217

217 (CCXVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. 

 Events 
 By place 
 Roman Empire 
 April 8 – Caracalla is killed by his legionaries near Edessa. Marcus Opellius Macrinus head of the Praetorian Guard, calls himself Roman emperor. 
 Summer – Battle of Nisibis: The Roman army is defeated in a three days battle by the Parthians at Nisibis (southern Turkey).
 King Artabanus IV signs a peace treaty with Rome.  
 Macrinus, of Mauritania, becomes the first equestrian Roman emperor. 
 Empress Julia kills herself. 
 The Colosseum is badly damaged by fire.  It destroys the wooden upper levels of the amphitheater.

 By topic 
 Religion 
 December 20 – The papacy of Zephyrinus ends. Callixtus I is elected as the sixteenth pope. Hippolytus says he should not be Pope.
 Hippolytus begins his "pontificate" as antipope.
 Ciriacus succeeds Philadelphus as Patriarch of Constantinople.

 Births 
 Fu Xuan, Chinese poet (d. 278)
 Hua He, minister under the Kingdom of Wu (d. 279)
 Jia Chong, general of the Jin Dynasty (d. 282)
 Empress Dowager Wang Yuanji, wife of Sima Zhao (d. 268)

 Deaths 
 April 8 – Caracalla, Roman Emperor (assassinated) (b. 188)
 Julia Domna, Roman Empress (suicide) (b. 170)
 December 20 – Pope Zephyrinus
 Chen Lin, minister of Han Dynasty  
 Lu Su, advisor to Sun Quan, sympathetic to Liu Bei (b. 172)
 Wang Can, Chinese poet, scholar, and statesman of Cao Wei (b. 177)
 Sima Lang, official of Han Dynasty (b. 171)

Category:210s