Ancient Rome

country that began growing on the Italian Peninsula from the 8th century BC

186 dated entries naming Ancient Rome, drawn from 166 separate years between 519 BCE and 365 CE. Nothing here is written by us: each line is the sentence a Wikipedia year article used, and the link beside it opens the exact revision.

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6th century BC

519 BCECincinnatus, Roman aristocrat and statesman (d. 430 BC)source
505 BCEA war between Rome and the Sabines begins, concluding in 504 BC.source
504 BCEA war between Rome and the Sabines ends, having begun in 505 BC.source

5th century BC

468 BCEAntium is captured by Roman forces.source
450 BCEMyron makes a bronze statue called The Discus Thrower (Discobolus). A Roman copy is now kept at Museo Nazionale Romano, Rome (approximate date).source
450 BCEPolykleitos starts making the bronze statue Achilles (also known as The Spear Bearer or Doryphoros), which he finishes about ten years later. A Roman copy of the original bronze is now kept in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale in Naples, Italy (approximate date).source

4th century BC

378 BCEThe Servian Wall is constructed around Rome to prevent the city from being captured or sacked (see 390 BC). This is the first fortification that the Romans build around their home city.source
365 BCEMarcus Furius Camillus, Roman soldier and statesman. (b. c. 446 BC)source
315 BCEThe Romans take Ferentum, a city of Apulia, and this pushes the citizens of Nuceria to end their friendship with Rome.source

3rd century BC

266 BCECaparronia, an ancient Roman Vestal virgin died by hanging after being convicted of unchastity.source
253 BCEA second Roman war fleet of 150 ships is wrecked on the voyage from Lilybaeum (in Sicily) to Rome.source
201 BCEIn Rome, according to the Roman historian Livy, land is distributed to veterans of the Second Punic War. This is the first documented instance of a practice that later becomes commonplace.source

2nd century BC

169 BCEQuintus Ennius, Roman epic poet, dramatist, and satirist, the most influential of the early Latin poets – and often called the founder of Roman literature or the father of Roman poetry. His epic Annales, a poem telling the story of Rome from the wanderings of Aeneas to Ennius' own time, remains the national epic until it is later eclipsed by Virgil's Aeneid.source
118 BCEThe Second Dalmatian War ends with victory for Rome. Lucius Caecilius Metellus assumes the surname Delmaticus.source
115 BCEGaius Marius is praetor in Rome: he defeats Celtic tribes in modern-day Spain.source
104 BCERome enacts a state of emergency, as the way to Italy lays open to the Germanic invaders. Gaius Marius, the conqueror of Jugurtha, is elected consul for the second time. He celebrates his triumph over Jugurtha, who is led in the procession and thrown into the Tullianum where he dies of starvation.source

1st century BC

97 BCESulla displays a lion hunt for the first time in games at Rome.source
90 BCECorfinium in south-central Italy is the center of a rebellion against Rome.source
76 BCEThe Third Dalmatian war ends with the capture of Salona by proconsul Gaius Cosconius and the victory of Rome.source
74 BCEPublius Servilius Vatia returns to Rome, where he has triumphed against the pirates in Anatolia, and is given the agnomen Isauricus.source
72 BCESummer – Spartacus and his followers defeat the Roman forces under Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Clodianus and Gellius, forcing the Roman legions to retreat in disarray. Both consuls are recalled to Rome in disgrace and relieved of their duties.source
68 BCEOstia, the harbour city of Ancient Rome, is sacked by pirates. The port is set on fire and the consular war fleet is destroyed.source
65 BCEDecember 8 – Horace, Roman poet (d. 8 BC)source
62 BCEMetellus Nepos, also tribune, leaves Rome.source
60 BCEGaius Julius Caesar suppresses an uprising and conquers all of Lusitania for Rome.source
54 BCEPompey builds the first permanent theatre in Rome.source
49 BCEJanuary – Caesar leads his army across the Rubicon, which separates his jurisdiction in Cisalpine Gaul from that of the Senate in Rome, and thus initiates a civil war.source
48 BCEThe Roman temple to Bellona on the Capitolinus outside Rome is burnt to the ground.source
47 BCEAugust – Julius Caesar quells a mutiny of his veterans in Rome.source
44 BCEMarch 15 (the Ides of March) – Julius Caesar, dictator of Rome, is assassinated by a group of senators, amongst them Gaius Cassius Longinus, Marcus Junius Brutus, and Caesar's Massilian naval commander, Decimus Brutus.source
32 BCEGnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus and Gaius Sosius become consuls of Rome.source
17 BCEEmperor Augustus celebrates the secular games in Rome, for which Horace's hymn the "Carmen Saeculare" is commissioned.source
2 BCEc. 2 BC: The Aqua Alsietina (or Aqua Augusta), which was a Roman aqueduct in Rome, is constructed during the reign of Augustus.source

1st century

8AD 8 – Roman poet Ovid is banished from Rome and exiled to the Black Sea near Tomis (modern-day Constanța).source
11Emperor Augustus abandons his plan to create a defensive border at the Elbe, in order to reinforce the Roman defenses along the Rhine and the Danube.source
17May 26 – Germanicus returns to Rome as a conquering hero; he celebrates a triumph for his victories over the Cherusci, Chatti and other Germanic tribes west of the Elbe.source
18Germanicus concludes a peace treaty with Artabanus II of Parthia, in which he is recognized as king and friend of Rome.source
21The manufacture of pens and metal writing tools begins in Rome (approximate date).source
23Greek geographer Strabo publishes Geographica, a work covering the world known to the Romans and Greeks at the time of Emperor Augustus – it is the only such book to survive from the ancient world.source
33Lucius Aelius Larnia, Roman consul, governor and praefectus urbi in Rome (b. 45 BC)source
35Pliny the Elder is brought to Rome before this year.source
36Pontius Pilate is recalled to Rome, after putting down a Samaritan uprising.source
45Emperor Claudius expels the Jews from Rome (estimated date, more probably later, 47-49 AD).source
46Rome and its northeast border are reunited by the Danube Road.source
49Likely date for the expulsion of the Jews from Rome.source
49Christianity spreads into Europe, especially at Rome and at Philippi (probable date according to chronology derived from the Acts of the Apostles).source
51The captured Caratacus is exhibited in chains in Claudius' triumph in Rome, but his dignified demeanour persuades the emperor to spare his life and allow his family to live free in the capital for a short period of time.source
52In Rome, a law prohibits the execution of old and crippled slaves.source
54Under Nero, Rome annexes Aden to protect the maritime route between Alexandria and Asia.source
56Publius Clodius Thrasea Paetus becomes a consul in Rome.source
58The apostle Paul returns to Jerusalem with the money he has collected to give the Christian community there. However, he is accused of defiling the temple, and is arrested and imprisoned in Caesarea. He then invokes his Roman citizenship and is sent to Rome to be judged.source
60Paul of Tarsus journeys to Rome, but is shipwrecked on Malta. He stays for three months and converts Publius, the first bishop of Malta.source
67Apostles Peter and Paul are martyred in Rome (possible date).source
68Apostles Peter and Paul are martyred in Rome (latest possible date).source
68June 9 – Emperor Nero commits suicide four miles outside Rome. He is deserted by the Praetorian Guard, and then stabs himself in the throat.source
69Otho seizes power in Rome, proclaims himself emperor, and reigns for three months before committing suicide.source
70Panic strikes Rome as adverse winds delay grain shipments from Africa and Egypt, producing a bread shortage. Ships laden with wheat from North Africa sail 300 miles to Rome's port of Ostia in 3 days, and the 1,000 mile voyage from Alexandria averages 13 days. The vessels often carry 1,000 tons each to provide the city with the 8,000 tons per week it normally consumes.source
74March 18 – Hyginus, bishop of Romesource
75The Temple of Peace, also known as the Forum of Vespasian, is built in Rome. The temple celebrates the conquest of Jerusalem (in AD 70) and houses the Menorah from Herod's Temple.source
78Emperor Kadphises of the Kushan Empire sends a delegation to Rome, to seek support against the Parthians.source
83In Rome, the castration of slaves is prohibited.source
84Emperor Domitian recalls Agricola back to Rome, where he is rewarded with a triumph and the governorship of the Roman province of Africa, but he declines it.source
86First Battle of Tapae: Roman legions face disaster in Dacia, when Roman general Cornelius Fuscus launches a powerful offensive that becomes a failure. Encircled in the valley of Timi, he dies along with his entire army. Rome must pay tribute to the Dacians in exchange for a vague recognition of Rome's importance.source
88The First Dacian War ends: Decebalus becomes a client king of Rome, he receives money, craftsmen and war machines to protect the borders (limes) of the Roman Empire.source
91Rome is described by Statius in his poems.source
94Domitian banishes all Stoic philosophers from Rome.source
95In Rome a severe form of malaria appears in the farm districts and will continue for the next 500 years, taking out of cultivation the fertile land of the Campagna, whose market gardens supply the city with fresh products. The fever drives small groups of farmers into the crowded city, bringing the malaria with them, and lowers Rome's live-birth rate while rates elsewhere in the empire are rising.source
96The Arch of Titus is completed in Rome.source
97Nerva recognizes the Sanhedrin of Jamnia as an official governmental body of the Jews, and the patriarch or nasi is designated as the representative of the Jewish people in Rome.source
99Emperor Trajan returns to Rome.source

2nd century

101Clement I, bishop of Rome (epistle to the Corinthians) (or 102 according to Roman Catholic tradition)source
102Emperor Trajan returns to Rome after a successful campaign against Dacia, through which he reestablishes clear Roman sovereignty over King Decebalus.source
102Clement I, bishop of Rome (approximate date according to Roman Catholic tradition)source
109June 24 – The Aqua Traiana is inaugurated by Emperor Trajan; the aqueduct channels water from Lake Bracciano, 40 km mi northwest of Rome.source
110The Forum of Trajan is constructed in Rome, by the Syrian architect Apollodorus of Damascus.source
113Trajan's Column near the Colosseum in Rome is completed to commemorate the Emperor's victory over the Dacians in the Second Dacian War.source
114A monument to Philopappos, prince-in-exile of old Commagene (a buffer-state between Rome and Parthia) is erected in Athens.source
115Pope Sixtus I succeeds Alexander I as the seventh pope of Rome (according to Catholic biographies).source
115Alexander I, bishop of Rome (approximate date)source
116Trajan makes Syria a province of Rome and crosses the Tigris to annex Adiabene. He proceeds with his army to the Persian Gulf and conquers territory that becomes the province of Parthia.source
118Rome has a population exceeding 1 million, making it the largest city in the world.source
119Salonia Matidia (a niece of former Emperor Trajan) dies. Hadrian delivers her funeral oration, and grants her a temple in Rome.source
121Construction of the Temple of Venus and Roma begins in Rome.source
124Sixtus I, bishop of Rome according to Roman Catholic tradition (possible date)source
127Emperor Hadrian returns to Rome, after a seven-year voyage to the Roman provinces.source
128The Pantheon in Rome is finished.source
130A law is passed in Rome banning the execution of slaves without a trial.source
134A law improving the lot of free workers is passed in Rome.source
136Hadrian dictates his memoirs at his villa near Tivoli (Tibur) outside Rome.source
138July 10 – Hadrian dies after a heart failure at Baiae, and is buried at Rome in the Gardens of Domitia beside his wife, Vibia Sabina.source
139The Tomb of Hadrian in Rome is completed; Emperor Antoninus Pius cremates the body of Hadrian, and places his ashes, together with that of his wife Vibia Sabina and his adopted son, Lucius Aelius, in the mausoleum.source
140Antoninus Pius recognizes the king of the Quadi, who becomes an ally of Rome.source
142Hyginus, bishop of Rome (approximate date)source
147Festivals to celebrate the 900th anniversary of the founding of Rome begin.source
154King Eupator of Bosphorus pays tribute to Rome, due to the threat posed by the Alani.source
158The earliest dated use of Sol Invictus, in a dedication from Rome.source
160In Rome, the manufacturing of soap containing grease, lime and ashes begins.source
165Marcus Aurelius creates 4 legal districts (iuridici) in Italy (5 if Rome is included).source
165Antonine Plague: A pandemic breaks out in Rome, after the Roman army returns from Parthia. The plague significantly depopulates the Roman Empire and China.source
166Conflict erupts on the Danube frontier between Rome and the Germanic tribe of the Marcomanni.source
167Anicetus, pope of Rome (approximate date)source
168Emperor Marcus Aurelius and his adopted brother Lucius Verus leave Rome, and establish their headquarters at Aquileia.source
168Anicetus, pope of Rome (approximate date)source
169Galen moves back to Rome for good.source
170An Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius is erected in Rome.source
174Soter (or Sorterius), bishop of Rome (approximate date)source
176December 23 – Marcus Aurelius and Commodus enter Rome after a campaign north of the Alps, and receive a triumph for their victories over the Germanic tribes.source
179Marcus Aurelius drives the Marcomanni over the Danube and reinforces the border. To repopulate and rebuild a devastated Pannonia, Rome allows the first German colonists to enter territory controlled by the Roman Empire.source
180Work begins in Rome on the building of the Column of Marcus Aurelius.source
181The volcano associated with Lake Taupō in New Zealand erupts, one of the largest on Earth in the last 5,000 years. The effects of this eruption are seen as far away as Rome and China.source
185Commodus drains Rome's treasury to put on gladiatorial spectacles and confiscates property to support his pleasures. He participates as a gladiator and boasts of victory in 1,000 matches in the Circus Maximus.source
189Plague (possibly smallpox) kills as many as 2,000 people per day in Rome. Farmers are unable to harvest their crops, and food shortages bring riots in the city.source
189May 24 – Eleutherius, bishop of Rome (or Catholic Church)source
190A part of Rome burns; Emperor Commodus orders the city to be rebuilt, under the name Colonia Commodiana.source
191c. 191–192 – The sculpture of Commodus as Hercules, from Esquiline Hill, Rome, is made (it is now kept at Palazzo dei Conservatori, Rome).source
192Civil war again strikes Ancient Rome (192–193).source
193April 14 – Lucius Septimius Severus is proclaimed Emperor by his troops at Carnuntum, in Pannonia Superior (Balkans). He marches with his army to Rome.source
195Clodius Albinus, who had been proclaimed emperor in Britain, crosses into Gaul with his legions, while at the same time recruiting new soldiers. He is soon the head of an army of 150,000 men, according to Cassius Dio. Severus, still in Mesopotamia, hastily returns to Rome.source
196In order to assure the support of the Roman legion in Germany on his march to Rome, Clodius Albinus is declared Augustus by his army while crossing Gaul.source
197Septimius Severus returns to Rome and has about 30 of Albinus's supporters in the Senate executed. After his victory he declares himself the adopted son of the late Marcus Aurelius.source

3rd century

202Emperor Septimius Severus returns to Rome after a five-year absence. Festivals are held to celebrate his six-year reign. Severus undertakes changes in the imperial government, giving the Roman army a dominant role, raising pay in the legions and permitting legionaries to marry in order to secure their loyalty.source
204A trade recession in the Leptis Magna region (Africa) is alleviated by Emperor Septimius Severus, who buys up the country's olive oil for free distribution in Rome.source
212Roman jurist Papinian, one of the famous jurists who flourished during the reign of the late emperor Septimius Severus, refuses to write a legal defence for the murder of Caracalla's brother, Emperor Geta. He is beheaded in Rome, in Caracalla's presence.source
213Emperor Caracalla leaves Rome and expels some Germanic marauders from Gaul, while his mother, Julia Domna, rules the Empire. He defends the northern Rhine frontier against the Alamanni and the Chatti. Caracalla wins over the Germanic tribes on the banks of the River Main, and gives himself the title "Germanicus". It is probably while campaigning in Germania that he takes a liking to the caracalla, a Celtic or Germanic tunic from which he acquires the name by which he is known.source
216The Baths of Caracalla in Rome are completed with public baths (Thermae), reading rooms, auditoriums, running tracks, and public gardens that cover 20 acres.source
217King Artabanus V signs a peace treaty with Rome after he receives 200 million sesterces, for the rebuilding of towns destroyed during the war in Parthia.source
217December 20 – Zephyrinus, pope of Romesource
218May 16 – Julia Maesa, an aunt of the assassinated Emperor Caracalla, is banished to her home in Syria by the self-proclaimed emperor Macrinus, and declares her grandson Elagabalus, age 14, emperor of Rome.source
222March 13 – Emperor Elagabalus is assassinated, along with his mother, Julia Soaemias, by the Praetorian Guard during a revolt. Their mutilated bodies are dragged through the streets of Rome before being thrown into the Tiber.source
225The first Christian paintings appear in Rome, decorating the Catacombs.source
230July 21 – Pope Pontian succeeds Pope Urban I, as the 18th pope of Rome.source
230May 23 – Urban I, bishop of Rome (b. 175)source
233Emperor Alexander Severus celebrates a triumph in Rome to observe his "victory" the previous year over the Persians (in reality, Severus Alexander advanced towards Ctesiphon in 233, but as corroborated by Herodian, his armies suffered a humiliating defeat against Ardashir I). He is soon summoned to the Rhine frontier, where the Alamanni invade what is now modern-day Swabia. German tribes destroy Roman forts, and plunder the countryside at the Limes Germanicus.source
235November 21 – Anterus succeeds Pontian as the nineteenth pope of Rome.source
235September 28 – Pope Pontian resigns, the first to abdicate, because he and Hippolytus, church leader of Rome, are exiled to the mines of Sardinia. Emperor Maximinus persecutes the Christians.source
236Fabian separates Rome into seven deaconships.source
236January 3 – Anterus, bishop of Romesource
237Emperor Maximinus Thrax campaigns on the rivers Danube and Rhine in Germania, defeating the Alemanni, and never visits Rome. He is accepted by the Roman Senate, but taxes the rich aristocracy heavily, and engenders such hostility among them, that they plot against him. He had a road rebuilt in what is now the Golan Heights, between 236 and 237.source
238c. May – The Senate outlaws Maximinus for his bloodthirsty proscriptions in Ancient Rome and nominates two of its members, Pupienus and Balbinus, to the throne.source
244Plotinus, Greek philosopher, escapes the bloodshed that accompanies the murder of Gordianus III and makes his way to Antioch. Back in Rome he founds his Neoplatonist school and attracts disciples like Porphyry, Castricius Firmus and Eustochius of Alexandria.source
247Emperor Philip the Arab marks the millennium of Rome by holding the Ludi Saeculares.source
248The Roman Empire continues the celebration of the 1,000th anniversary of Rome, with the ludi saeculares, organized by Philip the Arab.source
250January 20 – Fabian (or Fabianus), pope of Rome and martyrsource
251In Rome, Hostilian, son of Decius, succeeds his father, while Trebonianus Gallus is proclaimed Emperor by the troops. Gallus accepts him as co-emperor, but an outbreak of plague strikes the city, and kills Hostilian.source
251Hostilian, Roman emperor (of plague in Rome)source
253The legions who have campaigned against the Goths on the Danube elect Marcus Aemilius Aemilianus as new emperor. He advances on Rome along the Flaminian Way, to meet his opponent emperor Trebonianus Gallus and his son Volusianus. For the most part, generals in the border regions are proclaimed emperor by their armies to halt the invasion of Germanic tribes.source
254March 5 – Lucius I, bishop of Romesource
255January 6 – Marcellus I, bishop of Rome (d. 309)source
256Pope Stephen I threatens to excommunicate Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, and other bishops in Africa and Asia Minor, unless they stop rebaptizing heretics. Cyprian attacks the Pope in a treatise that gains support from the Council of Carthage. He sends envoys to Rome, raising the specter of a schism between the Roman and Carthaginian Churches.source
257Future emperor Aurelian defeats the Goths and brings many prisoners back to Rome.source
257August 2 – Stephen I, bishop of Romesource
258Pope Sixtus II, bishop of Rome, is martyred.source
258August 6 – Sixtus II, bishop of Romesource
260Gallienus becomes the sole emperor of Rome; during his reign the Pannonian governor Ingenuus revolts on the Danube.source
265Postumus makes no move to march on Rome and claim his territory south of Gaul.source
267Aureolus, charged with defending Italy, defeats Victorinus (co-emperor of Gaul), is proclaimed emperor by his troops, and begins his march on Rome.source
268Marcus Aurelius Claudius, who may have murdered Gallienus, becomes the new emperor of Rome and will reign as Claudius II.source
268December 26 – Dionysius, bishop of Romesource
269January 5 – Pope Felix I succeeds Dionysius as the 26th pope of Rome.source
271Battle of Fano: The Iuthungi move towards a defenseless Rome. Aurelian rallies his men and defeats the Germanic tribes on the Metauro River, just inland of Fano.source
273Marcus Claudius Tacitus, future Roman Emperor, is consul in Rome.source
274Rome greets Aurelian as Restitutor Orbis ("Restorer of the World") and accords him a magnificent triumph (victory procession), which is graced by his captives Zenobia, Tetricus I, and his son Tetricus II.source
274December 30 – Felix I, bishop of Romesource
275January 4 – Eutychian succeeds Felix I as the 27th pope of Rome.source
276Florianus holds power for some weeks and fights indecisively against Probus in Cilicia, but his soldiers, many of whom are from the colder Rhine and Danube frontiers, suffer from heat and disease. He is overthrown and then assassinated by his own troops near Tarsus (Turkey), in collusion with Probus. Probus, age 44, is proclaimed new Emperor of Rome.source
277Probus enters Rome, to have his position as Emperor ratified by the Senate.source
280King Bahram II of the Sassanid Empire (Persia) sends envoys to seek peaceful relations with Rome.source
281Emperor Probus returns to Rome, where he celebrates his triumph over the Vandals and the usurpers (Bonosus, Julius Saturninus and Proculus).source
283December 17 – Pope Caius succeeds Eutychian as the 28th pope of Rome.source
283December 7 – Etychian, bishop of Romesource
284Emperor Numerian travels through Bithynia (Asia Minor) on his way home to Rome. Suffering from an inflammation of the eyes, he travels in a closed litter in which soldiers find his decaying corpse.source
296April 22 – Caius, bishop of Romesource
296April 22 – Pope Caius dies after a 13-year reign and is succeeded by Marcellinus as the 29th pope of Rome.source

4th century

303November 20 – The Augusti Diocletian and Maximian reunite in Rome to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Diocletian's accession, which is now treated as a joint anniversary for both emperors. A series of columns in the Roman Forum and a triumphal arch are dedicated to the emperors. The two emperors also agree on a plan of abdication.source
306October 28 – Maxentius, son of former Western Emperor Maximian, leads a revolt by the Praetorian Guard and members of the Senate in Rome, and is proclaimed Emperor. Southern Italy supports Maxentius, as do Africa, Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily. Maxentius recalls Maximian from retirement, who joins his son in Rome.source
309Pope Marcellus I is banished from Rome by Emperor Maxentius.source
309January 16 – Marcellus I, bishop of Rome (b. 255)source
310August 17 – Eusebius, bishop of Romesource
311July 2 – Pope Miltiades succeeds Eusebius as the 32nd pope of Rome.source
313Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine (or Basilica Nova), in Rome, is finished.source
314January 10 – Miltiades (or Melchiades), bishop of Romesource
326Emperor Constantine the Great travels to Rome to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his accession to power, but while en route at Pola he orders his older son, Crispus Caesar, to be executed, possibly on charges of adultery. Later, Fausta, second wife of Constantine I, is also executed by being suffocated or boiled in a hot bath.source
335December 31 – Pope Sylvester I dies at Rome after a 21-year reign. He is succeeded by Mark as the 34th pope.source
339Pope Julius I gives refuge in Rome to the Alexandrian patriarch Athanasius, who is deposed and expelled during the First Synod of Tyre (see 335).source
352April 12 – Julius I, bishop of Romesource
365November 22 – Felix II, antipope of Rome (b. 287)source