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c. 1000: Beginning of Iron Age
753: Legendary Founding of Rome
753-509: The Regal Period
509-27: The Roman Republic
509-275: Expansion of Roman power throughout Italy; the struggle of the orders
264-146 Expansion of Roman power throughout the Mediterranean; the Punic Wars
133-27: The traumatic final years of the Roman Republic; the Civil Wars
27 B.C.-A.D. 68: The Julio-Claudian Emperors
Augustus (27 B.C.-A.D. 14)
Tiberius (14-37)
Caligula (37-41)
Claudius (41-54)
Nero (54-68)
68-69: Civil Wars
Galba, Otho, Vitellius
69-96: The Flavian Emperors
Vespasian (69-79)
Titus (79-81)
Domitian (81-96)
96-180: The Antonine Emperors
Nerva (96-98)
Trajan (98-117)
Hadrian (117-138)
Antoninus Pius (138-161)
Marcus Aurelius (161-180)
180-476: The Late Empire
180-192: Commodus
193-211: Septimius Severus
211-217: Caracalla
218-222: Elagabalus
222-235: Severus Alexander
235-284: Age of the Soldier Emperors
284-305: Diocletian
306-337: Constantine The Great
361-363: Julian the Apostate
476: Fall of Western Empire
Events of particular note are marked by an asterisk (*).
[For a fuller chronological table, with genealogical charts, see: Cary and Scullard, A History of Rome (third edition) pp. 559-74.]
509 *Expulsion of Tarquinius Superbus by Brutus; Republic founded
494 First secession of the Plebs
471 Lex Publilia Voleronis: Concilium of the Plebs and tribunes recognized
451/450 Law of the Twelve Tables
449 Second secession of the Plebs; Valerian-Horatian laws define rights of tribunes and establish number at 10
447 Quaestors elected by Plebs; Comitia Tributa established?
444-367 Consuls replaced by military tribunes (sporadic)
443 Censorship established
421 Quaestorships increased to four, opened to plebeians
396 Military pay introduced
387 (390?) Celts sack Rome
367 Licinian-Sextian laws limit amount of public land to be held by any private individual
366 First plebeian consul; praetorship created
351 First plebeian censor
339 Lex Publilia cancels patricians' right to veto acts of the Comitia Tributa
337 First plebeian praetor
326 (313?) Lex Poetilia: individuals no longer sold into slavery for debt
312 Via Appia and Aqua Appia started
300 Opening of priestly colleges to plebeians
287 *Lex Hortensia gives plebiscita of the Concilium of the Plebs the force of law (conclusion of the struggle of the orders)
280-275 War against Pyrrhus
272 *Livius Andronicus comes to Rome
264-241 *First Punic War
264 First gladiatorial show at Rome
242 Office of praetor peregrinus established (in addition to that of praetor urbanus)
220 Construction of Via Flaminia
218-201 *Second Punic War
218 Lex Claudia: senators prohibited from owning ships with sea-going capacity
216 *Battle of Cannae
215 Lex Oppia (sumptuary law)
214-205 First Macedonian War
204 Ennius brought to Rome
200-197 Second Macedonian War
199-184 Leges Porciae: series of laws granting Roman citizens the right of appeal in capital cases, abolishing scourging of citizens and summary execution in the field
186 Senatus consultum against Bacchic rites
184 Censorship of Cato; Basilica Porcia; death of Plautus
184/3 Death of Scipio
181 Lex Orchia (sumptuary law)
179 Basilica Aemilia
173 Two Epicurean philosophers expelled
171 Temporary court de repetundis
170 Basilica Sempronia
171-168 War against King Perseus of Macedon (Third Macedonian War)
169 Lex Voconia (limits land that can be devised to female heirs)
168 Battle of Pydna (conclusion of Third Macedonian War)
167 Tributum discontinued
166-59 Production of Terence's comedies
161 Lex Fannia (sumptuary law); expulsion of Greek philosophers
159 Law passed against bribery
153 Consuls enter office on Kalends of January
149-146 *Third Punic War
149 Lex Calpurnia: permanent court de repetundis; publication of Cato's Origines
139 Lex Gabinia: ballot for elections
137 Lex Cassia: ballot in law-courts
133 *Tiberius Gracchus tribune of the plebs; Attalus III bequeaths Pergamum to the Roman people
131 Lex Papiria: ballot for legislation
129 Death of Scipio Aemilianus
123-122 *Gaius Gracchus tribune of the plebs
121 Gaius Gracchus killed; his followers executed by Opimius
112-105 Jugurthine War
107, 104-100 Marius consul
104 Reorganization of Roman army by Marius
103-100 Marius in Gaul; Saturninus tribune of the plebs
100 Death of Saturninus; birth of Julius Caesar
91-89 *Social War [War between Rome and its Italian "allies"]
88 *Sulla's first march on Rome
87-84 Rule of Cinna
86 Death of Marius
84 Cinna killed
83-81 *Civil war between the adherents of Marius and Sulla; proscriptions
82-79 *Dictatorship of Sulla; his constitutional reforms
78 Death of Sulla
73-71 *Slave rebellion of Spartacus
70 *First consulship of Pompey and Crassus; birth of Vergil
67-62 Pompey in the East, vs. pirates and Mithridates
65 Birth of Horace
63 Cicero consul; conspiracy of Catiline; Julius Caesar elected Pontifex Maximus; death of Mithridates; birth of Octavius
62 Clodius profanes rites of the Bona Dea; Pompey returns from East and disbands army
60 *"First Triumvirate" (Pompey, Crassus, and Caesar)
59 *Consulship of Caesar and Bibulus
58-50 *Caesar in Gaul
56 Conference at Luca
56-A.D. 12 Basilica Julia
55 Second consulship of Pompey and Crassus; Pompey dedicates first permanent theater in Rome; Caesar's first invasion of Britain
54 Death of Julia; Caesar's second invasion of Britain
53 *Battle of Carrhae (Death of Crassus)
51 Cleopatra becomes joint ruler of Egypt with her brother
49-48 *Civil war between Caesar and Pompey
48 *Battle of Pharsalus
48-44 *Dictatorship of Caesar
44 *Assassination of Caesar (15 March)
43-33 *Second Triumvirate (Antony, Lepidus, Octavian)
43 *Octavian consul (first); Proscriptions; murder of Cicero
42 Julius Caesar deified; battle of Philippi; Octavian vows temple to Mars the Avenger
41 Antony first meets Cleopatra
40 Antony marries Octavia
38 Octavian marries Livia
37 Antony marries Cleopatra
36 Lepidus ceases to be a triumvir
36-35 Octavian vs. Sextus Pompeius
33 Octavian consul (second)
32 Antony divorces Octavia; Octavian publishes the terms of Antony's will in Rome
31-23 Octavian/Augustus consul (3rd - 11th)
31 *Battle of Actium
30 Suicide of Antony and Cleopatra; Octavian given tribunician power
29 Octavian returns to Rome for 3-fold triumph; closing of gates of Janus; dedication of temple to the Divine Julius; Arch of Augustus in forum
29-19 *Composition of Vergil's Aeneid
28 Temple of Apollo dedicated on Palatine; restoration of other temples; Mausoleum of Augustus begun
27 *Legislation of the Augustan Principate
27 House of Augustus on Palatine; Pantheon and Baths of Agrippa
26 Livy begins his Histories
25 Marriage of Julia and Marcellus
23 Augustus' legal position revised: resigns consulship, granted tribunician powers for life; death of Marcellus; Horace publishes Odes 1-3
21 Agrippa marries Julia
19 Death of Vergil
18 *Julian Laws on marriage and morality
17 Secular Games; adoption of Gaius and Lucius Caesar
13-9 Ara Pacis
13 Death of Lepidus
12 Augustus becomes Pontifex Maximus; death of Agrippa
11 Tiberius divorces Agrippina and marries Julia
9 Death of Drusus
8 Death of Horace and Maecenas
7 Rome divided into 14 regions
6 Tiberius withdraws to Rhodes
5 Augustus consul (12th)
2 Augustus consul (13th), given title of Pater Patriae; dedication of Forum of Augustus and of temple of Mars the Avenger; exile of Julia
A.D.
2 Tiberius returns from Rhodes; death of Lucius Caesar
4 Death of Gaius Caesar; Augustus adopts Tiberius, who adopts Germanicus
8 Exile of Ovid
9 Lex Papia Poppaea: modification of Julian Laws of 18 B.C.
14 *Death of Augustus
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