217 BC

Millennium:	1st millenniumBC
Centuries:	4th centuryBC 3rd centuryBC 2nd centuryBC
Decades:	230sBC 220sBC 210sBC 200sBC 190sBC
Years:	220BC 219BC 218BC 217BC 216BC 215BC 214BC

217 BC in variouscalendars

Gregorian calendar	217 BC CCXVII BC
Ab urbe condita	537
Ancient Egypt era	XXXIIIdynasty,107
- Pharaoh	Ptolemy IV Philopator,5
Ancient Greek era	140thOlympiad,year 4
Assyrian calendar	4534
Balinese saka calendar	N/A
Bengali calendar	−809
Berber calendar	734
Buddhist calendar	328
Burmese calendar	−854
Byzantine calendar	5292–5293
Chinese calendar	Quý vịNiên (WaterGoat) 2481 or 2274 — to — Giáp thân niên (WoodMonkey) 2482 or 2275
Coptic calendar	−500 – −499
Discordian calendar	950
Ethiopian calendar	−224 – −223
Hebrew calendar	3544–3545
Hindu calendars
-Vikram Samvat	−160 – −159
-Shaka Samvat	N/A
-Kali Yuga	2884–2885
Holocene calendar	9784
Iranian calendar	838 BP – 837 BP
Islamic calendar	864 BH – 863 BH
Javanese calendar	N/A
Julian calendar	N/A
Korean calendar	2117
Minguo calendar	2128 beforeROC Dân tiền 2128 niên
Nanakshahi calendar	−1684
Seleucid era	95/96AG
Thai solar calendar	326–327
Tibetan calendar	Âm thủy dương niên (female Water-Goat) −90 or −471 or −1243 — to — Dương mộc hầu niên (male Wood-Monkey) −89 or −470 or −1242

The Battle of Lake Trasimene

Year217 BCwas a year of thepre-Julian Roman calendar.At the time it was known as theYear of the Consulship of Geminus and Flaminius/Regulus(or, less frequently,year 537Ab urbe condita). The denomination 217 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when theAnno Dominicalendar erabecame the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Events

By place

Roman Republic

• Gaius Flaminiusis re-electedconsulwithGnaeus Servilius Geminus,in what is considered to be arebukeof the Senate's prosecution of thewar.Flaminius raises newlegionsand marches north to meet theCarthaginiangeneralHannibal.
• Hannibal advances to theArno Riverand then outmanoeuvres thearmyof Gaius Flaminius atArretiumand reachesFaesulae(modernFiesole) andPerugia.
• June 21– On the northernshoreofLake Trasimene,inUmbria,Hannibal'stroopsall but annihilate Gaius Flaminius' army in theBattle of Lake Trasimene,killing thousands (including Flaminius) and driving others to drown in the lake. Reinforcements of about 4,000 cavalry fromAriminumunder thepraetor,Gaius Centenius,are intercepted before they arrive and are also destroyed. The Carthaginian troops then march on Rome.
• Gaius Flaminius' supporters in theSenatebegin to lose power to the more aristocratic factions as the Romans fear Hannibal is about to besiege their city. The Senate appointQuintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosusasdictator.
• Quintus Fabius Maximus begins his strategy of "delay". This involves avoiding a set battle with the Carthaginians and creating a "scorched earth" area around Hannibal's army. Manoeuvring among the hills, where Hannibal's cavalry is ineffective, Fabius cuts off his enemy's supplies and harasses Hannibal's forces incessantly. Fabius gains the nameCunctator(The Delayer) for this strategy.
• Hannibal ravagesApuliaandCampania;meanwhile the delaying tactics of Quintus Fabius Maximus' army allows only skirmishes to occur between the two armies.
• Fabius' delaying policy becomes increasingly unpopular in Rome, and Fabius is compelled to return to Rome to defend his actions under the guise of observing some religious obligations. Marcus Minucius Rufus, the master of horse, is left in command and manages to catch the Carthaginians off guard near their camp inGeroniumand inflicts severe losses on them in a large skirmish. This "victory" causes the Romans, disgruntled with Fabius, to elevate Minucius to the equal rank of dictator with Fabius.
• Minucius takes command of half the army and camps separately from Fabius near Geronium. Hannibal, informed of this development, lays an elaborate trap, which draws out Minucius and his army and then Hannibal attacks it from all sides. The timely arrival of Fabius with the other half of the army enables Minucius to escape after a severe mauling. After the battle, Minucius turns over his army to Fabius and resumes the duties of Master of Horse.
• Carthagians defeat the Romans atLake Trasimene;at theTrebia Riverand at theTicinus River

Egypt

• June 22–EgyptiannativehoplitesunderPtolemy IVcrush theSeleucidarmy underAntiochus IIIin theBattle of RaphianearGaza.The realization of their military importance leads to demands by native Egyptians for greater privileges and so to the development of racial difficulties which will weaken the Ptolemy dynasty in the future.
• Although holding the initiative after theBattle of Raphia,Ptolemy IV, on his chief ministerSosibius' advice, negotiates a peace, and the Seleucid army withdraws fromCoele Syria.Antiochus III gives up all his conquests except the city ofSeleucia-in-Pieria.

Greece

• Philip V of Macedon,continuing his war with theAetolian Leaguelays siege toPhthiotic Thebes,captures it and sells the inhabitants into slavery.
• Learning of Hannibal's victory over the Romans atLake Trasimeneand seeing a chance to recover hisIllyriankingdom from the Romans,Demetrius of Pharosimmediately advises Philip V to make peace with the Aetolians, and turn his attentions toward Illyria and Italy. Philip, at once begins negotiations with the Aetolians. At a conference on the coast nearNaupactus,Philip meets the Aetolian leaders and a peace treaty is concluded, ending the three-year-long "Social War".

Spain

• Publius Cornelius Scipiois sent with reinforcements by Rome toSpainasproconsul.In a naval battle on theEbro RiveratTarraco,the Carthaginian generalHasdrubal'sfleet is largely destroyed by a daring surprise Roman attack led by Publius Cornelius Scipio and his brotherGnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus.As a result, the Romans are able to strengthen their hold on the Ebro River region.

Births

• Xin Zhui,aHan dynastynoblewoman

Deaths

• Arsaces I,King ofParthia
• Gaius Flaminius,Romanconsuland general
• Pinnes(also Pinneus or Pineus), son ofAgron,king ofIllyria,and Agron's first wife Triteuta