238

Year 238 (CCXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Pius and Pontianus (or, less frequently, year 991 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 238 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.

Millennium:	1st millennium
Centuries:	2nd century 3rd century 4th century
Decades:	210s 220s 230s 240s 250s
Years:	235 236 237 238 239 240 241

238 in various calendars

Gregorian calendar	238 CCXXXVIII
Ab urbe condita	991
Assyrian calendar	4988
Balinese saka calendar	159–160
Bengali calendar	−355
Berber calendar	1188
Buddhist calendar	782
Burmese calendar	−400
Byzantine calendar	5746–5747
Chinese calendar	丁巳年 (Fire Snake) 2934 or 2874     — to — 戊午年 (Earth Horse) 2935 or 2875
Coptic calendar	−46 – −45
Discordian calendar	1404
Ethiopian calendar	230–231
Hebrew calendar	3998–3999
Hindu calendars
- Vikram Samvat	294–295
- Shaka Samvat	159–160
- Kali Yuga	3338–3339
Holocene calendar	10238
Iranian calendar	384 BP – 383 BP
Islamic calendar	396 BH – 395 BH
Javanese calendar	116–117
Julian calendar	238 CCXXXVIII
Korean calendar	2571
Minguo calendar	1674 before ROC 民前1674年
Nanakshahi calendar	−1230
Seleucid era	549/550 AG
Thai solar calendar	780–781
Tibetan calendar	阴火蛇年 (female Fire-Snake) 364 or −17 or −789     — to — 阳土马年 (male Earth-Horse) 365 or −16 or −788

Emperor Gordian I

Events

Roman Empire

• Emperor Maximinus Thrax campaigns against the Carpians on the Danube in Moesia (Balkans). In spite of the payment of a tribute, the Romans fail to persuade the Goths and the Germanic tribes.
• March 22 – Roman subjects in Africa revolt against Maximinus. The elderly Marcus Antonius Gordianus yields to public demand that he succeed Maximinus and rules jointly with his 46-year-old son Gordian II.
• April 12 – Battle of Carthage: Numidian forces loyal to Maximinus invade Africa with support of Legio III Augusta. Gordian II is killed and after a siege of 36 days, Gordian I commits suicide by hanging himself with his belt.
• April 22 – Year of the Six Emperors: The Senate outlaws Maximinus for his bloodthirsty proscriptions in Ancient Rome and nominates two of its members, Pupienus and Balbinus, to the throne.
• Maximinus advances to the town Aquileia in northern Italy; his army suffers from famine and disease, while the city is besieged. Soldiers of Legio II Parthica kill him in his tent, along with his son Maximinus (who is appointed co-emperor). Their corpses are decapitated and their heads carried to Rome.
• July 29 – The Praetorian Guard storms the palace and captures Pupienus and Balbinus. They are dragged naked through the streets of Rome and executed. On the same day Gordian III, age 13, is proclaimed the new emperor. Timesitheus becomes his tutor and advisor.
• Future Roman Emperor Valerian becomes princeps senatus.
• The Colosseum is restored after being damaged.
• The Goths, coming from Ukraine, cross the Danube and devastate the Roman Empire up to the border with Anatolia.
• In North Africa, Legio III Augusta is dissolved. Until its reconstitution in 253, Africa is defended by auxiliary forces only.

China

• Sima Yi, a Chinese general of the Cao Wei state, destroys the outlying northeastern warlord Gongsun Yuan in the Liaodong campaign.

Commerce

• The silver content of the Roman denarius falls to 28 percent under emperor Gordianus III, down from 35 percent under Alexander Severus.

Births

• Wen Yang, Chinese general of the Jin dynasty (d. 291)
• Empress Yang Yan, Chinese empress of the Jin dynasty (d. 274)

Deaths

• April 12
  • Gordian I, Roman emperor (b. 159)
  • Gordian II, Roman emperor (b. 192)
• July 29
  • Balbinus, Roman emperor (b. 165)
  • Pupienus, Roman emperor (b. 178)
• Bu Lianshi, Chinese noble lady of Eastern Wu state
• Gongsun Yuan, Chinese warlord based in Liaodong
• Maximinus Thrax, Roman Emperor (b. 173)
• Maximinus the Younger, Roman Emperor
• Zhu Huan, Chinese general of the Eastern Wu state (b. 177)

References