157 BC

Millennium:	1st millennium BC
Centuries:	3rd century BC – 2nd century BC – 1st century BC
Decades:	180s BC  170s BC  160s BC  – 150s BC –  140s BC  130s BC  120s BC
Years:	160 BC 159 BC 158 BC – 157 BC – 156 BC 155 BC 154 BC

157 BC in other calendars

Gregorian calendar	157 BC CLVI BC
Ab urbe condita	597
Ancient Egypt era	XXXIII dynasty, 167
- Pharaoh	Ptolemy VI Philometor, 24
Ancient Greek era	155th Olympiad, year 4
Assyrian calendar	4594
Bengali calendar	−749
Berber calendar	794
Buddhist calendar	388
Burmese calendar	−794
Byzantine calendar	5352–5353
Chinese calendar	癸未年 (Water Goat) 2540 or 2480     — to — 甲申年 (Wood Monkey) 2541 or 2481
Coptic calendar	−440 – −439
Discordian calendar	1010
Ethiopian calendar	−164 – −163
Hebrew calendar	3604–3605
Hindu calendars
- Vikram Samvat	−100 – −99
- Shaka Samvat	N/A
- Kali Yuga	2945–2946
Holocene calendar	9844
Iranian calendar	778 BP – 777 BP
Islamic calendar	802 BH – 801 BH
Julian calendar	N/A
Korean calendar	2177
Minguo calendar	2068 before ROC 民前2068年
Seleucid era	155/156 AG
Thai solar calendar	386–387

Year 157 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Caesar and Orestes (or, less frequently, year 597 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 157 BC 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.

Events

By place

Roman Republic

• The Carthaginians, prevented by their treaty with Rome from engaging in armed resistance, but equally guaranteed against any loss of territory, appeal to Rome against the depredations of King Masinissa of Numidia. The Roman censor Marcus Porcius Cato heads a commission which arbitrates a truce between Carthage and her former ally, Masinissa.
• During his time in Carthage, Cato is so struck by the evidence of Carthaginian prosperity that he is convinced that the security of Rome now depends on the annihilation of Carthage. From this time on, Cato keeps repeating the cry "Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam" ("Moreover, I advise that Carthage must be destroyed") at the end of all his speeches, no matter what subject they concern.
• After Ariarathes V has been deposed from the Cappadocian throne by the Seleucid king Demetrius I Soter and has fled to Rome, the new king of Cappadocia, Orophernes, sends two ambassadors to Rome to join the Seleucid emissaries of Demetrius in opposing Ariarathes V's return to power. Despite their efforts, Ariarathes V is restored to his throne by the Romans. However, Rome allows Orophernes to reign jointly with him. The joint government, however, does not last long, as Ariarathes V becomes sole king of Cappadocia shortly afterwards.

Seleucid Empire

• Jonathan Maccabeus is recognised by the Seleucids as a minor king within their dominions.

Births

• Gaius Marius, Roman general and politician who will be elected consul seven times; he will also introduce major reforms to the Roman army, authorising recruitment of landless citizens and reorganising the structure of the legions (d. 86 BC)
• Sanatruces (also known as Sinatruces or Sanatruk), King of Parthia who will rule the Parthian Empire from around 77 BC (approximate date) (d. c. 70 BC)

Deaths

• Wen of Han, Emperor of the Chinese Han dynasty since 180 BC (b. 202 BC)