Millennium:	1st millennium BC
Centuries:	4th century BC 3rd century BC 2nd century BC
Decades:	270s BC 260s BC 250s BC 240s BC 230s BC
Years:	261 BC 260 BC 259 BC 258 BC 257 BC 256 BC 255 BC

Politics
258 BC by topic
State leaders Political entities
Categories
Deaths
v t e

258 BC in various calendars
Gregorian calendar	258 BC CCLVIII BC
Ab urbe condita	496
Ancient Egypt era	XXXIII dynasty, 66
- Pharaoh	Ptolemy II Philadelphus, 26
Ancient Greek era	130th Olympiad, year 3
Assyrian calendar	4493
Balinese saka calendar	N/A
Bengali calendar	−850
Berber calendar	693
Buddhist calendar	287
Burmese calendar	−895
Byzantine calendar	5251–5252
Chinese calendar	壬寅年 (Water Tiger) 2440 or 2233 — to — 癸卯年 (Water Rabbit) 2441 or 2234
Coptic calendar	−541 – −540
Discordian calendar	909
Ethiopian calendar	−265 – −264
Hebrew calendar	3503–3504
Hindu calendars
- Vikram Samvat	−201 – −200
- Shaka Samvat	N/A
- Kali Yuga	2843–2844
Holocene calendar	9743
Iranian calendar	879 BP – 878 BP
Islamic calendar	906 BH – 905 BH
Javanese calendar	N/A
Julian calendar	N/A
Korean calendar	2076
Minguo calendar	2169 before ROC 民前2169年
Nanakshahi calendar	−1725
Seleucid era	54/55 AG
Thai solar calendar	285–286
Tibetan calendar	阳水虎年 (male Water-Tiger) −131 or −512 or −1284 — to — 阴水兔年 (female Water-Rabbit) −130 or −511 or −1283

Year 258 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Calatinus and Peterculus (or, less frequently, year 496 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 258 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.

Events

By place

Roman Republic

The Romans are able to regain the initiative in Sicily against Carthage by retaking Enna and Camarina. In central Sicily, they take the town of Mytistraton, which they have attacked twice previously. The Romans also move in the north by marching across the northern coast toward Panormus, but are not able to take the city due to the city's heavily fortified walls.
Gaius Duilius Nepos, the Roman commander who has won a major naval victory over the Carthaginians is made censor with Lucius Cornelius Scipio. The election of a novus homo (i.e. the first in his family to serve in the Roman Senate or be elected as consul) to the censorship is a very rare honor.

Egypt

Ptolemy II loses control of the territory of Cyrenaica.
Erasistratus of Ceos founds a medical school at Alexandria.

Greece

The forces of the Macedonian King Antigonus II and the Seleucid King Antiochus II win a naval victory at Cos against their common enemy, Ptolemy II. This victory secures Antigonus control over the Aegean Sea and the League of the Islanders. It also diminishes Ptolemaic naval power.

China

The State of Qin besieges Handan, the capital of the State of Zhou, but the Qin army under Wang Ling sustains heavy casualties. Wang Ling is then replaced by Wang He.^[1]
The merchant Lu Buwei rescues the Qin prince Ying Yiren, a hostage at the Zhao court, from Handan. Ying Yiren will eventually become King Zhuangxiang of Qin.^[2]

Vietnam

According to legend, the Hồng Bàng dynasty comes to an end.