Timelines of Ancient Rome
  Kingdom of Rome
  Early Republic
  Punic Wars
  Decline of Republic
  Age of the Caesars
  Height of Empire
  Fall of Empire
  The Phoenicians
Founding of Rome to Exile of Tarquins
BC Year | Event |
753 | >
Rome founded by Romulus and Remus, twin descendents of Aeneas. |
|
Romulus declares Rome a sanctuary city for slaves and debtors. |
|
Capture of Sabine maidens and subsequent War with the Sabines. |
715-674 |
Reign of Numa Pompilius |
|
Updated Roman calender, assigned holidays |
|
Established priests and vestal virgins |
673-642 |
Reign of Tullus Hostilius |
|
Combat of Horatti and Curatii |
650 |
Conquest of Alba Longa |
616-579 |
Reign of Tarquin the Elder |
|
Built sewer, Circus Maximus, Forum |
579-535 |
Reign of Servius Tullius begins after the murder of Tarquin the Elder |
|
Servian wall built around Rome. |
|
Citizens organized into classes based on wealth |
535-510 |
Tarquin Superbus murders Servius, his father-in-law, and assumes the throne. |
|
Acquired Sibyline books from a Greek priestess. |
|
War with Volscians, besieged city of Gabii. |
|
Built temple of Jupiter on Capitoline hill. |
510 |
Lucretia commits suicide after being attacked by Sextus Tarquin. |
510 |
The last king of Rome, Tarquin Superbus, is expelled; Roman republic is founded. |
510-496 |
Wars against Tarquin and his allies |
508 |
Horatius repels the army of Lars Porsena at the Battle of Sublican Bridge. |
496 |
Final defeat of Tarquin at the Battle of Lake Regillus. |
Defeat of Tarquins to Unification of Italy
First Punic War to Destruction of Carthage
BC Year | Event |
264-242 |
First Punic War |
264 |
Rome intervenes in a land war against Carthage in Sicily.. |
260 |
Roman naval victory at Battle of Mylae. |
256 |
Roman victory at Battle of Ecnomus—the largest naval battle of the age. |
253 |
Defeat and capture of Regulus at Battle of Bagradas. |
250 |
Regulus defies Carthage and is murdered |
219-202 |
Second Punic War |
219 |
Hannibal lays siege to Saguntum, a Roman ally, on the coast of Spain. |
218 |
Hannibal crosses the Alps and meets a Roman army at the Battle of Trebia River. |
217 |
An Roman legion is ambushed and Consul is killed the Battle of Lake Trasimene. |
216 |
Low point: Roman disaster at Battle of Cannae. |
212 |
Death of Archimedes at the Siege of Syracuse. |
207 |
Hasdrubal Barca killed at the Battle of Metaurus River. |
202 |
Carthage decisively defeated by Scipio Africanus at the Battle of Zama. |
214-205 |
First Macedonian War—Inconclusive |
200-196 |
Second Macedonian War—Roman victory at Battle of Cynoscephalae. |
190 |
Wars of Antiochus the Great—Antiochus III of Syria defeated at Magnesia. |
168 |
Third Macedonian War—Roman victory at Battle of Pydna. |
149-146 | >
Third Punic War—Carthage destroyed |
146 |
Rome destroys Corinth after putting down a rebellion of the Achaean League |
Age of Gracchi to Pompey Defeats Pirates
BC Year | Event |
143-133 |
Following the destruction of Carthage, Rome Conquers the Interior of Spain |
133 |
Ten-year Siege of Numantia is concluded by Scipio the Younger |
125 |
Romans begin conquest of southern Gaul. |
133 |
Tiberius Gracchus, proponent of land reform, elected Tribune, then murdered. |
123 |
Gaius Gracchus elected Tribune, passes Sempronian Laws, then murdered. |
111-106 |
Jugurthine War in Africa reveals corruption in Roman senate and military. |
107 |
Marius is elected consul for the first time. Begins re-forming the Roman army. |
105-101 |
Marius leads Roman against Germanic invaders in the Cimbrian War |
102 |
Teutone tribe defeated at the Battle of Aquae Sextiae. |
101 |
Cimbri tribe defeated at the Battle of Vercelli. |
90-89 |
Roman Social War —Italian allies fight for rights of Roman citizenship. |
90-85 |
First Mithridatic War—king of Pontus overruns Greece and Asia Minor.
|
88-83 |
Civil War of Marius and Sulla fought over control of the Roman government.
|
88 |
Marius attempts to take over the army, but is exiled from Rome by Sulla's party. |
87 |
Marius, Cinna raise armies, march on Rome, take vengeance on enemies. |
86-84 |
Cinna elected consul. Rules as dictator for three years. |
86 |
Sulla is victorious at siege of Athens and sets up a government in exile. |
84 |
Cinna attempts to raise an army to meet Sulla, but is killed in a mutiny. |
83 |
Sulla returns, overthrows the populares party and "proscribes" his enemies. |
83-72 |
Sertorius, a former ally of Marius, leads a major Rebellion in Spain |
77 |
Lepidus, a populares general, leads an army against Rome but is defeated. |
First Triumvirate to Death of Augustus
BC Year | Event |
63 |
Cicero discovers and puts down the Catiline Conspiracy. |
60 |
Pompey, Crassus, and Julius Caesar form the First Triumvirate. |
58-51 | >
Julius Caesar Conquers Gaul |
57 |
Caesar annihilates the rebellious Nervii at the Battle of Sabis River. |
54 |
Caesar invades Britain for a second time.
|
52 |
Caesar wins a great victory over Vercingetorix at the Battle of Alesia. |
54 |
Death of Caesar's daughter, the wife of Pompey, strains the alliance between the two. |
53 |
Death of Crassus at the Battle of Carrhae brings and end to the First Triumvirate. |
49-44 | >
Caesar plunges Rome into Civil War when he refuses to surrender his command. |
49 |
Caesar crosses the Rubicon with his army and marches on Rome unopposed. |
48 |
Caesar defeats Pompey at Battle of Pharsalia. |
48 |
Caesar puts Cleopatra on throne of Egypt at Battle of Alexandria. |
46 |
Suicide of Cato (the younger) after the Republican cause is defeated at the Thapsus. |
44 |
Assassination of Julius Caesar |
43 |
Octavius and Antony form Second Triumvirate and agree to the murder of Cicero. |
42 |
Defeat of Republican army at Battle of Philippi. |
40 |
Octavius marries his sister to Antony to strengthen their political alliance. |
36 |
Antony renews his relationship with Cleopatra and moves to Alexandria. |
31 |
Octavio defeats Antony at the Battle of Actium. |
27 |
Octavius appointed imperator for life and becomes Augustus Caesar. |
27 |
Gates of Janus shut. Beginning of Pax Romana. |
0 AD |
Birth of Christ. |
9 AD |
German chieftain Hermann Annihilates 3 Roman Legions at the Battle of Teutoberg Forest. |
14 AD |
Tiberius, the eldest son of Livia becomes emperor on the death of Augustus, . |
Reign of Tiberius to Last Severan Emperor
AD Year | Event |
14 | >
Death of Augustus Caesar, after reign of more than 45 years.
|
14-37 |
Reign of Tiberius, stepson of Augustus Caesar.
|
19 |
Tiberius is accused of murdering Germanicus, his rival for the throne. |
31 |
Sejanus, captain of the Praetorian guard, executed for conspiring against Tiberius. |
33 |
Death of Christ. |
41 |
Assassination of imperial madman, Caligula, after short, tyrannical reign. |
41-54 |
Reign of Claudius |
43 |
Romans Reconquer Britain—Caractacus defeated at the Battle of Medway. |
54-68 |
Nero becomes emperor while still in his teens after the (suspicious) death of Claudius. |
59 |
Nero murders his mother Agrippina the Younger, his wife Octavia, and his brother . |
61 |
Widespread Revolt of the Britons under Boadicea is crused by the Romans. |
64 |
Major fire in Rome, probably set by Nero, is blamed on "Christians".
|
68 |
Nero driven from throne by Praetorian Guards. |
69 |
Civil War: Year of the Four Emperors as Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian contend for the throne. |
70-81 |
Reign of Vespasian and his son Titus. |
70 |
Fall of Jerusalem, and destruction of the temple. |
79 |
Destruction of Pompey after the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. |
80 |
Dedication of the Coliseum. |
70-81 |
First widespread Christian Persecution under Emperor Domitian. |
96-180 | >
Era of the Five Good Emperors. |
96-98 |
Nerva becomes the first Roman Emperor appointed by the Senate. |
98-117 |
Trajan expands Roman territory, Conquers Dacia |
117 |
Roman Empire reaches Maximum extent, as Dacian territory is incorporated. |
117-138 |
Hadrian builds wall in Britain at Scottish border, consolidates empire. |
138-161 |
Antoninus Pius presides of an exceptionally long and benevolent reign. |
161-180 |
Marcus Aurelius, philosopher emperor, Fights the Alemanni. |
180-192 |
Reign of Commodus, son of Marcus Aurelius is marked by decadence and corruption. |
193 |
Septimus Severus claims the throne after a Civil War following the death of Commodus. |
197 |
Severus Campaigns in Parthia, expanding Roman rule to its furthest eastward extent.
|
211-239 |
Reign of the later Severans: Caracalla, Elagabalus and Alexander. |
211 |
Caracalla murders his brother Geta so that he can rule alone. |
239 |
Alexander Severus is assassinated—throne usurped by barbarian chief Maximinus. |
Military Anarchy to Reign of Justinian I
Byblos, Sidon, Tyre to Sevaran Dynasty
BC Year | Event |
Phoenicia under Egypt |
2000-1200 |
Phoenica under the Influence of Egyptians and Hittites (Anatolia) |
1500 |
Canaan is incorporated into Egyptian Empire. |
1250 |
Hebrews occupy the 'promised land' of Canaan |
1200 |
Invasion of the Sea Kings |
1100 |
Phoenician Alphabet used as basis for Hebrew, Greek, others. |
Phoenician Sea-Faring Empire |
1100-850 |
Height of Tyre and Sidon as independent trading civilizatoions. |
1000 |
Phoenicians found Cadiz in southwest spain; develop silver, tin mines. |
980 |
Phoenician colonize Malta, establish a trading port |
970 |
Tyre and Israel become trading partners, Hiram I helps in construction of Solomon's Temple. |
Assyrian, Babylonia, Persian Empires |
875 |
Early Assyrian Conquest, Phoenician cities pay tribute. |
850 |
Queen Dido of Tyre founds Carthage as main port in the west. |
734 |
Phoenicians establish a colony at Palermo in Sicily. |
605 |
Babylonian Conquest, Phoenician cities pay tribute. |
540 |
Persian Conquest, Tyre and Sidona submit to Cyrus. Help in conquest of Egypt. |
480-300 |
Greco-Punic Wars in Sicilian Wars |
332 |
Siege of Tyre and conquest of city by Alexander the Great |
323 |
Death of Alexander the Great, possibly by poison. Diadochi wars. |
Punic Wars and Aftermath |
264-146 |
Punic Wars, fall of Carthage. |
200-50 |
Roman conquest of Hispania |
140-66 |
'Cilician' Pirates terrorize Mediterranean. Put down by Pompey. |
62 |
Catiline Conspiracy is discovered by Cicero |
Phoenician influences Under the Roman Empire |
60-53 |
First Triumvirate |
40 |
Praetorian Guard established by Antony and Octavio. |
~50 A.D. |
Roman 'Mystery-Religion' of Mithra established. Ancient 'Secret Society'. |
193-235 A.D. |
Severan Dynasty was the last openly Canaanite Roman Dynasty |