240

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Hatra ruins

Year 240 (CCXL) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sabinus and Venustus (or, less frequently, year 993 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 240 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

By place

Roman Empire

• The Roman Empire is threatened on several fronts at the same time. Africa revolts and tribes in northwest Germania, under the name of the Franks, are raiding the Rhine frontier.

Asia

• Maharaja Sri-Gupta becomes Emperor of Gupta.
• Ardashir I, Sassanid king of Persia, destroys Hatra.
• Shapur I becomes co-emperor with his father Ardashir I
• The Kushan Empire falls.

By topic

Religion

• At the court of Ardashir I, Mani, a young mystic of Ctesiphon, proclaims himself a prophet and preaches his doctrine, Manichaeism, throughout the Persian Empire.

Births

• Lactantius, Christian writer (d. 320) (approximate date)
• Sporus of Nicaea, Greek mathematician and astronomer (approximate date)
• Zenobia, queen of the Palmyrene Empire (d. 274)

Deaths

• Ammonius Saccas, Neoplatonic philosopher (approximate date)
• Huang Quan, general of the Kingdom of Shu
• King Midang, king of the Qiang tribe
• Zhou Fang, general of the Kingdom of Wu

References