Chronology Of Major Events

The Decline Of The Republic
Date
Roman Affairs
Cultural Developments



70 B.C.
Consulate of Crassus and Pompey
Birth of Virgil
66-63 B.C.
Pompey reorganizes the East

65 B.C.

Birth of Horace
63 B.C.
Consulate of CiceroCatilinarian ConspiracyCaesar elected pontifex maximus

60 B.C.
First Triumvirate formed among Pompey, Crassus and Caesar

59 B.C.
Consulate of CaesarPompey marries Julia, Caesar's daughter

58 B.C.
Caesar begins his Gallic Wars
Caesar writes Gallic Wars (58-52 B.C.)
55 B.C.
Caesar invades Britain
Theater of Pompey completed
53 B.C.
Crassus is killed at Carrhae by the Parthians

51 B.C.

Cicero writes de Republica
49 B.C.
Caesar crosses Rubicon and Pompey flees as civil war begins

48 B.C.
Caesar defeats Pompey at battle of Pharsalus

47-45 B.C.
Caesar campaigns against Pompeians in Africa, Spain and the East Caesar is dictator until 44 B.C.

46 B.C.

Caesar's Forum begun in Rome
45 B.C.
Caesar returns to Rome from Spain
Cicero's major philosophical works published (45-44 B.C.)
44 B.C.
Caesar is assassinated
Cicero attacks Antony in his Philippics
43 B.C.
Second Triumvirate formed among Antony, Lepidus and Octavian Cicero murdered

42 B.C.
Liberators defeated at battle at Philippi Brutus and Cassius commit suicide

41-32 B.C.
Antony campaigns in the East

40 B.C.
Antony marries OctaviaTreaty of Brundisium signed

37 B.C.
Triumvirate renewed
Horace writes Satires (37-30 B.C.)
36-35 B.C.
Campaigns against Sextus Pompey, son of Pompey

31 B.C.
Octavian defeats Antony at battle of Actium

30 B.C.
Antony and Cleopatra commit suicideEgypt annexed by Rome
Horace publishes Epodes
29 B.C.

Virgil completes Georgics
The Empire
Date
Roman Affairs
Cultural Developments



27 B.C.
Octavian assumes title of Augustus and becomes first emperor; Gaul is organized into a province
Pantheon is completed
25 B.C.

Ovid begins Amores
24-23 B.C.

Publication of Horace's Odes 1-3
20 B.C.
Peace made with Parthians, who return Roman standards captured at Carrhae
Building of Temple of Mars
19 B.C.

Virgil and Tibullus die
18 B.C.
Augustan social and marriage reforms begun

12 B.C.
Death of Agrippa;Augustus becomes pontifex maximus on death of Lepidus;Tiberius's campaign in Pannonia (to 9 B.C.)

12-8 B.C.

Death of Maecenas and Horace
6 B.C.- 2 A.D.
Tiberius retires to RhodesTiberius given tribunician power and adopts nephew Germanicus
Ovid writes fasti
A.D.
8

Ovid banished to Black Sea
9
Pannonian Revolt (from 6 A.D.)

19
Death of Germanicus

20
Death of Drusus, son of the emperor

27
Tiberius retires to Capri

31
Sejanus, the Praetorian prefect, is executed

43
Invasion of Britain under Plautius

59
Murder of Agrippina by Nero's men

61
Revolt of Iceni in Britain, led by Boudicca

64
Fire sweeps Rome, Christians persecuted
Nero's Golden House begun
65
Pisonian Conspiracy
Seneca and Lucan commit suicide
66
Jewish Revolt begins

69
Year of the Four Emperors: Galba, Otho, Vitellius and Vespasian

70
Destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem

79
Eruption of Vesuvius, with Pompeii and Herculaneum destroyed
Death of Pliny the Elder at Pompeii
80
Fire in Rome, Capitoline Temple destroyed
Colosseum opened
85
Agricola's campaigns end in Britain
Domitian's palace built on Palatine
86
Domitian campaigns against Dacians
Statius, Martial, Quintilian and Silius Italicus active
98
Trajan becomes emperor

101-106
Trajan conquers DaciaArabia becomes a province
Dio Chrysostom, Epictetus and Plutarch active
110-111

Tacitus writes Histories and Annals
112-113

Trajan's Forum and Column dedicated
114-117
Trajan campaigns in Parthia, Armenia and Mesopotamia, annexing them
Arch of Trajan at Beneventum
115-117
Jewish RevoltThe Roman Empire reaches its greatest extent

117
Hadrian becomes emperor
Hellenism is revived in the Empire
132-135
Bar Cochba's revolt; final Diaspora of the Jews
Hadrian's Villa built at TivoliHadrian's Wall built in Britain
138
Antoninus Pius becomes emperor

142

Wall of Antoninus Pius built
161
Marcus Aurelius becomes emperor

162-166
Parthian Wars of Verus

165-167
Rome suffers from severe plague
Apuleius and Galen active
168-175
Marcus campaigns in German Wars
Justin martyred
174-180

Marcus Aurelius writes Meditations
193
Septimius Severus becomes emperor
Column of Marcus Aurelius completed
208-211
Severus campaigns in Britain
Philostratus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Herodian and Sextus Empiricus activeArch of Septimius Severus erected
212
Constitutio Antoniniana provides citizenship to all in Empire

216

Baths of Caracalla completed
223

Ulpian, the prefect and jurist, is killed
226
Ardashir crowned in Iran; launches war against Rome

235
Beginning of military emperors

249-51
Decius persecutes Christians

258

Cyprian martyred
267
Goths invade Greece

270

Death of Plotinus
271

Aurelian Walls erected in Rome



The Tetrarchies
Date
Roman Affairs
Cultural Developments



284
Diocletian begins reforms; establishes the tetrarchy

303-305
Persecution of Christians

306-337
Reign of Constantine the Great
Constantinople is founded as chief city of the Empire during Constantine's reign
312
Battle of Milvian BridgeChristianity becomes a sanctioned religion

313-322

Christian basilica erected in Rome
360-363
Julian the Apostate emperor

378-395
Theodosius emperor

395
Rome divided among Theodosius' sons

410
Rome sacked by Alaric the Visigoth

430

St. Augustine dies
439
Vandals conquer Carthage and Africa

455
Vandals sack Rome

The Decline Of The Empire
Date
Roman Affairs
Cultural Developments



476
Fall of Roman Empire in West

527-565
Justinian labors to restore the Roman Empire

633-635
Arabs conquer Syria, Egypt and the Sassanid Persian Empire

1453
Ottomans conquer Constantinople and end Roman Empire in the East.