Conflict & Security in the 1st century

200 sourced entries, 1 CE to 98 CE, oldest first. Also see Conflict & Security across every century or everything else in the 1st century.

• 1AD 1 – Tiberius, under order of Emperor Augustus, quells revolts in Germania (AD 1–5).source
• 1AD 1 – Gaius Caesar meets with Phraates V, the king of Parthia, on the Euphrates. Rather than invading the Parthians, Gaius Caesar concludes peace with them; Parthia recognizes Roman claims to Armenia.source
• 2AD 2 – Juba II of Mauretania joins Gaius Caesar in Armenia as a military advisor. It is during this period that he meets Glaphyra, a Cappadocian princess and the former wife of Alexandros of Judea, a brother of Herod Archelaus, ethnarch of Judea, and becomes enamoured with her.source
• 3AD 3 – Wang Mang foils a plot by his son, Wang Yu, his brother-in-law, Lu Kuan, and the Wei clan to oust him from the regent's position. Wang Yu and Lu Kuan are killed in the purge that follows.source
• 4AD 4 – King Phraataces and Queen Musa of Parthia are overthrown and killed, the crown being offered to Orodes III of Parthia—the beginning of the interregnum.source
• 4AD 4 – Namhae Chachaung succeeds Bak Hyeokgeose as king of the Korean kingdom of Silla (traditional date).source
• 5AD 5 – Tiberius conquers Germania Inferior.source
• 6AD 6 – Herod Archelaus, ethnarch of Samaria, Judea, and Idumea, is deposed and banished to Vienne in Gaul.source
• 6AD 6 – Marcus Plautius Silvanus is made governor of Galatia and Pamphylia and suppresses an uprising of the Isaurians in Pamphylia.source
• 6AD 6 – Troops are levied in Rome to send to Illyricum from freedmen and slaves freed specifically for the purpose.source
• 6AD 6 – The Princeps Augustus sets up a treasury, the aerarium militare (170 million sestertii), with the specific purpose of paying bonuses to retiring legion veterans. This is financed by a 5% tax on inheritances, a system said to have been suggested in Julius Caesar's memoirs.source
• 6AD 6 – The Illyrian tribes in Dalmatia and Pannonia revolt and begin the Bellum Batonianum or Great Illyrian Revolt.source
• 6AD 6 – Quirinius conducts a census in Judea (according to Josephus), which results in a revolt in the province, led by Judas of Galilee, and supported by the Pharisee Zadok. The revolt is repressed, and the rebels are crucified, but it results in the birth of the Zealot movement, the members of which regard the God of Judaism as their only master.source
• 6AD 6 – Gaius Caecina Severus is made governor of Moesia, and is heavily involved in the first battles of the Bellum Batonianum or Great Illyrian Revolt.source
• 6AD 6 – Tiberius marches back from the northern border to Illyricum to commence operations against the Illyrians.source
• 6AD 6 – The imperial Liu clan suspects the intentions of Wang Mang and foment agrarian rebellions during the course of Ruzi Ying's reign. The first of these is led by Liu Chong, Marquess of Ang-Zong (a/k/a Marquis of An-chung), with a small force starting in May or June.source
• 6AD 6 – Tiberius makes Carnuntum his base of operations against Maroboduus; The Roman legion XX Valeria Victrix fight with Tiberius against the Marcomanni.source
• 7AD 7 – Abgarus of Edessa is deposed as king of Osroene.source
• 7AD 7 – Zhai Yi, Governor of the Commandery of Dong (modern Puyang, Henan) declares Liu Zin, Marquess of Yang Xiang (modern Tai'an, Shandong), emperor. This proves to be the largest of the rebellions against Emperor Ruzi of Han.source
• 7AD 7 – Wang Mang puts down the rebellion during the winter. Zhai is captured and executed while Liu Xin escapes.source
• 8AD 8 – Tincomarus, deposed king of the Atrebates, flees Britain for Rome; Eppillus becomes king.source
• 8AD 8 – Wang Mang crushes a rebellion by Chai I, and on the winter solstice (which has been dated January 10 of the following year) officially assumes the title emperor, establishing the short-lived Xin dynasty.source
• 9AD 9 – Roman finances become strained following the Danubian insurrection and the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, resulting in the levying of two new taxes: five percent on inheritances, and one percent on sales.source
• 9AD 9 – The Bellum Batonianum (Great Illyrian Revolt) in Dalmatia is suppressed.source
• 10The usurper Wang Mang (who rules during a brief interregnum known as the Xin dynasty) outlaws the private purchase and use of crossbows. Despite this, Liu Xiu, the later Emperor Guangwu of Han, buys crossbows in the winter of AD 22 to aid the rebellion of his brother Liu Yan (styled Bosheng) and Li Tong.source
• 10The Euthydemid dynasty, a Greek dynasty in Bactria, is brought to an end.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
• 11Artabanus II becomes ruler of Parthia.source
• 11Germania Inferior and the Rhine are secured by Germanicus.source
• 12The Armenian Artaxiad dynasty is overthrown by the Romans.source
• 12Augustus orders a major invasion of Germany beyond the Rhine.source
• 14Germanicus leads a brutal raid against the Marsi, a German tribe on the upper Ruhr river, who are massacred.source
• 14The town and port of Nauportus are plundered by a mutinous Roman legion that was sent there to build roads and bridges.source
• 14Germanicus is appointed commander of the forces in Germany, beginning a campaign that will end in 16.source
• 15May – As part of his campaign against the Germanic peoples, Germanicus captures Thusnelda, wife of Arminius.source
• 15Summer – Germanicus launches a two-pronged attack from Vetera and Moguntiacum. On his return journey, he recaptures the aquila of Legio XIX and visits the battlefield of the Teutoburg Forest. Germanicus arranges the burial for the remains of Varus' army.source
• 16Germanicus employs the North Sea fleet to avoid dangerous rivers, embarking an army in the Rhine Delta, aboard circa 1,000 ships. He defeats the Germans at the Amisius river estuary and the Weser, but during its return, the Roman fleet is partially destroyed by storms.source
• 16A Roman army of 50,000 men commanded by Germanicus gains a great victory at Idistaviso, defeating the German war chief Arminius, and recovering the lost eagles of Varus' legions.source
• 16Vonones, the beleaguered king of Armenia, is summoned to Syria, by Roman governor Creticus Silanus.source
• 17Tacfarinas, Numidian deserter from the Roman army, begins a guerrilla war against the Romans. He leads his own Musulamii tribe and a coalition of Berbers, attacking the Limes Tripolitanus, a fortified zone (limes) of the Roman Empire in Africa.source
• 17Emperor Tiberius sends Germanicus to the east, in order to lead a military campaign against Parthia.source
• 18Daemusin becomes ruler of the Korean kingdom of Goguryeo.source
• 18Winter – Germanicus Caesar arrives in Syria, as new commander-in-chief for the Roman East.source
• 18A vexillatio (sub-unit or detachment) of Legio III Augusta is destroyed by an ambush in Africa.source
• 18Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso, governor of Syria, ignores the order of Germanicus to send Syrian-based legions, including Legio VI Ferrata and Legio X Fretensis, to Armenia to back him in his planned coronation of Artaxias III.source
• 19Emperor Tiberius expels the Egyptians from Rome, and deports 4,000 Jews from Sicily.source
• 19Gondophares becomes king of the Saces.source
• 19Maroboduus, king of the Marcomanni, is deposed by Catualda. This ends the threat to the Romans from Germanic tribes until the reign of Marcus Aurelius. Rome places them under its protection.source
• 19Last year (6th) of Tianfeng era of the Chinese Xin Dynasty.source
• 21The Aedui revolt under Julius Florus and Julius Sacrovir; the revolt is suppressed by Gaius Silius.source
• 21King Daeso of Dongbuyeo is killed in battle against the armies of Goguryeo, led by its third ruler, King Daemusin.source
• 23July – After being under siege for two months, about 19,000 insurgents under Liu Xiu defeat 450,000 of Wang Mang's troops in the Battle of Kunyang, ushering in the fall of Wang Mang's Xin dynasty and restoration of the Han dynasty.source
• 23October 6 – Emperor Liu Xuan's forces kill Wang Mang at the end of a three-day siege.source
• 23Liu Xuan, a descendant of the Han dynasty royal family and leader of insurgents against the Xin dynasty, proclaims himself emperor against Wang Mang.source
• 24The Masinissa line of the rulers of Carthage ends.source
• 24The revolt of Tacfarinas revolt in Africa is repressed.source
• 24The Roman war against Numidia and Mauretania ends with the annexation of the two African kingdoms.source
• 25Emperor Tiberius settles a dispute between Messenia and Sparta over the Ager Dentheliales on Mount Taygetus, awarding the land to Messenia.source
• 25Lucius Aelius Sejanus unsuccessfully attempts to marry Livilla.source
• 26Emperor Tiberius retires to Capri, leaving the Praetorian Guard under Lucius Aelius Sejanus in charge of the Roman Empire and the city of Rome.source
• 26Romans crush an uprising of Thracian tribesmen.source
• 28King Daru of Baekje succeeds to the throne of Baekje in the Korean peninsula.source
• 29Aulus Plautius, later military leader of the invasion of Britain under Emperor Claudius, becomes suffect consul alongside Lucius Nonius Asprenas.source
• 31Naevius Sutorius Macro becomes the leader of the Praetorian Guard after Sejanus is executed.source
• 34Rome intervenes in Armenia (AD 34–37).source
• 36Herod Antipas suffers major losses in a war with Aretas IV of Nabatea, provoked partly by Antipas' divorce of Aretas' daughter. According to Josephus, Herod's defeat was popularly believed to be divine punishment for his execution of John the Baptist. Emperor Tiberius orders his governor of Syria, Vitellius, to capture or kill Aretas, but he is reluctant to support Herod and abandons his campaign upon Tiberius' death in AD 37.source
• 36Lucius Vitellius defeats Artabanus III of Parthia in support of another claimant to the throne, Tiridates III.source
• 36Pontius Pilate is recalled to Rome, after putting down a Samaritan uprising.source
• 37Abilene is granted to King Agrippa I.source
• 38An anti-Jewish riot breaks out in Alexandria, during a visit by King Herod Agrippa I; the mob wants to place statues of Caligula in every synagogue.source
• 39The Trung Sisters resist the Chinese influences in Vietnam.source
• 39Caligula's campaign into Germany is stopped by a conspiracy led by Cassius Chaerea. Even though he never even reaches Germany, Caligula proclaims himself victorious and orders a triumph.source
• 40Caligula starts on a campaign to conquer Britain, which fails miserably. He declares himself victorious regardless.source
• 40The Vietnamese Trưng Sisters rebel against the rule of the Chinese Emperor Guang Wu of Han.source
• 40Vardanes I becomes king of Parthia, opposed by his brother Gotarzes II.source
• 41January 24 – Caligula, known for his eccentricity and cruel despotism, is assassinated by his disgruntled Praetorian Guards.source
• 41An attack across the Rhine by the Germans is stopped by the Romans.source
• 42Dalmatian legate Lucius Arruntius Camillus Scribonianus revolts, but his troops defect, and his rebellion quickly withers.source
• 42The Chinese General Ma Yuan represses the rebellions of the Trưng Sisters in Tonkin.source
• 43September – Emperor Claudius, who arrives with reinforcements including war elephants, leads the march on Camulodunum (modern Colchester). Eleven British kings, probably including those of the Iceni and Brigantes, submit without a fight. Plautius becomes the first Governor of Roman Britain.source
• 43Warfare begins between the northern and southern Huns.source
• 43The warrior Trung Sisters commit suicide after their resistance is defeated at Nam Viet.source
• 43Vespasian begins to subdue the south-west.source
• 43King Vardanes I of Parthia forces the city of Seleucia on the Tigris to surrender.source
• 44Emperor Claudius returns from his British campaign in triumph, the south-east part of Britannia now held by the Roman Empire, but the war will rage for another decade and a half.source
• 44Minjung becomes ruler of the Korean kingdom of Goguryeo.source
• 45Emperor Claudius expels the Jews from Rome (estimated date, more probably later, 47-49 AD).source
• 46Dobruja is annexed into Roman Moesia.source
• 47Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo is made commander of the Roman army in Germania Inferior. He conquers the Chauci and fights against the Cherusci and Frisians.source
• 48Publius Ostorius Scapula, governor of Britain, announces his intention to disarm all Britons south and east of the Trent and Severn. The Iceni, an independent, allied kingdom within that area, revolt but are defeated. Ostorius then moves against the Deceangli in north Wales, but is forced to abandon the campaign to deal with a revolt among the allied Brigantes.source
• 49Likely date for the expulsion of the Jews from Rome.source
• 49In Britain, governor Publius Ostorius Scapula founds a colonia for Roman veterans at Camulodunum (Colchester). Verulamium (St Albans) is probably established as a municipium the same year. A legion is stationed on the borders of the Silures of South Wales in preparation for invasion.source
• 52Pliny the Elder writes his account of the German wars.source
• 53Taejodae becomes ruler of the kingdom of Goguryeo.source
• 53Tiridates I, brother of Vologases I, comes to power in Armenia as an adversary of the Romans.source
• 54In Britain, Venutius leads a revolt against his ex-wife Cartimandua, queen of the Brigantes and a Roman ally. Governor Aulus Didius Gallus sends her military aid, and after some indecisive fighting a legion commanded by Caesius Nasica defeats the rebels (approximate date – some time between 52 and 57).source
• 54Corbulo recruits Syrian auxiliary units in the region and stations them in border forts, with orders from Nero not to provoke the Parthians.source
• 54Winter – Domitius Corbulo marches his legions (Legio VI Ferrata and Legio X) into the mountains of Cappadocia and makes camp. He gives the men a harsh training, twenty-five-mile marches and weapons drills.source
• 54Nero attempts to prohibit the gladiatorial games.source
• 54Corbulo inspects a base of Legio X Fretensis in Syria, at Cyrrhus; the Roman legionaries are demoralized by a "long peace". Many soldiers sell their helmets and shields.source
• 56War between Rome and Parthia breaks out due to the invasion of Armenia by King Vologases I, who has replaced the Roman-supported ruler with his brother Tiridates I of Armenia. (approximate date)source
• 58Roman-Parthian War: Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo, commander in the East, launches his Armenian offensive against Parthia. He leads a Roman army (four legions) through the mountainous country of Armenia, against the fortress at Volandum, to the southwest of Artaxata. After a siege of eight hours Corbulo takes the city; the legionnaires massacre the defenders and plunder Volandum to their hearts' content.source
• 58Gnaeus Julius Agricola, 18 years old, is serving as a military tribune in Britain under Gaius Suetonius Paulinus and is attached to Legio II Augusta.source
• 58Agrippina the Younger is expelled from the imperial palace by her son Nero, who installs her in Villa Antonia in Misenum, and leaving more of the effective and real power of Empire in the hands of Nero.source
• 58Corbulo marches to Artaxata crossing the Aras River; along the valley he is shadowed by tens of thousands of mounted Parthian archers led by king Tiridates I. The city opens its gates to Corbulo, just as it had to Germanicus four decades before. When he takes the 250-year-old Armenian capital, Corbulo gives the residents a few hours to collect their valuables and burns the city to the ground.source
• 59Rioting breaks out between the people of Pompeii and the people of Nuceria during a gladiator fight in Pompeii. Thousands are killed.source
• 59Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo, Roman commander in the east, captures Tigranocerta in Mesopotamia. He installs Tigranes VI, a Cappadocian prince, as ruler of Armenia. For the next four years, a cohort from Legio VI Ferrata and Legio X Fretensis is stationed in the capital as bodyguard to the king, supported by fifteen hundred auxiliaries.source
• 60Agrippa II of the Herodians rules the northeast of Judea.source
• 60Boudica leads a rebellion of the Iceni against Roman rule in alliance with the Trinovantes, Cornovii, Durotriges and Celtic Britons. The Iceni and Trinovantes first destroy the Roman capital Camulodunum (Colchester), wipe out the infantry of the Legio IX Hispana (commanded by Quintus Petillius Cerialis) and go on to burn Londinium (London) (probably destroying London Bridge) and Verulamium (St Albans), in all cases massacring the inhabitants by the thousands.source
• 60The Roxolani are defeated on the Danube by the Romans.source
• 61Boudica leads a rebellion of the Iceni against Roman rule in alliance with the Trinovantes, Cornovii, Durotriges and Celtic Britons. The Iceni and Trinovantes first destroy the Roman capital Camulodunum (Colchester), wipe out the infantry of the Legio IX Hispana (commanded by Quintus Petillius Cerialis) and go on to burn Londinium (London) (probably destroying London Bridge) and Verulamium (St Albans), in all cases massacring the inhabitants in their thousands.source
• 62Battle of Rhandeia: The Roman army (two legions) is defeated by the Parthians under king Tiridates I. Paetus surrenders and withdraws his disheveled army to Syria.source
• 62Lucius Caesennius Paetus advances towards Tigranocerta, but due to lack of supplies he makes camp for the winter in the fortress at Rhandeia in northwestern Armenia.source
• 62Lucan writes a history of the conflict between Julius Caesar and Pompey.source
• 62Vologases I leads the Parthian army in a full-scale assault on the Euphrates. Legio X Fretensis and men of the other two legions (Legio III Gallica and Legio VI Ferrata) defend the eastern bank of the river, fighting off a desperate attack.source
• 62The Parthians invade Armenia and lay siege to Tigranocerta. The city is well-fortified and garrisoned by the Romans. The assault fails and king Vologases I retreats. Instead, he makes preparations to invade Syria.source
• 63Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo is restored to command after the Roman debacle at the Battle of Rhandeia. He invades Armenia and defeats Tiridates I, who accepts Roman sovereignty. Parthia withdraws from the war.source
• 64The Kushan sack the ancient town of Taxila (in modern-day Pakistan).source
• 65After a stage performance in which he appears and shocks the senatorial class considerably, Nero engages in a series of reprisals against Seneca the Younger and Tigellinus, pro-republican senators, and anyone else he distrusts.source
• 66October – The Jewish Revolt commences against the Roman Empire. The Zealots lay siege to Jerusalem and annihilate the Roman garrison (a cohort of Legio III Cyrenaica). The Sicarii capture the fortress of Masada overlooking the Dead Sea.source
• 66November – Battle of Beth-Horon: Gallus abandons the siege of Jerusalem and chooses, for uncertain reasons, to withdraw west to winter quarters, where he is ambushed and defeated by Judean rebels. Some 5,300 Roman troops are killed, as well as all their pack animals, their artillery (which is to serve the Jews of Jerusalem during Titus's siege operations four years later), and the greatest disgrace of all, the eagle standard of Legio XII Fulminata. Gallus abandons his troops in disarray, fleeing to Syria.source
• 66Mid–late October – Cestius Gallus, legate of Syria, marches into Judea and leads a Roman army of 30,000 men to put down the Jewish rebellion. At its core is Legio XII Fulminata, plus 2,000 selected men from the other three Syrian legions, six more cohorts of infantry and four alae of cavalry, plus over 14,000 auxiliaries furnished by Rome's eastern allies, including Herod Agrippa II and two other client kings, Antiochus IV of Commagene and Sohaemus of Emesa, who lead their forces (largely archers and cavalry) in person.source
• 66Gallus leads his main force down the coast from Caesarea via Antipatris to Lydda, detaching other units, by land and sea, to neutralize the rebel strongholds at Joppa, Narbata and the Tower of Aphek. With Galilee and the entire Judean coast in his hands, Gallus assumes his campaign before the winter rains render the roads impassable. He turns inland and marches on Jerusalem, taking the road via the plain at Emmaus. Gallus succeeds in conquering Beit She'arim (the "New City") on the Bezetha Hill.source
• 66Baekje invades Silla in the Korean Peninsula, and captures Castle Ugok.source
• 66The Roman Legio II Augusta is stationed at Gloucester.source
• 67Vespasian is joined by his son Titus, who brings Legio XV Apollinaris from Alexandria. By late spring the Roman army numbers more than 60,000 soldiers, including auxilia and troops of King Herod Agrippa II.source
• 67The Jewish fortress of Gamla in the Golan falls to the Romans, and its inhabitants are massacred.source
• 67Gaius Julius Vindex revolts, first in a series of revolts that lead to Nero's downfall.source
• 67Siege of Yodfat: Its 40,000 Jewish inhabitants are massacred. The historian Josephus, leader of the rebels in Galilee, is captured by the Romans. Vespasian is wounded in the foot by an arrow fired from the city wall.source
• 67First Jewish–Roman War: Vespasian arrives in Ptolemais in Phoenicia along with the Legio X Fretensis and Legio V Macedonica, to put down the revolt.source
• 67Gaius Licinius Mucianus replaces Gaius Cestius Gallus as governor of Syria.source
• 68Lucius Clodius Macer revolts against the reign of Nero.source
• 68Venutius successfully deposes his wife Cartimandua and becomes the ruler of the Brigantes.source
• 68King Dodu of Galsa Buyeo offered the country to Taejodae of Goguryeo, Galsa Buyeo was destroyed by Goguryeo.source
• 68Winter – Titus sets up camp at Jericho and the Romans cut off escape routes toward Jerusalem.source
• 69April 14 – First Battle of Bedriacum: Vitellius defeats Otho's legions; Otho commits suicide.source
• 69April 17 – After the First Battle of Bedriacum, Vitellius becomes emperor.source
• 69July 1 – Tiberius Julius Alexander orders his legions in Alexandria to swear allegiance to Vespasian as emperor.source
• 69July 3 – The army of Judea swears allegiance to Vespasian as emperor.source
• 69August 1 – Batavian rebellion: The Batavians in Germania Inferior (Netherlands) revolt under the leadership of Gaius Julius Civilis.source
• 69October 24 – Second Battle of Bedriacum: Flavians under Antonius Primus defeat the Vitellians.source
• 69In Gallia Belgica, cohors II Tungrorum, raised from the inhabitants of Atuatuca Tungrorum in the north-west of the Ardennes Forest, revolt against the Romans.source
• 69Marcus Vettius Bolanus becomes the new governor of Britain and faces a second insurrection of Venutius, king of the Brigantes.source
• 69Judea: The Jewish Revolt – Vespasian lays siege to Jerusalem; the city is captured the following year by his son Titus.source
• 69Legio I Macriana liberatrix is disbanded.source
• 69The Batavians attack Roman forts on the Rhine frontier; Fectio and Traiectum (modern Utrecht) are destroyed.source
• 69The Year of the Four Emperors: After Nero's death, Galba, Otho, Vitellius and Vespasian succeed each other as emperor during the year. The year is marked by numerous instances of a breakdown in discipline and mutinous conduct amongst the Roman legions and the praetorian guard.source
• 69German warbands cross over to join the revolt and attack the fortress at Mainz.source
• 69Marcus Trebellius Maximus, governor of Britannia, is forced to flee to Gaul after a mutiny of Legio XX Valeria Victrix at Deva Victrix (Chester).source
• 70August – Titus captures Jerusalem.source
• 7021st of Artemisios (about May 20 or 21) – A "certain prodigious and incredible phenomenon", "chariots and troops" seen running in the clouds around Jerusalemsource
• 70Naval clashes on the Rhine during the Batavian Revolt; the crew of a captured Roman flagship is imprisoned at Augusta Treverorum (modern Trier).source
• 70Ze-Hakèlé (Zoskales in Greek) becomes king of Aksum.source
• 70Roman legions V Alaudae and XV Primigenia are destroyed by the Batavi. Later, Quintus Petillius Cerialis puts down the Batavian rebellion of Gaius Julius Civilis.source
• 7012th of Artemisios (12th of Iyar, about May 11) – Titus and his Roman legions breach the Second Wall of Jerusalem. The Jewish defenders retreat to the First Wall. The Romans start building a circumvallation; all trees within 90 stadia (ca. fifteen kilometres) of the city are cut down.source
• 7014th of Xanthikos (14th of Nisan, about April 14) – Siege of Jerusalem: Titus surrounds the Jewish capital, with three legions (V Macedonica, XII Fulminata and XV Apollinaris) on the western side and a fourth (X Fretensis) on the Mount of Olives to the east. He puts pressure on the food and water supplies of the inhabitants by allowing pilgrims to enter the city to celebrate Passover and then refusing them egress.source
• 70Vespasian disbands four Rhine legions (I Germanica, IV Macedonica, XV Primigenia and XVI Gallica), disgraced for having surrendered or lost their eagles during the revolt of Julius Civilis.source
• 707th of Artemisios (7th of Iyar, about May 6) – The Third Wall of Jerusalem collapses and the Jews withdraw from Bezetha to the Second Wall, where the defences are unorganized.source
• 70Sextus Julius Frontinus is praetor of Rome. Legio II Adiutrix is created from marines of Classis Ravennatis.source
• 70About April 21 – Titus opens a full-scale assault on Jerusalem, concentrating his attack on the city's Third Wall (HaHoma HaShlishit) to the northwest. The Roman army begins trying to breach the wall using testudos, mantlets, siege towers, and battering rams.source
• 71Herodium, a Jewish fortress south of Jerusalem, is conquered and destroyed by Legio X Fretensis on their way to Masada.source
• 71Battle of Treves: Cerialis defeats Claudius Civilis, thus quelling the Batavian rebellion.source
• 71Titus is awarded with a triumph, accompanied by Vespasian and his brother Titus Flavius Domitian. In the parade are Jewish prisoners and treasures of the Temple of Jerusalem, including the Menorah and the Pentateuch. The leader of the Zealots, Simon Bar Giora, is lashed and strangled in the Forum.source
• 71Reign of Rabel II, king of Nabataea. He makes Bostra, Syria, his second capital.source
• 71Battle of Stanwick: Quintus Petillius Cerialis, governor of Britain, puts down a revolt by the Brigantes.source
• 72The Romans lay siege to Masada, a desert fortress held by the Sicarii.source
• 72Antiochus IV of Syria is deposed by Emperor Vespasian.source
• 72First Jewish–Roman War: The Roman army (Legio X Fretensis) under Sextus Lucilius Bassus lays siege to the Jewish garrison of Machaerus at the Dead Sea. After they capitulate, the Zealots are allowed to leave the fortress before it is destroyed.source
• 73February – The Chinese Han dynasty launches a major campaign against the Xiongnu, whom they confront in the Battle of Yiwulu in the Kumul oasis, an ultimate Han military victory led by General Dou Gu (d. AD 88).source
• 73Spring – The Roman governor Lucius Flavius Silva lays siege to Masada, the last outpost of the Jewish rebels following the end, in AD 70, of the First Jewish-Roman War (Jewish Revolt). The Roman army (Legio X Fretensis) surrounds the mountain fortress with a 7-mile long siege wall (circumvallation) and builds a rampart of stones and beaten earth against the western approach. After the citadel is conquered, 960 Zealots under the leadership of Eleazar ben Ya'ir commit mass suicide when defeat becomes imminent.source
• 73Martial writes a satire on "military cowardice".source
• 74Chinese generals Dou Gu (Teou Kou) and Geng Bing (Keng Ping) take control of Turpan.source
• 75Revolt against the Chinese in Tarim: Cachera and Turpan are besieged. Luoyang orders the evacuation of Tarim. Ban Chao makes the rebels retreat towards Khotan. At the same time, the Chinese army of Ganzhou reconquers Turpan in Northern Xiongnu. Ban Chao convinces the emperor of the need to control Central Asia in the fight against Xiongnu.source
• 75Accession of Han Zhangdi of the Han dynasty (until AD 88).source
• 75Vespasian fortifies Armazi (Georgia) for the Iberian king Mithridates I. The Alans raid the Roman frontier in Armenia.source
• 76Governor Sextus Julius Frontinus subdues the Silures and other hostile tribes of Wales, establishing a fortress at Caerleon or Isca Augusta for Legio II Augusta, and makes a network of smaller forts for his auxiliary forces.source
• 77King Giru of Baekje succeeds to the throne of Baekje in the Korean Peninsula.source
• 77Winter – Agricola conquers Anglesey, and disperses his army to their winter quarters.source
• 77The Caledonian tribes in Scotland form a confederacy of 30,000 warriors, under the leadership of Calgacus.source
• 78Emperor Kadphises of the Kushan Empire sends a delegation to Rome, to seek support against the Parthians.source
• 79Roman conquest of Britain: Gnaeus Julius Agricola campaigns in Britain:source
• 82Gnaeus Julius Agricola raises a fleet, and encircles the Celtic tribes beyond the Forth; the Caledonians rise in great numbers against the Romans. They attack the camp of Legio IX Hispana at night, but Agricola sends his cavalry in, and puts them to flight.source
• 83Possible date of the Battle of Mons Graupius (AD 83 or 84): According to Tacitus, 10,000 Britons and 360 Romans are killed.source
• 84Possible date of the Battle of Mons Graupius (AD 83 or 84), in which Gnaeus Julius Agricola defeats the Caledonians.source
• 84Domitian increases the troops' pay by one third, thus securing their loyalty.source
• 85Dacians under Decebalus engage in two wars against the Romans from this year to AD 88 or 89.source
• 85Emperor Domitian repulses a Dacian invasion of Moesia.source
• 85Baekje invades the outskirts of Silla in the Korean peninsula. The war continues until the peace treaty of 105.source
• 86Roman general (and future emperor) Trajan begins a campaign to crush an uprising in Germania.source
• 89January 1 – Lucius Antonius Saturninus incites a revolt against Emperor Domitian (it is suppressed by January 24).source
• 89June – Battle of Ikh Bayan: The Han Chinese army under Dou Xian, allied with the southern Xiongnu, is victorious over the Northern Xiongnu.source
• 89Legio XIII Gemina is transferred to Dacia, to help in the war against King Decebalus.source
• 92In spring, several tribes (probably Marcomanni, Quadi, Jazyges) cross the Danube and attack Pannonia, probably destroying Legio XXI Rapax. These tribes are defeated from May to December 92, and chased back over the river. The Romans do not pursue the retreating tribes.source
• 92The Roman army moves into Mesopotamia (modern Syria).source
• 93Emperor Domitian persecutes the Christians.source
• 96September 18 – Emperor Domitian is stabbed to death by a freedman at the age 44 after a 15-year reign, in a palace conspiracy involving officers of the Praetorian Guard. The Flavian Dynasty ends.source
• 96End of the period covered by Tacitus in his Histories.source
• 97October 28 – Emperor Nerva recalls his general Marcus Ulpius Trajanus, age 44, from the German frontier and is forced by the Praetorian Guard to adopt him as his successor.source
• 97Gan Ying, is sent as an emissary to Daquin (Rome), though he is turned back by the Parthians.source
• 98Trajan elevates Ladenburg to city status (civitas).source