The world in 213 BC — what happened that year

13 events the sources record for this year, grouped by region.

What happened

At a banquet in the Xianyang Palace, Li Si rebutted Chunyu Yue's call for enfeoffment and proposed that all the Shi, Shu and hundred-school writings except the court's historical records (Qin Ji) be burned; the proposal was approved by imperial edict (the Burning of the Books). (Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), Annals 史記卷006 秦始皇本紀)

The Cretan Bolis approaches, pretending to rescue Achaeus (Polybius, Histories 8.17)

Learning the facts, the Romans withdrew their camp from Leontini and marched to Syracuse (Livy, History of Rome (Ab Urbe Condita) 24.33)
Helorum and Herbessus surrender and Megara, taken by storm and plundered, is utterly destroyed, spreading terror in Syracuse (Livy, History of Rome (Ab Urbe Condita) 24.35)
55 Carthaginian warships enter the Great Harbor of Syracuse, and 30 Roman warships also land (Livy, History of Rome (Ab Urbe Condita) 24.36)
The story that Aratus died of poison at Sicyon (Plutarch's Parallel Lives Plut. Aratus 53)
Marcellus arrives at Syracuse with his whole army (Plutarch's Parallel Lives Plut. Marcellus 14.2)
Archimedes's machines smash the Roman siege engines, bewildering Marcellus (Plutarch's Parallel Lives Plut. Marcellus 15.4)
During the siege Marcellus captures Megara, one of Sicily's oldest cities (Plutarch's Parallel Lives Plut. Marcellus 18.1)
Archimedes' machines repel the Roman assault on the towers (Polybius, Histories 8.7)
Appius' land assault is also stopped (Polybius, Histories 8.9)
Philip takes Lissus in Illyria by trickery (213 BC) (Polybius, Histories 8.15)