Exploration & Expansion in the 1st century BC

54 sourced entries, 98 BCE to 1 BCE, oldest first. Also see Exploration & Expansion across every century or everything else in the 1st century BC.

• 98 BCEConsuls: Quintus Caecilius Metellus Nepos and Titus Didius.source
• 97 BCESulla displays a lion hunt for the first time in games at Rome.source
• 97 BCEConsuls: Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus and Publius Licinius Crassus.source
• 96 BCEConsuls: Gaius Cassius Longinus and Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbussource
• 92 BCEConsuls: Gaius Claudius Pulcher and Marcus Perperna.source
• 89 BCEConsuls: Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo and Lucius Porcius Cato.source
• 80 BCEPompeii becomes the Roman colony Colonia Cornelia Veneria Pompei when Sulla occupies the city with at least 4,000 soldier-colonizers.source
• 79 BCECicero travels to Athens and then to Rhodes to continue his studies of philosophy and oratory.source
• 77 BCEPompeius marches along the Via Domitia through Gallia Narbonensis crossing the Pyrenees to Spain. He joins with Quintus Metellus Pius to suppress the revolt of Quintus Sertorius, but is at first unsuccessful.source
• 75 BCECicero is quaestor in Western Sicily.source
• 75 BCEJulius Caesar travels to Rhodes and is taken captive by piratessource
• 74 BCEMarcus Antonius (father of Mark Antony), a praetor, receives wide-ranging powers and considerable resources to fight the pirates in the Mediterranean Sea.source
• 72 BCEAutumn – Spartacus and his followers withdraw to the Bruttium peninsula. At one juncture he contemplates attacking Rome – but moves south. The Senate sends Marcus Licinius Crassus against Spartacus.source
• 69 BCEConsuls: Quintus Caecilius Metellus Creticus and Quintus Hortensius.source
• 69 BCEGaius Julius Caesar is a quaestor in Spain.source
• 67 BCEConsuls: Manius Acilius Glabrio and Gaius Calpurnius Piso.source
• 67 BCEPompey offers the ex-pirates and their families clemency, he settles them in agricultural colonies in eastern Mediterranean lands.source
• 67 BCEPompey divides the Mediterranean into 13 zones – six in the West and seven in the East – to each of which he assigns a fleet under an admiral.source
• 66 BCEConsuls: Manius Aemilius Lepidus and Lucius Volcatius Tullus.source
• 59 BCEThe colonia of Florentia, modern Florence, founded.source
• 58 BCECaesar builds a 19-mile earthwork, complete with fortifications and watchtowers, between Lake Geneva and the Jura Mountains.source
• 58 BCEWinter – Caesar leaves his legions in winter quarters among the Sequani (located in modern-day Burgundy) far to the north of the formal boundary of Gallia Transalpina. He returns to Gallia Cisalpina, carrying out judicial and administrative activities.source
• 58 BCEConsuls: Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus and Aulus Gabinius.source
• 57 BCEConsuls: Publius Cornelius Lentulus Spinther and Quintus Caecilius Metellus Nepos.source
• 57 BCECaesar sends Servius Sulpicius Galba with Legio XII into the territory of the Nantuates, Seduni and the Veragri. He occupies Octodurus (modern-day Martigny) in Switzerland.source
• 56 BCERoman Consuls are Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Marcellinus and Lucius Marcius Philippus.source
• 55 BCEConsuls: Marcus Licinius Crassus and Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus.source
• 54 BCEConsuls: Appius Claudius Pulcher and Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus.source
• 52 BCEConsuls: Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius Scipio Nasica and Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus.source
• 49 BCEFebruary – Pompey's flight to Epirus (in Western Greece) with most of the Senate.source
• 49 BCEJune 7 – Cicero slips out of Italy and goes to Thessaloniki.source
• 46 BCEJulius Caesar establishes Julia Paterna Arelate as a colony in Gaul for veterans of the Sixth Legion, at the present day site of Arles.source
• 43 BCEAccording to legend, Nagasena creates the Emerald Buddha figurine in Patna, India.source
• 43 BCEFirst reference to Cularo (Grenoble).source
• 42 BCEAugust – Lucius Decidius Saxa and Gaius Norbanus Flaccus are appointed by Mark Antony, to lead an advanced force of eight legions to Macedonia along the Via Egnatia into Thrace.source
• 42 BCESeptember – Brutus and Cassius cross the Hellespont. They march to Doriscus but further progress is blocked by Saxa's occupation of the Corpili Pass.source
• 42 BCEIn Sicily, Sextus Pompeius leads the naval operations in the Mediterranean Sea against the triumvirs. He blockades the grain routes from Spain and Africa.source
• 42 BCEBrutus and Cassius advance to Philippi and build fortifications. Antony links up with Norbanus and Saxa at Amphipolis, Octavian arrives on a litter 10 days later.source
• 42 BCEOctavian returns to Rome and arranges for ± 40,000 veterans' settlements in Campania, Etruria, Picenum, Samnium, Umbria, and in northern Italy.source
• 40 BCEMark Antony leaves Alexandria. After receiving news of the outcome at Perusia while en route to Phoenicia, he sets sail for Italy meeting the ambassadors of Sextus Pompey in Athens.source
• 36 BCEAugust – Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, an admiral of Octavian Caesar, secures the Lipari Islands and harasses the coast from Mylae to Tyndaris. Octavian transports his legions, via Leucopetra, to Tauromenium (modern Taormina).source
• 35 BCEIllyria becomes a Roman province. Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian conducts a rendezvous with the Roman fleet under Agrippa, which is engaged in clearing the Dalmatian coast of piracy.source
• 31 BCEOctavian crosses the Strait of Otranto and lands with an army (15 legions) at Panormus in Dalmatia. He marches to Toryne in the south, and establishes a bridgehead at the Gulf of Ambracia.source
• 31 BCEMarcus Vipsanius Agrippa sails with 300 war galleys to the western Peloponnese, and occupies strategic positions around the Gulf of Corinth to cut off Antony's line of communication.source
• 31 BCEIn the Judean Desert on an isolated rock plateau, fortress Masada is completed. Herod the Great builds an armory, barracks, storehouses and a palace.source
• 27 BCEAugustus forms the Classis Misenensis, based in the harbor of Portus Julius at Misenum.source
• 24 BCEAugustus founds the city of Nicopolis in Egypt to commemorate his final victory over Mark Antony.source
• 19 BCEThe Cantabrians, living on the northernmost coast of Spain, are brought under Roman control. The region is completely subdued until 16 BC.source
• 15 BCEMarcus Livius Drusus Libo and Lucius Calpurnius Piso are Roman Consuls.source
• 15 BCEDrusus decides to improve the passage through the Alps for military control of Noricum and Raetia and builds the Via Claudia Augusta through Italy.source
• 13 BCETiberius Claudius Nero and Publius Quinctilius Varus are Roman Consuls.source
• 11 BCEQuintus Aelius Tubero and Paullus Fabius Maximus are Roman Consuls.source
• 3 BCEThe Pont Julien was constructed in modern southern France.source
• 1 BCEZeionises, an Indo-Scythian satrap, begins his rule in the northern Indian subcontinent (r. c.10BC – AD10).source