Culture & Society in the 1st century

75 sourced entries, 2 CE to 98 CE, oldest first. Also see Culture & Society across every century or everything else in the 1st century.

• 2AD 2 – Wang Mang begins a program of personal aggrandizement, restoring marquess titles to past imperial princes and introducing a pension system for retired officials. Restrictions are placed on the Emperor's mother, Consort Wei and members of the Wei Clan.source
• 4AD 4 – Nicolaus of Damascus writes the 15-volume History of the World.source
• 4AD 4 – Livilla marries Drusus Julius Caesar, son of Tiberius.source
• 4AD 4 – Emperor Ping of Han marries Empress Wang (Ping), daughter of Wang Mang, cementing his influence.source
• 5AD 5 – Rome acknowledges Cunobelinus, king of the Catuvellauni, as king of Britain.source
• 5AD 5 – Agrippina the Elder marries Germanicus, her second cousin.source
• 8AD 8 – After completing Metamorphoses, Ovid begins the Fasti (Festivals), 6 books that detail the first 6 months of the year and provide valuable insights into the Roman calendar.source
• 8AD 8 – Start of Chushi era of the Chinese Han dynasty.source
• 8AD 8 – Vipsania Julia is exiled. Lucius Aemilius Paullus and his family are disgraced. Augustus breaks off the engagement of Claudius to Paullus' daughter Aemilia Lepida. An effort is made to betroth Claudius to Livia Medullina Camilla.source
• 9AD 9 – Cunobeline is first recorded to be king of the Catuvellauni at Camulodunum (modern-day Colchester) in Britain.source
• 9AD 9 – In order to increase the number of marriages, and ultimately the population, the Lex Papia Poppaea is adopted in Italy. This law prohibits celibacy and childless relationships.source
• 9AD 9 – Ovid completes the curse poem Ibis.source
• 10Ovid completes Tristia III (the "Sorrows") describing the sadness of banishment.source
• 12Ovid stops writing Fasti, because of the lack of resources (being far from the libraries of Rome). He completes 6 books that detail festivals found in the Roman calendar.source
• 13Ovid publishes books 1-3 of his Epistulae ex Ponto.source
• 13Emperor Augustus initiates his third census of the Roman Empire after 20 years.source
• 13Strabo publishes his book on the shape of the Earth.source
• 14First year of tianfeng era of the Chinese Xin Dynasty.source
• 15Early (approx.) – Emona (on the site of modern-day Ljubljana) is founded by Legio XV Apollinaris.source
• 20Galba, the future emperor, is a Roman praetor.source
• 21Emperor Tiberius is a Roman Consul for the fourth time.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
• 26Xinlun is presented by author Huan Tan to Emperor Guangwu of Han with its final chapter (on zither music) still unfinished.source
• 27An Arc of Triumph is erected in Rimini, in honor of the former Emperor Augustus.source
• 30The Kushan Empire is founded (approximate date).source
• 30Velleius Paterculus writes the general history of the countries known in Antiquity.source
• 30Phaedrus translates Aesop's fables, and composes some of his own.source
• 38Phaedrus writes his popular collection of fables.source
• 38Claudius and Messalina are most likely married at this point in time.source
• 40The traditional date of Saint James the Great meeting Our Lady of the Pillar in Spain.source
• 44Boudicca marries Prasutagus, king of the British Celtic tribe the Iceni (doubtful).source
• 48After the execution of his wife Messalina, Claudius gets senatorial approval to marry his niece, Agrippina the Younger.source
• 49Melankomas is the boxing champion, at the 207th Olympic Games.source
• 49Emperor Claudius marries his niece Agrippina the Younger (approximate date), and most of the real power falls to Agrippina.source
• 49Nero becomes engaged to Claudia Octavia, daughter of Claudius.source
• 50Christianity is introduced throughout Nubia by a high official of Queen Judith.source
• 50The San Bartolo pyramid is completed around this time.source
• 50Pamphilus of Alexandria writes a poetic lexicon.source
• 50In Britain, governor Publius Ostorius Scapula begins his campaign against the recalcitrant Silures of south Wales, who are led by the former Catuvellaunian prince Caratacus. London (Londinium), Exeter (Isca Dumnoniorum), Tripontium (near modern Rugby) and the fort of Manduessedum (near modern Atherstone) are founded (approximate date).source
• 52The Yuejue Shu, the first known gazetteer of China, is written during the Han Dynasty.source
• 53June 9 – Nero is adopted by Claudius as his son and marries his 14-year-old daughter Claudia Octavia.source
• 53Seneca writes the tragedy Agamemnon, which he intends to be read as the last chapter of a trilogy including two of his other tragedies, Medea and Edipus.source
• 53Cardiff is founded by Aulus Didius Gallus.source
• 53Paul the Apostle writes his epistle to the Galatians from Ephesus (approximate date).source
• 55The apostle Paul writes his First Epistle to the Corinthians.source
• 56The apostle Paul writes his second Epistle to the Corinthians, probably from Philippi.source
• 56The apostle Paul writes his Epistle to the Romans, from Corinth (approximate date).source
• 57Paul of Tarsus writes his Second Epistle to the Corinthians and his Epistle to the Romans (probable date).source
• 62Emperor Nero marries for the second time, to Poppaea Sabina, ex-wife of Marcus Salvius Otho.source
• 62Lucan writes a history of the conflict between Julius Caesar and Pompey.source
• 62The making of Still Life, a detail of a wall painting from Herculaneum, begins (finished in AD 79). It is now kept at Museo Nazionale in Naples.source
• 62Nero completes the Baths of Nero in Rome.source
• 63Aulus Cornelius Celsus writes a dictionary (encyclopedia) on the arts and sciences.source
• 66Dioscorides writes his De Materia Medica, a treatise on the methodical treatment of disease by use of medicine (approximate date).source
• 67Nero travels to Greece, where he participates in the Olympic Games and other festivals.source
• 70Later Roman emperor Domitian marries Domitia Longina.source
• 70India sees the end of the Hellenistic dynasties.source
• 72Vespasian starts the building of the Colosseum; the amphitheatre is used for gladiatorial games and public spectacles, such as sea battles, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas of Classical mythology.source
• 73Martial writes a satire on "military cowardice".source
• 76First year of Jianchu era of the Chinese Han dynasty.source
• 77Pliny the Elder publishes the first ten books of Naturalis Historia.source
• 78This is the base year (year zero) of the Saka era used by some Hindu calendars, the Indian national calendar, and the Cambodian Buddhist calendar. It begins near the vernal equinox for the civil solar calendar, but begins opposite the star Spica for the traditional solar calendar.source
• 78The Chinese philosopher Wang Chong (Wang-Ch'ung) claims all phenomena have material causes.source
• 86Emperor Domitian introduces the Capitoline Games.source
• 86Martial publishes Books I and II of the Epigrams.source
• 88Last year (4th) of yuanhe era and start of zhanghe era of the Chinese Eastern Han dynasty.source
• 90The Young Flavian Woman is made. It is now kept at Musei Capitolini, Rome (approximate date).source
• 92The Flavian Palace is completed on the Palatine.source
• 93Josephus completes his Jewish Antiquities (or in AD 94).source
• 93Pliny the Younger is named a praetor.source
• 94Emperor Domitian rebuilds and rededicates the Curia Julia (meeting place of the Roman Senate), which had burned down in AD 64.source
• 94The Roman poet Publius Papinius Statius retires to Naples from Rome (approximate date).source
• 96The Arch of Titus is completed in Rome.source
• 97Gloucester, England is founded as Colonia Glevum Nervensis by the Romans.source
• 98Tacitus finishes his Germania (approximate date).source