Year 160 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Gallus and Cethegus and the Fourth Year of Houyuan. The denomination 160 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Dominicalendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.
The Seleucid king, Demetrius I, on campaign in the east of his empire, leaves his general Bacchides to govern the western portion of it.
In response to the Jewish high priest, Alcimus', request for assistance, the Seleucid general Bacchides leads an army into Judea with the intent of reconquering this now independent kingdom. Bacchides rapidly marches through Judea after carrying out a massacre of the Assideans in Galilee. He quickly makes for Jerusalem, besieging the city and trapping Judas Maccabeus, the spiritual and military leader of the Maccabees, inside. However, Judas and many of his supporters manage to escape the siege.
Judas Maccabeus and many of his supporters regroup to face the Seleucid forces in the Battle of Elasa. Greatly outnumbered, the Maccabees are defeated and Judas Maccabeus is killed during the battle.
Judas Maccabeus is succeeded as army commander and leader of the Maccabees by his younger brother, Jonathan.
Demetrius I defeats and kills the rebel general Timarchus and is recognized as king of the Seleucid empire by the Roman Senate. Demetrius acquires his surname of Soter from the Babylonians, for delivering them from the tyranny of Timarchus. The Seleucid empire is temporarily united again.
The Parthian King, Mithradates I, seizes Media from the Seleucids following the death of Timarchus.
Theodosius of Bithynia, Greek astronomer and mathematician who will write the Sphaerics, a book on the geometry of the sphere, later translated from Arabic back into Latin to help restore knowledge of Euclidean geometry to the West.
Artaxias I, king of Armenia who has ruled since 190 BC and the founder of the Artaxiad Dynasty, whose members would rule the Kingdom of Armenia for nearly two centuries
Apollodotus I, Indo-Greek king who, since 180 BC, has ruled the western and southern parts of the Indo-Greek kingdom, from Taxila in Punjab to the areas of Sindh and possibly Gujarat
Timarchus, Seleucid nobleman, possibly from Miletus in Anatolia, appointed governor of Media in western Iran by the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes and who has rebelled against his successor, Demetrius I Soter, until he is killed in a battle with Demetrius' forces
