# 331 BC > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/331_BC > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/331_BC.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/331_BC > Source revision: 1210205718 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) 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: "331 BC" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Calendar year Years Millennium 1st millennium BC Centuries 5th century BC 4th century BC 3rd century BC Decades 350s BC 340s BC 330s BC 320s BC 310s BC Years 334 BC 333 BC 332 BC 331 BC 330 BC 329 BC 328 BC v t e 331 BC by topic Politics State leaders Political entities Categories Deaths v t e 331 BC in various calendars Gregorian calendar 331 BC CCCXXXI BC Ab urbe condita 423 Ancient Egypt era XXXII dynasty, 2 - Pharaoh Alexander the Great, 2 Ancient Greek Olympiad (summer) 112th Olympiad, year 2 Assyrian calendar 4420 Balinese saka calendar N/A Bengali calendar −924 – −923 Berber calendar 620 Buddhist calendar 214 Burmese calendar −968 Byzantine calendar 5178–5179 Chinese calendar 己丑年 (Earth Ox) 2367 or 2160 — to — 庚寅年 (Metal Tiger) 2368 or 2161 Coptic calendar −614 – −613 Discordian calendar 836 Ethiopian calendar −338 – −337 Hebrew calendar 3430–3431 Hindu calendars - Vikram Samvat −274 – −273 - Shaka Samvat N/A - Kali Yuga 2770–2771 Holocene calendar 9670 Iranian calendar 952 BP – 951 BP Islamic calendar 981 BH – 980 BH Javanese calendar N/A Julian calendar N/A Korean calendar 2003 Minguo calendar 2242 before ROC 民前2242年 Nanakshahi calendar −1798 Thai solar calendar 212–213 Tibetan calendar ས་མོ་གླང་ལོ་ (female Earth-Ox) −204 or −585 or −1357 — to — ལྕགས་ཕོ་སྟག་ལོ་ (male Iron-Tiger) −203 or −584 or −1356 The Battle of Gaugamela Year **331 BC** was a year of the [pre-Julian Roman calendar](/source/Roman_calendar). At the time, it was known as the **Year of the Consulship of Potitus and Marcellus** (or, less frequently, **year 423 *[Ab urbe condita](/source/Ab_urbe_condita)***). The denomination 331 BC 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 #### Macedonia Alexander the Great is portrayed at the Battle of Gaugamela (331 BCE) on a mosaic found on the floor of the House of the Faun in Pompeii. He is astride his famous horse Bucephalos and wears a breastplate decorated with the head of Medusa. - Late January – [Alexander the Great](/source/Alexander_the_Great) travels with a small bodyguard (among them is the future Egyptian ruler [Ptolemy I Soter](/source/Ptolemy_I_Soter)) along the coastal road of [Egypt](/source/Ancient_Egypt) and reaches the settlement of [Paraetonium](/source/Mersa_Matruh) on the borders of [Cyrenaica](/source/Cyrenaica). There, he receives a delegation of emissaries from [Cyrene](/source/Cyrene%2C_Libya), who grants him a number of gifts including fine horses and chariots. Alexander concludes a treaty of peace and alliance with them. He turns inland from the Mediterranean and travels through the [Libyan Desert](/source/Libyan_Desert) to the [Siwah Oasis](/source/Siwah_Oasis), which he reaches in late February. Alexander consults the famous oracle and is pronounced the son of [Zeus](/source/Zeus)-[Ammon](/source/Amun#Greece) as his true father. - Alexander departs from Egypt and leads his forces towards [Phoenicia](/source/Phoenicia). He leaves [Cleomenes of Naucratis](/source/Cleomenes_of_Naucratis) as the ruling [nomarch](/source/Nomarch) to control Egypt. - [October 1](/source/October_1) – Alexander is victorious in the [Battle of Gaugamela](/source/Battle_of_Gaugamela) (near ancient [Ninevah](/source/Ninevah)) over the [Persian](/source/Achaemenid_Empire) King [Darius III](/source/Darius_III). Alexander pursues the defeated Persian forces to [Arbela](/source/Erbil), Darius moves his [Bactrian](/source/Bactria) cavalry and Greek mercenaries into [Media](/source/Medes). - For the first time, Alexander encounters [war elephants](/source/War_elephant) after the battle in Darius' camp. In the capital, Susa, Alexander gains access to huge treasures amounting to 50,000 gold [talents](/source/Talent_(weight)) (equivalent of today circa 77 billion [USD](/source/USD)). #### Greece - From [Thapsacus](/source/Thapsacus) on the [Euphrastes River](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Euphrastes_River&action=edit&redlink=1), Alexander led the Greek army toward the [Tigris River](/source/Tigris_River), leading to a victory over the Persians on October 31 at [Gaugamela](/source/Gaugamela), after which Darius fled and escaped.[1] - While Alexander is fighting in Asia, [Agis III](/source/Agis_III) of [Sparta](/source/Sparta), profiting from the Macedonian king's absence from [Greece](/source/Greece), leads some of the Greek cities in a revolt. With Persian money and 8,000 Greek mercenaries, he holds [Crete](/source/Crete) against Macedonian forces. In the [Peloponnesus](/source/Peloponnesus) he routs a force under the Macedonian general [Coragus](/source/Coragus) and, although [Athens](/source/Athens) stays neutral, he is joined by [Elis](/source/Ancient_Elis), [Achaea](/source/Achaea_(ancient_region)) (except Pellene) and [Arcadia](/source/Arcadia_(ancient_region)), with the exception of [Megalopolis](/source/Megalopolis%2C_Greece), the staunchly anti-Spartan capital of Arcadia, which Agis III's forces besiege. - [Alexander](/source/Alexander_the_Great)'s regent [Antipater](/source/Antipater) leads the Macedonians to victory over King [Agis III](/source/Agis_III) in the [Battle of Megalopolis](/source/Battle_of_Megalopolis). #### Italy - [Alexander of Epirus](/source/Alexander_of_Epirus) takes [Heraclea](/source/Heraclea_(Lucania)) from the [Lucanians](/source/Lucanians), and Terina and Sipontum from the [Bruttii](/source/Bruttii). - [Tarentum](/source/Taranto) turns against Alexander of Epirus when they realize that he intends to create a kingdom of his own in southern [Italy](/source/Italy). Alexander is defeated and killed in the [Battle of Pandosia](/source/Battle_of_Pandosia) on the banks of the [Acheron](/source/Acheron). #### Roman Republic - The [Gallic](/source/Gaul) tribe of the [Senones](/source/Senones) and the [Romans](/source/Roman_Republic) conclude a peace and enter upon a period of friendly relations which lasts the rest of the century. ## Births ## Deaths - [Alexander I of Epirus](/source/Alexander_I_of_Epirus), Aeacid dynasty king of [Epirus](/source/Epirus) (b. c. [370 BC](/source/370_BC)) - [Vahe](/source/Vahe), legendary king of [Armenia](/source/Kingdom_of_Armenia_(antiquity)) and last of the [Hyke dynasty](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hyke_dynasty&action=edit&redlink=1) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Walkbank, Frank W. (February 21, 2024). ["Alexander the Great"](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alexander-the-Great). Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved February 25, 2024. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [331 BC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/331_BC) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/331_BC?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.