163 BC

Year 163 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Gracchus and Thalna (or, less frequently, year 591 Ab urbe condita) and the First Year of Houyuan (後元). The denomination 163 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.

Millennium:	1st millennium BC
Centuries:	3rd century BC 2nd century BC 1st century BC
Decades:	180s BC 170s BC 160s BC 150s BC 140s BC
Years:	166 BC 165 BC 164 BC 163 BC 162 BC 161 BC 160 BC

163 BC in various calendars

Gregorian calendar	163 BC CLXIII BC
Ab urbe condita	591
Ancient Egypt era	XXXIII dynasty, 161
- Pharaoh	Ptolemy VI Philometor, 18
Ancient Greek era	154th Olympiad, year 2
Assyrian calendar	4588
Balinese saka calendar	N/A
Bengali calendar	−755
Berber calendar	788
Buddhist calendar	382
Burmese calendar	−800
Byzantine calendar	5346–5347
Chinese calendar	丁丑年 (Fire Ox) 2535 or 2328     — to — 戊寅年 (Earth Tiger) 2536 or 2329
Coptic calendar	−446 – −445
Discordian calendar	1004
Ethiopian calendar	−170 – −169
Hebrew calendar	3598–3599
Hindu calendars
- Vikram Samvat	−106 – −105
- Shaka Samvat	N/A
- Kali Yuga	2938–2939
Holocene calendar	9838
Iranian calendar	784 BP – 783 BP
Islamic calendar	808 BH – 807 BH
Javanese calendar	N/A
Julian calendar	N/A
Korean calendar	2171
Minguo calendar	2074 before ROC 民前2074年
Nanakshahi calendar	−1630
Seleucid era	149/150 AG
Thai solar calendar	380–381
Tibetan calendar	阴火牛年 (female Fire-Ox) −36 or −417 or −1189     — to — 阳土虎年 (male Earth-Tiger) −35 or −416 or −1188

Events

By place

Egypt

• The Ptolemaic king Ptolemy VI Philometor is restored to his throne through the intervention of the citizens of Alexandria. However, the Romans intervene and partition the kingdom, giving Ptolemy VIII Euergetes Cyrenaica and Ptolemy VI Cyprus and Egypt. The two brothers accept the Roman partition.

Seleucid Empire

• In the turmoil following the death of Antiochus IV, the governor of Media, Timarchus becomes the independent ruler of Media, opposing Lysias who is acting as regent for young king Antiochus V Eupator.
• Maccabean Revolt:
  • Regent Lysias tries to make peace with the Jews in Judea. He offers them full religious freedom if they will lay down their arms. Moderates including the Hasideans consent, but Judas Maccabeus argues for full political as well as religious freedom.
  • Maccabee campaigns of 163 BC: The Maccabees attack nearby regions to Judea, fighting in a civil conflict between Gentiles and Jews.

Roman Republic

• The Roman playwright Terence's play Heauton Timorumenos ("The Self-Tormentor") is first performed.

Births

• Marcus Aemilius Scaurus, Roman politician and ambassador (d. 89 BC)
• Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus, Roman politician, who, as a plebeian tribune, will cause political turmoil in the Republic through his attempts to legislate agrarian reforms; his political ideals will eventually lead to his death at the hands of supporters of the conservative faction (Optimates) of the Roman Senate (d. 132 BC)

Deaths

• Xin Zhui, Chinese noblewoman
• Zhang Yan, known formally as Empress Xiaohui, empress of the Chinese Han dynasty (b. 202 BC)