255

Year 255 (CCLV) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. In Rome, it was called Year of the Consulship of Valerianus and Gallienus (also called year 1008 Ab urbe condita). This year has been called 255 since the early early medieval period. This is when the Anno Domini calendar era was used in Europe to name years.

 Events 
 By place 

 China 
 Sima Shi stops Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin's rebellion.
 March 23 – Sima Shi dies

 By topic 

 Science 
 Ma Jun, Chinese mechanical engineer, invents the south-pointing chariot. This is a compass that uses a differential gear, not magnetics.
 Births 
 January 6 – Marcellus I, bishop of Rome (d. 309)
 Dorotheus of Tyre, Syrian bishop and martyr (d. 362)
 Zhang Gui, Chinese governor of the Jin Dynasty (d. 314)
 Zuo Fen, Chinese poet of the Western Jin Dynasty (d. 300)
 Saint Helena, Roman empress. She apparently discovered Christ’s cross. She was also the mother of Emperor Constantine (d. 318)

 Deaths 
 February 23 – Guo Huai (or Boji), Chinese general
 March 16 – Guanqiu Jian, Chinese general and politician
 March 23 – Sima Shi, Chinese general and regent (b. 208)
 Fu Gu (or Lanshi), Chinese official and politician (b. 209)
 Liu Zan (or Zhengming), Chinese general (b. 183)
 Sun Luyu (or Xiaohu), Chinese princess

 References