177 CE

Forty-eight Christians are martyred in Lyon (Saint Blandina and Pothinus, bishop of Lyon, are among them). A systematic persecution of Christians begins in Rome; the followers take refuge in the catacombs. Chinese troops suffer a crushing defeat against a confederacy of Central Asian tribes, led by the Xianbei (see Wu Hu).

In the 170s, the 2nd century.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

  • Lucius Aurelius Commodus Caesar (age 15) and Marcus Peducaeus Plautius Quintillus become Roman Consuls.source
  • Commodus is given the title Augustus, and is made co-emperor, with the same status as his father, Marcus Aurelius.source

Conflict & Security

  • Second Marcomannic War: Marcus Aurelius and Commodus begin war against the Quadi and the Marcomanni.source
  • A systematic persecution of Christians begins in Rome; the followers take refuge in the catacombs.source
  • Chinese troops suffer a crushing defeat against a confederacy of Central Asian tribes, led by the Xianbei (see Wu Hu).source

Religion & Belief

  • Forty-eight Christians are martyred in Lyon (Saint Blandina and Pothinus, bishop of Lyon, are among them).source

Disasters & Accidents

  • The churches in southern Gaul are destroyed after a crowd accuses the local Christians of practicing cannibalism.source

Births

  • Zhu Huan, Chinese general of the Eastern Wu state (died 238)source
  • Lucius Aurelius Commodus Pompeianus, Roman politiciansource
  • Wang Can, Chinese politician, scholar and poet (died 217)source
  • Sun Yu, Chinese warlord and cousin of Sun Quan (died 215)source
  • Cao Ang, Chinese warlord and son of Cao Cao (d.197)source
  • Huo Jun, Chinese general of the Eastern Han (died 216)source

Deaths

  • Herodes Atticus, Greek politician (born AD 101)source
  • Polycarpus, Greco-Roman bishop (born AD 69)source
  • Blandina, Christian martyr and saint (born 162)source
  • Pothinus, Roman bishop and martyr (born AD 87)source