344 BC

By place

Persian Empire

• The king of Caria, Idrieus, dies, leaving the Persian satrapy, by his will, to his sister Ada, to whom he was married.

  Greece

• The Athenian statesman, Demosthenes, travels to Peloponnesus, in order to detach as many cities as possible from Macedon's influence, but his efforts are generally unsuccessful. Most of the Peloponnesians see Philip II as the guarantor of their freedom, so they send a joint embassy to Athens to express their grievances against Demosthenes' activities. In response to these complaints, Demosthenes delivers the Second Philippic, which is a vehement attack against Philip II.

  Sicily

• The aristocracy of Syracuse appeal to their mother city of Corinth against their tyrant Dionysius II. The Corinthian general Timoleon is chosen to lead a liberation force to Sicily. Landing at Tauromenium on March 21st, Timoleon faces two armies, one under Dionysius and the other under Hicetas, who has also called in Carthaginian forces. By shrewd tactics Timoleon defeats his enemies and occupies Syracuse.
• Dionysius II goes into exile once more after the successful invasion by Timoleon of Corinth.

  By topic

Science

• The Greek philosopher and scientist, Aristotle, travels from Assus to Lesbos to study natural history, especially marine biology.