158 BC

Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 200s BC 190s BC 180s BC 170s BC 160s BC - 150s BC - 140s BC 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC 100s BC Years: 162 BC 161 BC 160 BC 159 BC 158 BC - 157 BC - 156 BC 155 BC 154 BC 153 BC 152 BC 157 BC - Births. Gaius Marius, Roman general and politician 157 BC - Deaths. Including:

• 157 BC - Births
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The Xiongnu (Chinese: 匈奴; Hanyu Pinyin: Xiōngnú; Wade-Giles: Hsiung-nu) were a nomadic (and probably Hunnic/proto-Bulgar) people of Central Asia, generally based in present day Mongolia. From the 3rd century BC they controlled a vast steppe empire extending west as far as the Caucasus. They were active in the areas of southern Siberia, western Manchuria and the modern Chinese provinces of Inner Mongolia, Gansu and Xinjiang. Very anci ...

Including:

• Xiongnu - Origins and early history of the Xiongnu
• Xiongnu - Confederation under Maodun
• Xiongnu - Nature of the Xiongnu state
• Xiongnu - The marriage treaty system
• Xiongnu - War with Han China
• Xiongnu - Leadership struggle among the Xiongnu
• Xiongnu - Tributary relations with the Han
• Xiongnu - Northern and southern Xiongnu
• Xiongnu - The Xiongnu after the Han Dynasty
• Xiongnu - Did the Xiongnu become the Huns?
• Xiongnu - Footnotes

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Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 200s BC 190s BC 180s BC 170s BC 160s BC - 150s BC - 140s BC 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC 100s BC Years: 159 BC 158 BC 157 BC 156 BC 155 BC - 154 BC - 153 BC 152 BC 151 BC 150 BC 149 BC 154 BC - Events. Outbreak of the Lusitanian War and Celtiberian War 154 BC - Births. Gaius Gracchus, brother of Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus the Roman tribune

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• 154 BC - Events
• 154 BC - Births
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Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 200s BC 190s BC 180s BC 170s BC 160s BC - 150s BC - 140s BC 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC 100s BC Years: 161 BC 160 BC 159 BC 158 BC 157 BC - 156 BC - 155 BC 154 BC 153 BC 152 BC 151 BC 156 BC - Births. Gaius Marius - Roman statesman and general 156 BC - Deaths. < ...

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• 156 BC - Births
• 156 BC - Deaths
• 156 BC - Events

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Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 210s BC 200s BC 190s BC 180s BC 170s BC - 160s BC - 150s BC140s BC 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC Years: 165 BC 164 BC 163 BC 162 BC 161 BC - 160 BC - 159 BC 158 BC 157 BC 156 BC 155 BC Events Berik succeeds Hwala as king of the Goths (approximate date). Marcus Cornelius Cethegus becomes Roman consul. Tychandrus becomes Archon of Athens; Sosigenes is a thesmothete (assistant archon). King Apol ...

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Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 210s BC 200s BC 190s BC 180s BC 170s BC - 160s BC - 150s BC 140s BC 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC Years: 166 BC 165 BC 164 BC 163 BC 162 BC - 161 BC 160 BC 159 BC 158 BC 157 BC 156 BC Events Battle of Adasa In his last victory, Judas Maccabaeus defeats the Seleucid general Nicanor.

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Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 210s BC 200s BC 190s BC 180s BC 170s BC - 160s BC - 150s BC140s BC 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC Years: 168 BC 167 BC 166 BC 165 BC 164 BC - 163 BC - 162 BC 161 BC 160 BC 159 BC 158 BC Events Births Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus, the Roman tribune Deaths Category: 160s BC ...

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Emperor Wen quickly showed an aptitude to govern the empire with diligence, and appeared to be genuinely concerned for the People's welfare. Heavily influenced by his wife Empress Dou, who was an adherent to Taoism, Emperor Wen governed the country with the general policies of non-intereference with the people and relaxed laws. His personal life was marked by thriftiness and general willingness to forgive. He was initially very deferential to Zhou Bo, Chen Ping (陳平), and Guan Ying (灌嬰), who were instrumental in his accessi ...

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Emperor Wen of Han, Emperor Wen of Han - Era names, Emperor Wen of Han - Early life and career as Prince of Dai, Emperor Wen of Han - Ascension to the throne, Emperor Wen of Han - Early reign, Emperor Wen of Han - Middle reign, Emperor Wen of Han - Late reign, Emperor Wen of Han - Impact on history, Emperor Wen of Han - Bisexuality?, Emperor Wen of Han - Personal information

Read more here: » Emperor Wen of Han: Encyclopedia II - Emperor Wen of Han - Early reign

The Xiongnu's new power was met with a policy of appeasement by Emperor Guangwu. At the height of his power, Huduershi even compared himself to his illustrious ancestor, Modu. Due to growing regionalism among the Xiongnu, however, Huduershi was never able to establish unquestioned authority. When he designated his son as heir apparent (in contravention of the principle of fraternal succession established by Huhanye), Bi, the Rizhu king of the right, refused t ...

See also:

Xiongnu, Xiongnu - Origins and early history of the Xiongnu, Xiongnu - Confederation under Maodun, Xiongnu - Nature of the Xiongnu state, Xiongnu - The marriage treaty system, Xiongnu - War with Han China, Xiongnu - Leadership struggle among the Xiongnu, Xiongnu - Tributary relations with the Han, Xiongnu - Northern and southern Xiongnu, Xiongnu - The Xiongnu after the Han Dynasty, Xiongnu - Did the Xiongnu become the Huns?, Xiongnu - Footnotes

Read more here: » Xiongnu: Encyclopedia II - Xiongnu - Northern and southern Xiongnu

Zhou's father, Zhou Bo (周勃) was one of the key generals for Liu Bang during the Chu Han Contention who would continue to play important roles in government and who was instrumental in the ascension to the throne by Emperor Jing's father Emperor Wen. For his accomplishments, Zhou Bo was created the Marquess of Jiang. After Zhou Bo died in 169 BC, his son and Zhou Yafu's older brother Zhou Shengzhi (周勝之) inherited the march, but after one year he was accused of murder and executed. In his stead, Zhou Yafu was created a marquess, but ...

See also:

Zhou Yafu, Zhou Yafu - Early career, Zhou Yafu - Actions during the Rebellion of the Seven States, Zhou Yafu - Post-Rebellion career, Zhou Yafu - Death, Zhou Yafu - Impact on Chinese history

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The complicated ethnic situation of the mixed frontier settlements instituted during the Eastern Han had grave consequences, not fully apprehended by the Chinese government until the end of the 3rd century. At that time, non-Chinese unrest reached alarming proportions along the whole of the Western Jin frontier. In 304 the descendants of the southern Xiongnu rose in rebellion in Shanxi, taking advantage of the Civil War of the Princes then raging around the Western Jin capital Luoyang. Under the leadership of the sinicised Liu Yuan � ...

See also:

Xiongnu, Xiongnu - Origins and early history of the Xiongnu, Xiongnu - Confederation under Maodun, Xiongnu - Nature of the Xiongnu state, Xiongnu - The marriage treaty system, Xiongnu - War with Han China, Xiongnu - Leadership struggle among the Xiongnu, Xiongnu - Tributary relations with the Han, Xiongnu - Northern and southern Xiongnu, Xiongnu - The Xiongnu after the Han Dynasty, Xiongnu - Did the Xiongnu become the Huns?, Xiongnu - Footnotes

Read more here: » Xiongnu: Encyclopedia II - Xiongnu - The Xiongnu after the Han Dynasty

The Xiongnu have often been identified with the Huns, who populated the frontiers of Europe, starting with the writings of the French historian de Guignes in the eighteenth century. This theory remains at the level of speculation, although it is accepted by a large number of scholars including Chinese ones. DNA testing of Hun remains has not proven conclusive in determining the origin of the Huns. A variation of the name Xiongnu is Hs ...

See also:

Xiongnu, Xiongnu - Origins and early history of the Xiongnu, Xiongnu - Confederation under Maodun, Xiongnu - Nature of the Xiongnu state, Xiongnu - The marriage treaty system, Xiongnu - War with Han China, Xiongnu - Leadership struggle among the Xiongnu, Xiongnu - Tributary relations with the Han, Xiongnu - Northern and southern Xiongnu, Xiongnu - The Xiongnu after the Han Dynasty, Xiongnu - Did the Xiongnu become the Huns?, Xiongnu - Footnotes

Read more here: » Xiongnu: Encyclopedia II - Xiongnu - Did the Xiongnu become the Huns?

According to Sima Qian, the Xiongnu were descendants of Chunwei (淳維), possibly a son of Jie, the final ruler of the Xia Dynasty. However, while there is no direct evidence contradicting this theory, there is no direct evidence supporting it either, and it should be noted that ancient Chinese historians often credit, without sufficient evidence, theories of origins for foreign nations that relate their ancestry back to ancient Chinese figures. It is unknown what the language of the Xiongnu was. It may have been Turkic based on their geographic location and their connection to the Huns (se ...

See also:

Xiongnu, Xiongnu - Origins and early history of the Xiongnu, Xiongnu - Confederation under Maodun, Xiongnu - Nature of the Xiongnu state, Xiongnu - The marriage treaty system, Xiongnu - War with Han China, Xiongnu - Leadership struggle among the Xiongnu, Xiongnu - Tributary relations with the Han, Xiongnu - Northern and southern Xiongnu, Xiongnu - The Xiongnu after the Han Dynasty, Xiongnu - Did the Xiongnu become the Huns?, Xiongnu - Footnotes

Read more here: » Xiongnu: Encyclopedia II - Xiongnu - Origins and early history of the Xiongnu

In 143 BC, on one occasion, Zhou was summoned to dinner with the emperor, when the emperor had a large piece of meat placed before him, but not cut into small pieces, and no chopsticks were provided to him. Zhou requested chopsticks from the imperial attendants. Emperor Jing looked at him and smiled and said, "Are you not satisfied?" Zhou saw that this was a setup, and immediately apologized and withdrew. After he left, Emperor Jing made the comment, "This complainer is no subject f ...

See also:

Zhou Yafu, Zhou Yafu - Early career, Zhou Yafu - Actions during the Rebellion of the Seven States, Zhou Yafu - Post-Rebellion career, Zhou Yafu - Death, Zhou Yafu - Impact on Chinese history

Read more here: » Zhou Yafu: Encyclopedia II - Zhou Yafu - Death

Han China was making preparations for a military confrontation from the reign of Emperor Wen. The break came in 134 BC, following an abortive trap to ambush the chanyu at Mayi. By that point the empire was consolidated politically, militarily, and financially, and was led by an adventurous pro-war faction at court. In that year, Emperor Wu reversed the decision he had made the year before to renew the peace treaty. Full scale war broke out in autumn 129 BC, when 40,000 Chinese cavalry made a surprise attack on the Xiongnu at th ...

See also:

Xiongnu, Xiongnu - Origins and early history of the Xiongnu, Xiongnu - Confederation under Maodun, Xiongnu - Nature of the Xiongnu state, Xiongnu - The marriage treaty system, Xiongnu - War with Han China, Xiongnu - Leadership struggle among the Xiongnu, Xiongnu - Tributary relations with the Han, Xiongnu - Northern and southern Xiongnu, Xiongnu - The Xiongnu after the Han Dynasty, Xiongnu - Did the Xiongnu become the Huns?, Xiongnu - Footnotes

Read more here: » Xiongnu: Encyclopedia II - Xiongnu - War with Han China

Later in his reign, Emperor Wen became superstitious and started search for supernatural events. In 165 BC, at the instigation of the sorcerer Xinyuan Ping (新垣平), he built a temple north of Wei River dedicated to five gods. He then promoted Xinyuan and awarded him with much treasure. At Xinyuang's suggestion, Emperor Wen planned a thorough revision of the governmental system and the building of many temples. In 164 BC, Xinyuan Ping had an associate place a jade cup outside the imperial palace with mysterious writings on them, and also ...

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Emperor Wen of Han, Emperor Wen of Han - Era names, Emperor Wen of Han - Early life and career as Prince of Dai, Emperor Wen of Han - Ascension to the throne, Emperor Wen of Han - Early reign, Emperor Wen of Han - Middle reign, Emperor Wen of Han - Late reign, Emperor Wen of Han - Impact on history, Emperor Wen of Han - Bisexuality?, Emperor Wen of Han - Personal information

Read more here: » Emperor Wen of Han: Encyclopedia II - Emperor Wen of Han - Late reign

An incident otherwise uncharacteristic of Emperor Wen occurred in 176 BC. Zhou Bo, who had been instrumental in Emperor Wen's becoming emperor and who had by that point retired to his March of Jiang (絳, in modern Linfen, Shanxi), was falsely accused of treason. Instead of doing initial investigations first, Emperor Wen had Zhou arrested and incarcerated. It was only with the intercession of his mother Empress Dowager Bo and his daughter Princess Changping (昌平公主, Zhou's daughter-in-law) that Zhou w ...

See also:

Emperor Wen of Han, Emperor Wen of Han - Era names, Emperor Wen of Han - Early life and career as Prince of Dai, Emperor Wen of Han - Ascension to the throne, Emperor Wen of Han - Early reign, Emperor Wen of Han - Middle reign, Emperor Wen of Han - Late reign, Emperor Wen of Han - Impact on history, Emperor Wen of Han - Bisexuality?, Emperor Wen of Han - Personal information

Read more here: » Emperor Wen of Han: Encyclopedia II - Emperor Wen of Han - Middle reign

In 209 BC, just three years before the founding of the Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu were brought together in a powerful confederacy under a new chanyu named Maodun (冒頓; Cantonese IPA: /mɐk6 tuk6/). The Xiongnu's political unity transformed them into a much more formidable foe by enabling them to concentrate larger forces and exercise better strategic coordination. The cause of the confederation, however, remains unclear. It has been suggested that the unification of China prompted the nomads to rally around a political centre in orde ...

See also:

Xiongnu, Xiongnu - Origins and early history of the Xiongnu, Xiongnu - Confederation under Maodun, Xiongnu - Nature of the Xiongnu state, Xiongnu - The marriage treaty system, Xiongnu - War with Han China, Xiongnu - Leadership struggle among the Xiongnu, Xiongnu - Tributary relations with the Han, Xiongnu - Northern and southern Xiongnu, Xiongnu - The Xiongnu after the Han Dynasty, Xiongnu - Did the Xiongnu become the Huns?, Xiongnu - Footnotes

Read more here: » Xiongnu: Encyclopedia II - Xiongnu - Confederation under Maodun

In the winter of 200 BC, following a siege of Taiyuan, Emperor Gao personally led a military campaign against Modu. At the battle of Baideng, he was ambushed reputedly by 300,000 elite Xiongnu cavalry. The emperor was cut off from supplies and reinforcements for seven days, only narrowly escaping capture. After the defeat at Pingcheng, the Han emperor abandoned a military solution to the Xiongnu threat. Instead, in 198 BC, the courtier Liu Jing (劉敬) was despatched for negotiations. The peace settlement eventually reached between t ...

See also:

Xiongnu, Xiongnu - Origins and early history of the Xiongnu, Xiongnu - Confederation under Maodun, Xiongnu - Nature of the Xiongnu state, Xiongnu - The marriage treaty system, Xiongnu - War with Han China, Xiongnu - Leadership struggle among the Xiongnu, Xiongnu - Tributary relations with the Han, Xiongnu - Northern and southern Xiongnu, Xiongnu - The Xiongnu after the Han Dynasty, Xiongnu - Did the Xiongnu become the Huns?, Xiongnu - Footnotes

Read more here: » Xiongnu: Encyclopedia II - Xiongnu - The marriage treaty system

As the Xiongnu empire expanded, it became clear that the original leadership structures lacked flexibility and could not maintain effective cohesion. The traditional succession to the eldest son became increasingly ineffective in meeting wartime emergencies in the 1st century BC. To combat the problems of succession, the chanyu Huhanye (58 BC-31 BC) later laid down the rule that his heir apparent must pass the throne on to a younger brother. ...

See also:

Xiongnu, Xiongnu - Origins and early history of the Xiongnu, Xiongnu - Confederation under Maodun, Xiongnu - Nature of the Xiongnu state, Xiongnu - The marriage treaty system, Xiongnu - War with Han China, Xiongnu - Leadership struggle among the Xiongnu, Xiongnu - Tributary relations with the Han, Xiongnu - Northern and southern Xiongnu, Xiongnu - The Xiongnu after the Han Dynasty, Xiongnu - Did the Xiongnu become the Huns?, Xiongnu - Footnotes

Read more here: » Xiongnu: Encyclopedia II - Xiongnu - Leadership struggle among the Xiongnu