2nd century BC

Fresh from its victories in the Second Punic War, the Roman Republic continued its expansion in the western Mediterranean, campaigning in the Iberian Peninsula throughout the century and annexing the North African coast after the destruction of the city of Carthage at the end of the Third Punic War.

The end of the century witnessed the evolution of the Roman army from a citizen army into a voluntary professional force, which later scholars would misattribute to putative reforms by noted general and statesman Gaius Marius (the so-called Marian Reforms).

The Han Empire extended its boundaries from Korea in the east to Vietnam in the South to the borders of modern-day Kazakhstan in the west.

Han efforts to find allies against the Xiongnu by exploring the lands to their west would ultimately lead to the opening of the Silk Road.

The Greco-Bactrians crossed the Hindu Kush and established the Indo-Greek Kingdom, but lost their homeland in Bactria to the Sakas, themselves under pressure from the Yuezhi.

Map of the Eastern Hemisphere in 200 BC, the beginning of the second century BC.
Map of the world in 100 BC, the end of the second century BC.
The Rosetta Stone , a trilingual decree recording the coronation of Ptolemy V at Memphis in Egypt.
Tomb of Empress Lü in Changling, Xianyang , Shaanxi
A silver coin of 1 karshapana of King Pushyamitra Shunga (185-149 BC), founder of the Shunga dynasty .
Bust of Antiochus IV at the Altes Museum in Berlin.
Cleopatra II ruled Egypt in co-operation and competition with her brothers Ptolemy VI and VIII for most of the century.
Mural from the tomb of Liu Wu whose principality was at the heart of the Rebellion of the Seven States
Emperor Wu of Han was probably the most powerful man in the world at the end of the century
Drachm of Mithridates II of Parthia , wearing a bejeweled tiara .
Scipio Aemilianus
Antiochus the Great
A bust purported to be of Gaius Marius
Polybius
Terence
Coin of Menander I , the Greek king who ruled most of Northern India ( c. 150-130 ) and converted to Buddhism .
Posidonius was acclaimed as the greatest polymath of his age.
Hipparchus' equatorial ring .