Culture & Society in the 4th century

49 sourced entries, 302 CE to 399 CE, oldest first. Also see Culture & Society across every century or everything else in the 4th century.

• 302Iamblichus of Chalcis writes a treatise on magic and the occult.source
• 307December: Constantine marries Maximian's daughter Fausta, and is promoted to Augustus by Maximian.source
• 307Near the end of the year, Galerius gives his wife (Diocletian's daughter) Galeria Valeria the title of Augusta.source
• 313Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine (or Basilica Nova), in Rome, is finished.source
• 320Construction begins on the Old St. Peter's Basilica, Rome (approximate date).source
• 323Crown Prince Ming of Jin succeeds his father Yuan of Jin as emperor of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.source
• 325The Colossus of Constantine in the Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine, Rome, is perhaps remodelled at about this date. (The remains are moved to the Palazzo dei Conservatori, Rome, in the 15th century).source
• 331Constantine I promulgates a law against divorce.source
• 331Eusebius of Caesarea writes the Onomasticon.source
• 338The Church of Santa Costanza, Rome, starts to be built (approximate date).source
• 341Samudragupta of the Gupta Empire, during a decade, extends his kingdom and his influence. A pillar found at Allahabad sings his praises.source
• 344The making of a detail of Admonitions of the Imperial Instructress to Court Ladies (attributed to Gu Kaizhi and being from the Six Dynasties period) begins (approximate year) and is completed in 406. It is now kept at the British Museum, London.source
• 350June 3 – Nepotianus, Roman usurper, proclaims himself emperor and enters Rome with a group of gladiators.source
• 350The church of Santa Constanza in Rome is finished.source
• 351March 15 – Emperor Constantius II elevates his 25-year-old cousin Constantius Gallus to Caesar at Sirmium (Pannonia). He arranges a marriage with his sister Constantina, and puts him in charge of the Eastern portion of the Roman Empire.source
• 353Wang Xizhi, Chinese calligrapher, produces "Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion" in running script style. It becomes a model for future calligraphers.source
• 355November 6 – In Mediolanum (Italy), Emperor Constantius II raises his cousin Julian the Apostate to the rank of Caesar. He takes command of the western provinces and marries Constantius' sister, Helena.source
• 357April 28 – Emperor Constantius II enters Rome for the first time to celebrate his victory over Magnentius. He address the Senate and the Roman people.source
• 357The Imperial Library of Constantinople is founded.source
• 359The Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus, in the Old St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican, is made (approximate date).source
• 360February – Julian, Roman Caesar, is proclaimed emperor in Lutetia (modern Paris).source
• 361361–363 – A Julian the Apostate coin is issued. It is now kept at the British Museum, London.source
• 365March 30 – Sixteen Kingdoms: Jin Feidi, age 23, succeeds his brother Jin Aidi as emperor of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. He has no actual power; governmental matters are largely in the hands of his granduncle Sima Yu.source
• 371Roman poet Ausonius writes of a voyage on the Rhine and the Moselle in his work 'Mosella'.source
• 372September 12 – Jin Xiaowudi, age 10, succeeds his father Jin Jianwendi. Empress Chu Suanzi serves as regent, but decisions are made by the high officials Xie An and Wang Tanzhi.source
• 372The national academy of Chinese learning, called Taehak, is established in the kingdom of Goguryeo (Korea).source
• 374May 4 – Spearthrower Owl ascends to the throne and becomes ruler of Teotihuacan (Mexico).source
• 375The earliest extant books – a school textbook and an account book – with bound wooden leaves, are lost at the Dakhla Oasis in western Egypt. The desert sands preserve them for modern archaeologists.source
• 377Chinese painter Gu Kaizhi paints his work, "The Nymph of the Luo River".source
• 378Valens completes the aqueduct of Constantinople begun by Constantine I.source
• 379Niall becomes High King of Ireland.source
• 382Emperor Gratian refuses the divine attributes of the Imperial cult and removes the Altar of Victory from the Senate.source
• 384The Forum of Theodosius ("Forum of the Bull") is built in Constantinople.source
• 384Stilicho marries Serena, adopted niece of Theodosius I.source
• 384Magnus Maximus elevates his son Flavius Victor to the rank of Augustus.source
• 384King Chimnyu ascends to the throne of Baekje (Korea); he welcomes the Indian Buddhist monk Marananta into his palace, and later declares Buddhism the official religion.source
• 385Aurelios Zopyros becomes the last reported athlete at the Ancient Olympic Games. He is a victor in "junior boxing" (pankration).source
• 386The Northern Wei Dynasty begins in China. The Tuoba clan of the Xianbei tribe (proto-Mongol people) is politically separated from the Chinese dynasties established in Jiankang (modern Nanjing). The Northern Wei rulers are ardent supporters of Buddhism. Prince Dao Wu Di, age 15, becomes the first emperor (see Northern dynasties).source
• 387Winter – The widowed emperor Theodosius I takes Valentinian II under his protection, and marries his sister Flavia Galla.source
• 390Theodosius I brings an obelisk from Egypt to the Hippodrome of Constantinople.source
• 390Rudrasena II of Vakataka succeeds his father, Prithivishena I. In the same year he marries Prabhavatigupta, daughter of the Gupta king Chandragupta II.source
• 390C. 390–401 – Priestess of Bacchus: Late Antiquity ivory diptych; documents the relationship of the senators Quintus Aurelius Symmachus and Virius Nicomachus Flavianus. It commemorates the marriage of the two families. The right panel is inscribed "Symmachorum", with an elaborately dressed priestess who makes an offer on an altar. It is now kept at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.source
• 391Quintus Aurelius Symmachus, urban prefect of Rome, pleads for traditional cult practices. He petitions Theodosius I to re-open the pagan temples, but is opposed by Ambrose.source
• 391Flames destroy the great Library of Alexandria, established in the Mouseion in the fourth century BC. Among the items lost in the fire are works of science, including parchments by the Greek astronomer Aristarchus of Samos asserting that the Earth orbits the Sun, and dozens of dramatic works by Euripides and Sophocles.source
• 391King Gwanggaeto the Great of Goguryeo (Korea) ascends to the throne.source
• 393Theodosius I abolishes the Greek Olympic Games, ending a thousand years of festivals, as part of the general Christian policy to establish universal Christian worship in accordance with the doctrines set forth in the Nicene Creed (the next Olympic Games will not be held until 1896).source
• 395April 27 – Arcadius marries Aelia Eudoxia, daughter of the Frankish general Flavius Bauto (without the knowledge or consent of Rufinus, Praetorian prefect of the East). His seven-year-old half-sister, Galla Placidia, is sent to Rome, where she spends her childhood in the household of Stilicho and his wife Serena.source
• 398Emperor Honorius marries Stilicho's daughter Maria.source
• 399The Emperor Honorius of the Western Roman Empire, who is only 15 years old, closes the gladiatorial schools in Rome, and legally ends munera (gladiator games).source