The 3rd century was the period from 201 to 300 A.D.
In this century, the Roman Empire saw a crisis, marking the beginning of Late Antiquity. In Persia, the Parthian Empire was succeeded by the Sassanid Empire.
In India, the Kushan Empire was replaced by the Gupta Empire. China was in the Three Kingdoms period. The Xiongnu formed the Tiefu state under Liu Qubei. Korea was ruled by the Three Kingdoms of Korea. Japan entered the Kofun period.
At about this time in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Bantu expansion reached Southern Africa.
In Pre-Columbian America, the Adena culture of the Ohio River valley declined in favor of the Hopewell culture. The Maya civilization entered its Classic Era.
After the death of Commodus in the previous century the Roman Empire was plunged into a civil war. When the dust settled, Septimius Severus emerged as emperor, establishing the Severan dynasty. Unlike previous emperors, he openly used the army to back his authority, and paid them well to do so. The regime he created is known as the Military Monarchy as a result. The system fell apart in the 230s, giving way to a fifty-year period known as the Military Anarchy or the Crisis of the Third Century, where no fewer than twenty emperors held the reins of power, most for only a few months. The majority of these men were assassinated, or killed in battle, and the empire almost collapsed under the weight of the political upheaval, as well as the growing Persian threat in the east. Under its new Sassanid rulers, Persia had grown into a rival superpower, and the Romans would have to make drastic reforms in order to better prepare their state for a confrontation. These reforms were finally realized late in the century under the reign of Diocletian, one of them being to divide the empire into an eastern and western half, and have a separate ruler for each.
Early 3rd century – Burial in catacombs becomes common place.208: the Chinese naval Battle of Red Cliffs occurs.211 – 217: Caracalla, Roman Emperor.212: Constitutio Antoniniana grants citizenship to all free Roman men.212 – 217: Baths of Caracalla.220: The Han Dynasty comes to an end with establishment of the Three Kingdoms in ancient China.220 – 280: The Three Kingdoms period.222 – 235: Alexander Severus, Roman Emperor.224: Ardashir I of the Sassanid dynasty conquers the Parthian empire at the Battle of Hormozdgān.230 – 232: Sassanid dynasty of Persia launches a war to reconquer lost lands in the Roman east.234: Zhuge Liang dies of illness at the standoff of Wuzhang Plains.235 – 284: Crisis of the Third Century shakes Roman Empire.244: Battle of Xingshi in China.250 – 538: Kofun era, the first part of the Kofun period in Japan.258: Valerian's massacre of Christians.260: Roman Emperor Valerian I is taken captive by Shapur I of Persia.263: Cao Wei conquers the Shu Han Kingdom.265: The Jin Dynasty is founded after the overthrow of the Cao Wei Dynasty by Sima Yan.280: The Jin Dynasty reunites China under one empire after the conquest of Eastern Wu.284 – 305: Diocletian, Roman Emperor.291 – 306: The War of the Eight Princes, a civil war by the Sima Clan in China.Sarnath becomes a center of Buddhist arts in India.Diffusion of maize as a food crop from Mexico into North America begins.The Kingdom of Funan reaches its zenith.The Goths move from Gothiscandza to Ukraine, giving birth to the Chernyakhov culture.Menorahs and Ark of the Covenant, wall painting in a Jewish catacomb, Villa Torlonia (Rome), are made.The Coptic period begins.Siddhartha in the Palace, detail of a relief from Nagarjunakonda, Andhra Pradesh, India, is made (approximate date). Later Andhra period. The artwork is now kept at National Museum, New Delhi.Jonah Swallowed and Jonah Cast Up, two statuettes of a group from the eastern Mediterranean, probably Asia Minor, are made. Now kept at The Cleveland Museum of Art.The Magerius Mosaic is made.Late 3rd century-early 4th century – Good Shepherd, Orants and Story of Jonah, painted ceiling of the Catacombs of Marcellinus and Peter in Rome, is made.Ardashir I, founder of the Sasanid EmpireArtabanus V, last ruler of the Parthian EmpireAurelian (Lucius Domitius Aurelianus), Roman emperorClement of Alexandria, Christian head of Catechetical School of AlexandriaCao Cao, Chinese statesmanCao Pi, founding emperor of the Kingdom of WeiCao Rui, emperor of Cao WeiCaracalla (Lucius Septimius Bassianus), Roman emperorClaudius Gothicus (Marcus Aurelius Valerius Claudius), Roman emperorConstantius Chlorus, Roman emperorCornelius, bishop of RomeCyprian, bishop of CarthageDiocletian, Roman emperorElagabalus (Varius Avitus Bassianus), Roman emperorGallienus (Publius Licinius Egnatius Gallienus), Roman emperorGuan Yu, Chinese generalJulia Domna, Roman empressJulia Maesa, Roman noblewomanLiu Bei, founding emperor of the Kingdom of ShuMani, founder of ManichaeismMarcus Aurelius Probus, Roman emperorMaximinus Thrax, Roman emperorNagarjuna, Buddhist monkOdaenathus (Lucius Septimius Udaynath), king of the Palmyrene EmpirePhilip the Arab (Marcus Julius Philippus), Roman emperorPostumus, (Marcus Cassianius Latinius Postumus) emperor of the Gallic EmpireSeptimius Severus, Roman emperorSeverus Alexander (Marcus Julius Gessius Bassianus Alexianus), Roman emperorSima Shi, Chinese general, politician and regentSima Yan, founding emperor of the Jin dynastySima Yi, Chinese general and statesmanSima Zhao, Chinese general and regentShapur I, king of the Sasanid EmpireSri Gupta, founding king of the Gupta dynastySun Quan, founding emperor of the Kingdom of WuTetricus I (Gaius Pius Esuvius Tetricus), emperor of the Gallic EmpireTrieu Thi Trinh, Vietnamese resistance leaderValerian (Publius Licinius Valerianus), Roman emperorZenobia, queen of the Palmyrene EmpireZhang Fei, Chinese generalZhao Yun, Chinese generalZhuge Liang, known as the greatest strategist during the period of the Three Kingdoms.Cao Zhi, Chinese poet and writerClaudius Aelianus, Roman writerDiogenes Laërtius, Greek biographerFu Xuan, Chinese poet and writerHeliodorus of Emesa, Greek writerHippolytus, Roman Christian writer and theologian, first AntipopeLiu Ling, Chinese poetMarius Maximus, Roman biographerOrigen, Roman Christian writer and theologianRuan Ji, Chinese poetTertullian, Roman Christian writer and theologianZuo Si, Chinese poet and writerScience and Philosophy
Aemilius Papinianus, Roman juristAlexander of Aphrodisias, Greek philosopherAmmonius Saccas, Greek philosopherCassius Dio, Roman historianCassius Longinus, Greek philosopherCensorinus, Roman grammarianChen Shou, Chinese historianDexippus, Greek historianDiophantus of Alexandria, Greek mathematicianGaius Julius Solinus, Roman grammarianHerodian, Greek historianHuangfu Mi, Chinese scholar and physicianIamblichus, Hellenistic Syrian philosopherJi Kang, Chinese philosopherJulius Paulus Prudentissimus, Roman juristLiu Hui, Chinese mathematicianMa Jun, Chinese engineer and inventorPappus of Alexandria, Greek mathematicianPei Xiu, Chinese cartographer and geographerPlotinus, Roman philosopherPorphyry, Hellenistic philosopherRuan Xian, Chinese philosopherSextus Julius Africanus, Roman historianShan Tao, Chinese philosopherWang Bi, Chinese philosopherWang Rong, Chinese scholarXiang Xiu, Chinese scholarThe south-pointing chariot invented by Ma Jun, a wheeled mechanical device that acts as a directional compassAn early type of hot air balloon used for military signalling, known as the Kongming lantern was said to be invented by Zhuge Liang.The repeating crossbow or semi-automatic crossbow is an improved version of a model that first appeared during the Warring States Period (though there is debate whether the original Warring States Period bow was semi-automatic, or rather shot multiple bolts at once). Nevertheless, Zhuge's version could shoot farther and faster.Some sources report that Zhuge Liang invented a primitive land mine type device.A mysterious but efficient automatic transportation device (initially used for grain) referred to as the "wooden ox and flowing horse" (木牛流馬) also invented by Zhuge, which is sometimes identified with the wheelbarrow.