Year 196 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Purpureo and Marcellus (or, less frequently, year 558 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 196 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

<onlyinclude>

By place

Roman Republic

• The Insubres, Gauls of the Po Valley, believed by the Romans to have been incited to revolt by Carthage, are finally defeated.
• A new category of Roman priests, the tresviri epulones, are elected to supervise the feasts of the gods; the first three men selected are Gaius Licinius Lucullus, Publius Manlius, and Publius Porcius Laeca.
• At the Isthmian Games at Corinth, the Roman general and pro-consul Titus Quinctius Flamininus proclaims that all Greeks are to be free and governed by their own laws. For this deed he is hailed in many Greek cities as a saviour and accorded homage alongside the gods.
• Flamininus accuses the Spartan ruler, Nabis, of tyranny, takes Gythium in Laconia and forces Nabis to surrender Argos.

Anatolia

• According to the Roman scholar and writer Marcus Terentius Varro, the foundation of a library at Pergamum around this time by Eumenes II of Pergamum, combined with an embargo on papyrus by Ptolemy V, leads to the invention of parchment.

Egypt

• The Rosetta Stone is created. This stone is a Ptolemaic era stele written with the same text in two Egyptian language scripts (hieroglyphic and demotic) and in classical Greek. The translation of the Greek passage reveals that the inscription is a royal edict recording the benefits conferred on Egypt by the pharaoh Ptolemy V Epiphanes at the time of his coronation. This stone will provide the key to the hieroglyphic, or pictographic writing, of ancient Egypt and the decree on it reveals the increasing influence of Egyptian natives, remitted debts and taxes, released prisoners, pardoned rebels who have surrendered, and granted increased benefactions to the temples.

Seleucid Empire

• Antiochus III's army crosses the Hellespont into Thrace, where he claims sovereignty over territory that has been won by Seleucus I in 281 BC. A war of harassment and diplomacy with Rome ensues. The Romans send ambassadors demanding that Antiochus stay out of Greece and set free all the autonomous communities in Anatolia. To meet these demands would have meant Antiochus III giving up the western part of his Seleucid Empire. Thus Antiochus refuses the Romans' demands.

</onlyinclude>

Births

Deaths

• Han Xin, general who served under Emperor Gaozu of Han
• King Xin of Han, vassal ruler under Emperor Gaozu of Han

References

ast:196 edC be:196 . . be-x-old:196 . . bs:196 p.n.e. ca:196 aC cs:196 p . n. l. cy:196 CC da:196 f.Kr. de:196 v. Chr. el:196 . . es:196 a. C. eo:-196 eu:K. a. 196 fa: ( ) fr:-196 gl:-196 ko: 196 hy: . . . 196 hr:196. pr. Kr. io:196 aK id:196 SM it:196 a.C. ka: . . 196 kk: . . . 196 sw:196 KK la:196 a.C.n. lb:-196 lt:196 m. pr. m. e. hu:I. e. 196 mk:196 . . . mr: . . . ms:196 SM nl:196 v.Chr. ne: . . new: ja: 196 nap:196 AC no:196 f.Kr. oc:-196 uz:Mil. av. 196 nds:196 v. Chr. pl:196 p.n.e. pt:196 a.C. ro:196 .Hr. qu:196 k ru:196 . . sq:196 p.e.s. sk:196 pred Kr. sl:196 pr. n. t. sr:196. . . . sh:196. pne. su:196 SM fi:196 eaa. sv:196 f.Kr. tl:196 BC th: . . 348 tr:M 196 uk:196 . . vec:196 a.C. vi:196 TCN vo:196 b.K. war:196 UC yo:196 SK zh: 196