What is 331 BC?
[[File:Battle gaugamela decisive.png|thumb|left|The Battle of Gaugamela]]{{Year nav|-331}} {{BC year in topic|331}} __NOTOC__ Year '''331 BC''' was a year of the [[Roman calendar|pre-Julian Roman calendar]]. == Events == <onlyinclude> === By place === ==== Macedonia ==== * Alexander leaves [[Ancient Egypt|Egypt]] and leads his forces towards [[Phoenicia]]. He leaves [[Cleomenes of Naucratis]] as the ruling [[nomarch]] to control Egypt. * [[October 1]] &ndash; [[Alexander the Great|Alexander]] of [[Macedon]]ia wins the [[Battle of Gaugamela]] (near ancient [[Ninevah]]) over the [[Achaemenid Empire|Persian]] King [[Darius III]]. Darius turns his chariot and flees. Alexander chases the Persian forces to [[Arbil|Arbela]]. Darius escapes with his [[Bactria]]n cavalry and Greek mercenaries into [[Medes|Media]]. * Alexander encounters for the first time [[war elephant]]s. * Alexander becomes the master of the [[Persian Empire]]. This ends the [[Achaemenid]] dynasty. [[Babylon]] and [[Susa]] open their gates to him. In the capital, Susa, Alexander gets huge treasures amounting to 50,000 gold [[Talent (weight)|talents]]. ==== Greece ==== * [[Agis III]] of [[Sparta]] leads some of the Greek cities in a revolt. He holds [[Crete]] against Macedonian forces. In the [[Peloponnesus]] he routes a force under the Macedonian general [[Coragus]]. [[Athens]] stays neutral, but he is joined by [[Elis]], [[Achaea]] (except Pellene) and [[Arcadia]], with the exception of [[Megalopolis, Greece|Megalopolis]]. ==== Italy ==== * [[Alexander of Epirus]] takes [[Heraclea (Lucania)|Heraclea]] from the [[Lucanians]], and Terina and Sipontum from the [[Bruttii]]. * [[Taranto|Tarentum]] turn against Alexander of Epirus when they realize that he wants to make a kingdom of his own in southern [[Italy]]. Alexander is defeated and killed in the [[Battle of Pandosia]] on the banks of the [[Acheron]]. ==== Roman Republic ==== * The [[Gaul|Gallic]] tribe of the [[Senones]] and the [[Roman Republic|Romans]] enter a period of friendly relations