The world in 217 BC — what happened that year

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

What happened

Battle of Raphia — it opens with an elephant charge (Polybius, Histories 5.84)
Ptolemy's victory (Polybius, Histories 5.85)
Antiochus returns to Antioch and negotiates a one-year truce (Polybius, Histories 5.87)

Flaminius takes up the consulship at Ariminum rather than in Rome (Livy, History of Rome (Ab Urbe Condita) 21.63)
Hannibal, leaving the Roman camp on his left, advances toward Faesulae and ravages central Etruria (Livy, History of Rome (Ab Urbe Condita) 22.3)
The soldiers, mingled together by chance, took whatever place courage led them to, in front or behind, and threw themselves into the fight (Livy, History of Rome (Ab Urbe Condita) 22.5)
The Roman cavalry sent into Umbria on news of Trasimene is surrounded and captured by Hannibal (Livy, History of Rome (Ab Urbe Condita) 22.8)
The dictator takes over the consular army from Fulvius Flaccus and marches through Sabine territory to Tibur (Livy, History of Rome (Ab Urbe Condita) 22.12)
Hannibal crosses from Hirpinia to Samnium, ravages the land of Beneventum, and takes the city of Telesia (Livy, History of Rome (Ab Urbe Condita) 22.13)
Hannibal camps at the Volturnus while Campania burns, and Fabius continues his march (Livy, History of Rome (Ab Urbe Condita) 22.14)
Hannibal leads his whole army through the pass and camps in the territory of Allifae (Livy, History of Rome (Ab Urbe Condita) 22.17)
The Roman fleet lands at Onusa, takes and plunders the town, then sails on to New Carthage (Livy, History of Rome (Ab Urbe Condita) 22.20)
While Carthage is tied down by the Celtiberian war, the Scipio brothers cross the Ebro and march straight to Saguntum (Livy, History of Rome (Ab Urbe Condita) 22.22)