240
| Millennium: | 1st millennium |
|---|---|
| Centuries: | 2nd century – 3rd century – 4th century |
| Decades: | 210s 220s 230s – 240s – 250s 260s 270s |
| Years: | 237 238 239 – 240 – 241 242 243 |
Hatra ruins
Year 240 (CCXL) was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.
Events[change | change source]
By place[change | change source]
Roman Empire[change | change source]
- 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[change | change source]
- 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[change | change source]
Religion[change | change source]
- At the court of Ardashir I, Mani, a young mystic of Ctesiphon, calls himself a prophet and preaches his doctrine, Manichaeism, throughout the Persian Empire.
Births[change | change source]
- 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[change | change source]
- 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
