143 BC

143 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. It is designated as such retroactively, as the Julian calendar was not implemented until 45 BC.

Events

• Maccabean Revolt: Simon Maccabaeus secures complete independence for Judea from the Seleucid Empire. He expels the remaining Seleucid garrison from Jerusalem.
• Roman Republic: Appius Claudius Pulcher and Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus serve as Roman Consuls.
• Lusitanian War: Viriathus continues his resistance against Roman expansion in the Iberian Peninsula.

Births

• Marcus Antonius Orator, Roman politician and orator (approximate date).
• Ptolemy XI Alexander II, King of Egypt (approximate date).

Deaths

• (Likely) The death of the Han Dynasty Emperor Jing of China, who may have died in either 143 or 141 BC. Records vary.