Year 344 (
CCCXLIV) was a
leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the
Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Leontius and Bonosus (or, less frequently, year 1097 ''
Ab urbe condita
''Ab urbe condita'' ( 'from the founding of the City'), or ''anno urbis conditae'' (; 'in the year since the city's founding'), abbreviated as AUC or AVC, expresses a date in years since 753 BC, the traditional founding of Rome. It is an exp ...
''). The denomination 344 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 Empire
* The Eastern Roman Emperor Constantius II campaigns in eastern Mesopotamia, against the Sassanid Persians.
* Battle of Singara
The Battle of Singara was fought in 344 between Roman Empire, Roman and Sasanian dynasty, Sasanian Persian forces. The Romans were led in person by Emperor Constantius II, while the Persian army was led by King Shapur II of Persia. It is the on ...
: The Roman army
The Roman army (Latin: ) was the armed forces deployed by the Romans throughout the duration of Ancient Rome, from the Roman Kingdom (c. 500 BC) to the Roman Republic (500–31 BC) and the Roman Empire (31 BC–395 AD), and its medieval continu ...
under Constantius wins a close victory, at the strongly fortified city of Singara ( Mesopotamia). His enemy, King Shapur II, is forced to lift the siege, and withdraw the Persian army.
* Shapur II, for the second time, besieges the Roman fortress of Nisibis in eastern Mesopotamia, but is repulsed by forces under General Lucilianus.
Asia
* Jin Mudi, age 1, succeeds his father Jin Kangdi as emperor of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. His mother, Empress Dowager
Empress dowager (also dowager empress or empress mother) () is the English language translation of the title given to the mother or widow of a Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Vietnamese emperor in the Chinese cultural sphere.
The title was also g ...
Chu, becomes the ruling authority at court, and serves as regent.
* Gye becomes king of the Korean kingdom of Baekje.
By topic
Art
* The making of a detail of ''Admonitions of the Imperial Instructress to Court Ladies'' (attributed to Gu Kaizhi and being from the Six Dynasties period) begins (approximate year) and is completed in 406
__NOTOC__
Year 406 ( CDVI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Arcadius and Probus (or, less frequently, year 1159 '' Ab ...
. It is now kept at the British Museum, London.
Religion
* Bishop Eustorgius I brings relics of the Three Magi from Constantinople to Milan, according to a 12th century legend.
Births
*
Gu Kaizhi, Chinese painter (approximate date)
*
Kumārajīva,
Buddhist monk and
translator (d.
413
__NOTOC__
Year 413 ( CDXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Herclianus and Lucius (or, less frequently, year 1166 ...
)
*
Mary of Egypt
Mary of Egypt ( cop, Ϯⲁⲅⲓⲁ Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ Ⲛⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ; ; c. 344 – c. 421) is an Egyptian saint, highly venerated as a Desert Mother in the Eastern Orthodox and Coptic Churches. The Catholic Church commemorates her a ...
,
patron Saint (approximate date)
*
Wang Xianzhi, Chinese
calligrapher (d.
386
__NOTOC__
Year 386 ( CCCLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Honorius and Euodius (or, less frequently, year 113 ...
)
*
Zhang Yaoling
Zhang Yaoling (; 344–355), courtesy name Yuanshu (), formally Duke Ai of Xiping, was briefly the ruler of the Chinese state Former Liang in 353 and early 354.
Zhang Yaoling was the oldest son of his father Zhang Chonghua (Duke Jinglie) and th ...
, ruler of
Former Liang (d.
355
__NOTOC__
Year 355 ( CCCLV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Arbitio and Maesius (or, less frequently, year 1108 '' Ab ...
)
Deaths
*
April 14
**
Chusdazat Chusdazat (also known as Gothazat, Guhashtazad, and Usthazan) (?- Good Friday, 344) is the name of a priest and fellow martyr of Bishop Simeon Barsabae. He was a eunuch of King Shapur II (Savori, or Sapor).
His feast is celebrated on April 14 in ...
, Syrian
Orthodox priest, martyr and saint
**
Pusai Pusai (?- Good Friday, 344) was a Christian priest and companion in martyrdom with Simeon Barsabae and others. They are collectively commemorated in feasts on April 17 in the Greek Orthodox Church, April 21 in the Roman Catholic Church, April 30 in ...
, Syrian
Orthodox priest, martyr and saint
*
August 20 –
Heliodorus of Bet Zabdai
Heliodorus of Bet Zabdai (died 344) was a Assyrian people, Syrian bishop of Bet Zabdai in Mesopotamia and a martyr.
He was taken to Persia as a prisoner of war by Shapur II. He died as a result of ill treatment and fatigue at Daskarata on the Gre ...
,
bishop and
martyr
*
November 17 –
Jin Kangdi, emperor of the
Jin Dynasty (b.
322
__NOTOC__
Year 322 ( CCCXXII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Probianus and Iulianus (or, less frequently, year 1075 ' ...
)
Date unknown
*
Biryu of Baekje
Biryu of Baekje (died 344, r. 304–344) was the eleventh king of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.
Background
He was the second son of the 6th king King Gusu and the younger brother of the 7th king Saban. However, since this woul ...
, king of
Baekje (
Three Kingdoms of Korea)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:344