# 256 > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/256 > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/256.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/256 > Source revision: 1301570753 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) This article is about the year 256. For the number, see [256 (number)](/source/256_(number)). This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "256" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Calendar year Years Millennium 1st millennium Centuries 2nd century 3rd century 4th century Decades 230s 240s 250s 260s 270s Years 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 v t e 256 by topic Leaders Political entities State leaders Religious leaders Categories Births Deaths v t e 256 in various calendars Gregorian calendar 256 CCLVI Ab urbe condita 1009 Assyrian calendar 5006 Balinese saka calendar 177–178 Bengali calendar −338 – −337 Berber calendar 1206 Buddhist calendar 800 Burmese calendar −382 Byzantine calendar 5764–5765 Chinese calendar 乙亥年 (Wood Pig) 2953 or 2746 — to — 丙子年 (Fire Rat) 2954 or 2747 Coptic calendar −28 – −27 Discordian calendar 1422 Ethiopian calendar 248–249 Hebrew calendar 4016–4017 Hindu calendars - Vikram Samvat 312–313 - Shaka Samvat 177–178 - Kali Yuga 3356–3357 Holocene calendar 10256 Iranian calendar 366 BP – 365 BP Islamic calendar 377 BH – 376 BH Javanese calendar 135–136 Julian calendar 256 CCLVI Korean calendar 2589 Minguo calendar 1656 before ROC 民前1656年 Nanakshahi calendar −1212 Seleucid era 567/568 AG Thai solar calendar 798–799 Tibetan calendar ཤིང་མོ་ཕག་ལོ་ (female Wood-Boar) 382 or 1 or −771 — to — མེ་ཕོ་བྱི་བ་ལོ་ (male Fire-Rat) 383 or 2 or −770 Year **256** (**[CCLVI](/source/Roman_numerals)**) was a [leap year starting on Tuesday](/source/Leap_year_starting_on_Tuesday) of the [Julian calendar](/source/Julian_calendar). At the time, it was known as the **Year of the Consulship of Claudius and [Glabrio](/source/Marcus_Acilius_Glabrio_(consul_256))** (or, less frequently, **year 1009 *[Ab urbe condita](/source/Ab_urbe_condita)***). The denomination 256 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the [Anno Domini](/source/Anno_Domini) [calendar era](/source/Calendar_era) became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years. ## Events ### By place #### Roman Empire - [February 28](/source/February_28) – [Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 3035](/source/Papyrus_Oxyrhynchus_3035), a warrant for the arrest of a Christian, is written.[1] - The [Goths](/source/Goths) invade [Asia Minor](/source/Asia_Minor). [Dacia](/source/Dacia) is lost for the [Roman Empire](/source/Roman_Empire), and the Goths appear at the walls of [Thessalonica](/source/Thessalonica). - The [Franks](/source/Franks) cross the [Rhine](/source/Rhine); the [Alemanni](/source/Alemanni) reach [Mediolanum](/source/Mediolanum) ([Milan](/source/Milan)) (disputed date). - In [Africa](/source/Africa_(Roman_province)), the [Berbers](/source/Berbers) massacre Roman colonists. - King [Shapur I](/source/Shapur_I) of the [Sasanian Empire](/source/Sasanian_Empire) invades [Mesopotamia](/source/Mesopotamia) and [Syria](/source/Syria). He conquers and plunders [Antioch](/source/Antioch), destroys [Dura-Europos](/source/Dura-Europos), and sacks the Anatolian city of [Zeugma](/source/Zeugma%2C_Commagene) on the [Euphrates](/source/Euphrates).[2] A devastating fire and an earthquake soon follow, causing Zeugma to be abandoned. - Cities in the Roman Empire begin to build walls, as the defense of the frontiers begins to crumble; future emperor [Aurelian](/source/Aurelian) inspects along the Rhine. #### Asia - Peace and unity are finally restored in China, with the victories of the [Wei Kingdom](/source/Cao_Wei) in the north. The ruling dynasty is worn out by war, and the kingdom is ruled by ministers on their behalf. ### By topic #### Medicine - The great [pandemic](/source/Pandemic) of the Roman world strikes violently in [Pontus](/source/Pontus_(region)) on the [Black Sea](/source/Black_Sea), and causes enormous loss of life in [Alexandria](/source/Alexandria), encouraging thousands to embrace Christianity. #### Religion - Emperor [Valerian](/source/Valerian_(emperor)) persecutes Christians. - [Pope Stephen I](/source/Pope_Stephen_I) threatens to excommunicate [Cyprian](/source/Cyprian), bishop of [Carthage](/source/Carthage), and other [bishops](/source/Bishop) in Africa and Asia Minor, unless they stop rebaptizing [heretics](/source/Heresy). Cyprian attacks the Pope in a treatise that gains support from the [Council of Carthage](/source/Council_of_Carthage_(256)). He sends envoys to [Rome](/source/Ancient_Rome), raising the specter of a [schism](/source/Schism) between the Roman and Carthaginian [Churches](/source/Church_(building)). - A [Synod of Carthage](/source/Synod_of_Carthage_(256)) is held. ## Births - [Arius](/source/Arius), Egyptian priest and founder of [Arianism](/source/Arianism) (d. [336](/source/336)) - [Wang Yan](/source/Wang_Yan_(Jin_dynasty)) (or **Yifu**), Chinese official and politician (d. [311](/source/AD_311)) ## Deaths - [March 11](/source/March_11) – [Cao Lin](/source/Cao_Lin_(Prince_of_Pei)), Chinese prince and son of [Cao Cao](/source/Cao_Cao) - [October 19](/source/October_19) – [Sun Jun](/source/Sun_Jun_(Three_Kingdoms)) (or **Ziyuan**), Chinese general and [regent](/source/Regent) (b. [219](/source/219)) - [October 21](/source/October_21) – [Lü Dai](/source/L%C3%BC_Dai) (or **Dinggong**), Chinese general (b. [161](/source/161)) - [November 12](/source/November_12) – [Lü Ju](/source/L%C3%BC_Ju) (or **Shiyi**), Chinese general and politician - [Guan Lu](/source/Guan_Lu) (or **Gongming**), Chinese diviner and politician (b. [209](/source/209)) - [Wang Su](/source/Wang_Su_(Cao_Wei)) (or **Ziyong**), Chinese scholar and official (b. [195](/source/195)) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["P.Oxy. XLII 3035. Order to Arrest"](https://portal.sds.ox.ac.uk/articles/online_resource/P_Oxy_XLII_3035_Order_to_Arrest/21166927/1). *figshare*. September 20, 2022. Retrieved December 10, 2023. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Zeugma"](https://www.historyhit.com/locations/zeugma/). *History Hit*. Retrieved December 10, 2023. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [256](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/256) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/256?action=history)). 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