint Phoenician, Cilician, and Cypriot fleet, under the command of the experienced Athenian admiral, Conon, and seize Rhodes.source
• 393 BCEThe Athenian general Conon and the Persian satrap Pharnabazus sail to mainland Greece, where they raid the coast of Laconia and seize the island of Cythera, where they leave a garrison and an Athenian governor.source
• 392 BCEDionysius I of Syracuse, having increased his power over the native Sicilians (Sicels), is now attacked by a second Carthaginian expedition. He is forced to ally himself with the Sicels. The Carthaginian army, under Mago II, is defeated, makes peace, and returns to Carthage. The treaty with Carthage is advantageous to Dionysius.source
• 389 BCEA Spartan expeditionary force under King Agesilaus II crosses the Gulf of Corinth to attack Acarnania, an ally of the anti-Spartan coalition. Agesilaus is eventually able to draw them into a pitched battle, in which the Acarnanians are routed.source
• 388 BCEPlato, having left Athens on Socrates' death to visit Megara and possibly Egypt, travels to Syracuse at the invitation of Dionysius I's brother-in-law Dion.source
• 384 BCEThe Greeks found the colony of Pharos at the site of today’s Stari Grad on the island of Hvar, defeating Iadasinoi warriors brought in for its defense.source
• 383 BCEKing Amyntas III of Macedon, forms a temporary alliance with the Chalcidian League, a confederation of cities of the Chalcidice peninsula, east of Macedonia. Sparta, whose policy is to keep Greeks disunited, sends an expedition northwards to disrupt the Chalcidian League.source
• 379 BCERome sends colonists to Setia, the inhabitants complain that their numbers are too small. Publius and Gaius Manlius are assigned to the Volsicans for campaign. A defeat follows for the Romans after having been attacked in their camp and foraging parties being killed. The Roman soldiers do not waver even when they have no leader. A dictator is soon afterwards requested but the Volsicans do not know how to follow up a victory. At the end of the year the Parenestines inspire the Latin peoples to revolt.source
• 373 BCEIphicrates leads an Athenian expedition which successfully relieves Corcyra of a Spartan siege.source
• 370 BCEEudoxus of Cnidus develops the method of exhaustion for mathematically determining the area under a curve.source
• 366 BCEAthens founds the town of Kos on the island of Kos in the Aegean Sea.source
• 358 BCEThe Romans defeat the Volsci, annex most of their territory, and settle it with Roman colonists. The Romans also force the Latin League to renew its close alliance with Rome, an alliance which was weakened by Rome’s defeat at the hands of the Gauls in 390 BC.source
• 352 BCEPhilip then moves against Thrace. He makes a successful expedition into Thrace, gaining a firm ascendancy in the country, and brings away a son of Cersobleptes, the King of Thrace, as a hostage. Philip II's Thessalian victory earns him election as president (archon) of the Thessalian League.source
• 348 BCEAristotle leaves Athens and Plato's Academy, after which he resided in Assus in northwestern Anatolia.source
• 347 BCEAristotle leaves Athens due to the anti-Macedonian feeling that arises in Athens after Philip II of Macedon has sacked the Greek city-state of Olynthus in 348 BC. With him goes another Academy member of note, Xenocrates of Chalcedon. They establish a new academy on the Asia Minor side of the Aegean Sea at the newly built town of Assus.source
• 344 BCEThe Greek philosopher and scientist, Aristotle, travels from Assus to Lesbos to study natural history, especially marine biology.source
• 343 BCEThe native Italian tribes, the Lucanians and Bruttians, press down upon the Greek colonies of Magna Graecia, including Tarentum. Responding to calls for help from these former Greek colonies, King Archidamus III of Sparta sets sail with a band of mercenaries for Italy.source
• 335 BCECales (modern Calvi), a city in Campania, is taken by the Romans and a Roman colony is established there.source
• 332 BCEAlexander founds the city of Alexandria near the western arm of the Nile on a site between the sea and Lake Mareotis, protected by the island of Pharos, and has the city laid out by the Rhodian architect Deinocrates.source
• 330 BCEBefore continuing his pursuit of Darius III, who has retreated into Bactria, Alexander assembles all the Persian treasure and entrusts it to Harpalus, who is to hold it at Ecbatana as chief treasurer. Parmenion is also left behind in Media to manage communications between Alexander and the rest of his rapidly growing lands.source
• 329 BCECrossing the Hindu Kush northward, probably over the Khawak Pass, Alexander brings his army, despite food shortages, to Drapsaka. Outflanked, Bessus flees beyond the Oxus river.source
• 329 BCEFrom Maracanda, Alexander advances through Cyropolis to the Jaxartes river, the boundary of the Persian Empire. There he breaks the opposition of the Scythian nomads by his use of catapults and, after defeating them in a battle on the north bank of the river, pursues them into the interior. On the site of modern Khujand on the Jaxartes, he founds a city, Alexandria Eschate, "the farthest."source
• 329 BCEFrom Phrada, Alexander the Great presses on up the valley of the Helmand River, through Arachosia, and over the mountains past the site of modern Kabul into the country of the Paropamisade, where he founds Alexandria by the Caucasus.source
• 326 BCEPhilip, an officer in the service of Alexander the Great, is appointed satrap of India, including the provinces to the west of the Hydaspes, as far south as the junction of the Indus with the Acesines. Philip is put in charge by Alexander of building the city of Alexandria on the Indus.source
• 325 BCEAlexander the Great orders his admiral, Nearchus, to sail from the Hydaspes River in western India to the Persian Gulf and up the Euphrates River to Babylon while Alexander's army starts marching through Gedrosia (Baluchistan).source
• 325 BCE(around this year) – Pytheas made a voyage of naval exploration to northwestern Europe, reaching Britain and the Baltic Sea, and mentioning Thule as the furthest island to the north in the Atlantic.source
• 325 BCEAlexander the Great leaves India and nominates his officer Peithon, son of Agenor, as the satrap of the region around the Indus.source
• 324 BCEGreek colonists found the city of Akra Leuka (modern Alicante, Spain) on the Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula.source
• 324 BCEWinter – Alexander carries out a savage punitive expedition against the Cossaeans in the hills of Luristan.source
• 316 BCECassander founds, on Pallenê, a city called Cassandreiasource
• 315 BCEAlexander (son of Polyperchon) sails to Antigonus in Asia. They make a pact of friendship and, by order of Antigonus, Alexander sails back to the Peloponnesussource
• 315 BCEIn Macedonia the port city of Thessaloniki is founded by Cassander and named after his wife Thessalonike.source
• 315 BCEAristodemus of Miletus, by order of Antigonus, sails to Laconia, where he receives permission from the Spartans to recruit 8000 mercenaries. He also meets Alexander and Polyperchon, thus establishing friendship between them and Antigonussource
• 313 BCEAntigonus, after finding a pass across the Taurus Mountains that was still open, marches his main army into Asia Minor and goes into winter quarters in Celaenae in Phrygia. Meanwhile, Antigonus' admiral Medius is ordered to sail the new Antigonid fleet from Phoenicia into the Aegean. On route he captures one of Cassander's fleets (the one that had escorted Prepelaus to Asia Minor).source
• 313 BCEAsander sends emissaries to Ptolemy and Seleucus asking for helpsource
• 313 BCEThe Romans establish colonies at the Volscian island of Pontiae, the Volscian town of Interamna Sucasina and at Suessa Aurunca.source
• 312 BCEPtolemy raids Antigonus' territories in Cilicia and Syria, and then sails back to Egypt.source
• 312 BCEAfter landing on Sicily, Hamilcar gathered the remnants of his army, he also started to hire mercenaries, enlist those Sicilians opposed to Agathocles and enroll soldiers from the Carthaginian garrisons already on Sicily. In this way he was able to muster a large army.source
• 311 BCEUpon entering Mesopotamia Seleucus manages to persuade some of the Macedonian veterans settled at Carrhae to join his cause. He then marches on to his old satrapy (province) of Babylonia gathering additional force along the way.source
• 311 BCESeleucus marches to eastern Susiana and negotiates a treaty with the Cossaei (a warlike tribe) in the mountains between Susiana and Media.source
• 309 BCELysimachus, the Macedonian ruler of Thrace and one of diadochi, founds the city of Lysimachia on the north-western extremity of the Thracian Chersonese (the modern Gallipoli peninsula) to serve as his capital.source
• 309 BCEPtolemy I Soter personally commands a fleet that takes the coastal regions of Lycia and Caria from Antigonus I Monophthalmus, capturing the cities of Phaselis, Xanthos, Kaunos, Iasos and Myndus.source
• 308 BCEPtolemy crosses from Asia Minor into Greece, where he takes possession of Corinth, Sicyon and Megara.source
• 307 BCEDemetrius of Phalerum, who ruled Athens for 10 years with the support of Cassander, recognizes his position has become untenable. He opens up negotiations, and after several diplomatic exchanges involving Aristodemus of Miletus, Antigonus top diplomat, he is given safe conduct to Thebes. Eventually he settles in Alexandriasource
• 307 BCEAntigonus prepares an expedition to Greece under his son Demetrius. They gather a fleet of 250 ships and a large army in western Asia Minor. Antigonus gives his son 5.000 talents and some of his top officers, chief among them Medius of Larissa and Aristodemus of Miletus.source
• 307 BCEWith his expeditionary army now superior in numbers to the Carthaginians, Agathocles decides to leave his son Archagathus in command of the African campaign and return to Sicily. He starts constructing transports and when enough ships have been built sets sail for Sicily.source
• 307 BCEAntigonus founds the city of Antigoneia on the Orontes intended to become his eastern capital.source
• 307 BCEAgathocles purges Syracuse of his opponents; 500 citizens are executed. With the city secure in his loyalty he sets sail for Africa.source
• 303 BCESeleucus refounds the town of Orrhoa in northern Mesopotamia as a military colony and mixes Greek settlers with its eastern population. He names Edessa in memory of the ancient capital of Macedon.source
• 302 BCEDocimus, the regent of Phrygia, and Phoenix, the strategos of Lycia, desert Antigonus.source
• 300 BCESeleucus founds the city of Antioch, some 20 miles up the Orontes River, naming it after his father.source