Timeline of Ancient Rome

This is a Timeline of events concerning Ancient Rome, from the city foundation until the last attempt of the Roman Empire of the East to conquer Rome.

Note: After the 3rd century AD, the timeline is very incomplete – you can help Wikipedia by adding dates to it.

Table of contents

1 8th century BC
2 7th century BC
3 6th century BC
4 5th century BC
5 4th century BC
6 3rd century BC
7 2nd century BC
8 1st century BC
9 1st century
10 2nd century
11 3rd century
12 4th century
13 5th century

8th century BC

753 BC – Traditional date for the founding of Rome by Romulus; Rome as a kingdom
753/715 BC – reign of Romulus
715/673 BC – reign of Numa Pompilius: creation of the Roman senate and the priestly offices

7th century BC

673/642 BC – reign of Tullus Hostilius: building of the Curia Hostilia – the senate-house
642/617 BC – reign of Ancus Marcius
617/578 BC – reign of Lucius Tarquinius Priscus: building of the Circus Maximus, Rome gets the first system of sewers; first census

6th century BC

578/534 BC – reign of Servius Tullius: defined the sacred boundary of Rome - the pomerium
534/509 BC – reign of Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, the last Roman king: builds temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus
509 BC – Roman Republic begins: expulsion of Tarquinius Superbus: first consuls are Lucius Junius Brutus and Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus
508 BC – The office of pontifex maximus (high priest) is created

5th century BC

496 BC – Rome defeats the Latin League at the battle of Lake Regillus
494 BC – Two tribunes of the plebs and two plebeian aediles are elected for the first time
459 BC – The college of the tribune of the Plebs is raised from two to ten tribunes
451 BC – The Decemviri publishes the Twelve Tables of Roman law
447 BC – Assembly of the People created: two quaestors elected for the first time
445 BC –
- The office of consul is replaced by an assembly of military tribune with consular powers
- Marriage between patricians and plebeians allowed
443 BC – Censors elected for the first time
421 BC – Number of quaestors raised from 2 to 4; office opened to plebeians

4th century BC

396 BC –
- Rome conquers the Etruscanss
- Roman soldiers earn their first salary
390 BC – The Gauls defeat the Roman army at the battle of the Allia; sack of Rome by the Gauls
375/371 BC – Anarchy years: no magistrates elected
367 BC – The consulship restored in its original form
366 BC –
- Elected the first non-patrician consul: Lucius Sextius Sextinus
- Office of Praetor urbanus created
351 BC – Elected the first non-patrician censor
343/341 BC – First Samnite war
342 BC - Lex Genucia: no man can hold the same office before 10 years have elapsed from the first election
338 BC – Latin League dissolved after yet another rebellion
326/304 BC – Second Samnite war
300 BC - Lex Ogulnia: priesthoods opened to plebeians

3rd century BC

298/290 BC – Third Samnite war
283 BC – Rome defeats the Etruscans and the Boii (a Gallic tribe) in the Battle of Lake Vadimo
280/275 BC – War against Pyrrhus, king of Epirus (modern Greece)
267 BC – Number of quaestors raised from 4 to 6
264/241 BC – First Punic War against Carthage
242 BC - Office of Praetor peregrinus created
241 BC – Following the defeat of Carthage, Sardinia and Corsica becomes the first Roman province
227 BC – Number of quaestors raised from 6 to 8; number of praetors raised from 2 to 4
224 BC – Rome defeats invading Gallic army at the Battle of Telamon
223 BC – Rome defeats Gauls in Cisalpine Gaul
218/201 BC – Second Punic War against Carthage
216 BC – Hannibal inflicts a disaster for Rome at the Battle of Cannae
214/205 BC – First Macedonian War, Romans defeated
213/211 BC – Siege of Syracuse, Rome captures the city
204/202 BC – Scipio Africanus Major invades Africa, Hannibal recalled and defeated in the Battle of Zama in 202 BC
202/196 BC – Second Macedonian War, Roman victory

2nd century BC

197 BC –
- Hispania Ulterior and Hispania Tarraconensis become Roman provinces
- Number of quaestors raised from 8 to 12; number of praetors raised from 4 to 6
192/189 BC – Syrian war against the Seleucid dynasty
180 BC – Lex Villia annalis: established minimum ages for the cursus honorum offices; determined an interval of two years between offices
172/167 BC – Third Macedonian War, Roman victory
154/138 BC – War against the Lusitanians
149/146 BC – Third Punic War against Carthage
149/148 BC – Fourth Macedonian War
149 BC – A permanent extortion court is established by Lex Calpurnia
146 BC – Scipio Aemilianus Africanus (Scipio Africanus the Younger) puts an end in the Punic and Macedonian threat by destroying the cities of Carthage and Corinth; Macedonia and Africa are annexed as provinces
133 BC – The tribune Tiberius Gracchus is murdered after approving an agrarian reform
121 BC –
- Rome acquires the province of Transalpine Gaul (south of modern France) and a safe land route to Hispania
- The Senate approves the first Senatus consultum de re publica defenda to deal with the threat of violence started by tribune Gaius Gracchus
112/106 BC – Jugurthine War against king Jughurta of Numidia, eventually defeated and captured by Marius
105 BC – The invading tribe of the Cimbri inflict a major defeat on the Roman army in the battle of Arausio
104/100 BC - Gaius Marius elected consul for five years in a row
102 BC - Romans under Marius defeat Teutons in the Battle of Aquae Sextae
101 BC - Romans under Marius and Quintus Lutatius Catulus defeat the Cimbri in the Battle of Vercellae

1st century BC

91/88 BC – Social wars, the last rebellion of the Italian nations against Rome
88 BC – Sulla crosses the pomerium with his legions and invades Rome
88/85 BC – First Mithridatic War against Mithridates VI of Pontus
83/82 BC – First Roman civil war, between Sulla and the popular faction; Sulla wins and becomes dictator; censor office abolished (to be recreated in 70 BC)
83/82 BC – Second Mithridatic War; Sulla returns to Rome and is nominated dictator
82/72 BC – Sertorius, the last Marian general continues the civil war in Hispania
74/66 BC – Third Mithridatic War, eventually won by Pompey
67 BC – Pompey clears the Mediterranean from the pirates
63 BC –
- Fall of Jerusalem
- consulship of Cicero; Catiline conspiracies
59/54 BC – First triumvirate, an alliance between Caesar, Pompey and Crassus
58/50 BC – Caesar fights the Gallic wars, acquiring the province of Gallia Comata
54/53 BC – First campaign against the Parthian Empire; Crassus utterly defeated and killed
49 BC – Caesar crosses the Rubicon (alia jacta est) and begins the Second Roman civil war against the Optimates, the conservative faction of the senate, led by Pompey
48/45 BC – Caesar pursuits and defeats the Optimates in Greece and Africa
44 BC – Caesar is assassinated in the Ides of March
44/42 BC – Third Roman civil war, between the assassins of Caesar (led by Cassius and Brutus) and Caesar heirs, Octavianus and Marcus Antonius
43 BC – Octavianus, Antonius and Lepidus form the second triumvirate
36 BC – Antonius' Parthian campaign ends in failure
32 BC – End of peaceful relations between Octavianus and Antonius
31 BC – In the battle of Actium, Octavianus decisively defeats Antonius and Cleopatra
30 BC – Antonius and Cleopatra commit suicide; Egypt becomes a Roman province
27 BC – End of the Republic, begin of the Roman Empire: Octavianus is now called Augustus Caesar and becomes the sole ruler of Rome
28/24 BC – Augustus' campaigns against the Cantabrians in Hispania Tarraconensis
16/15 BC – Augustus' campaigns against the Alpine tribes
12/7 BC – Tiberius and Drusus conquer Pannonia and campaign against the Germanic tribes

1st century

5 – Tiberius conquers Germania Inferior
6 – Judaea becomes a Roman province
6/9 – Rebellions in Pannonia and Dalmatia suppressed by Germanicus
9 – Three Roman legions are ambushed and massacred by the Germans in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest
11 – Germania Inferior and the Rhine secured by Germanicus
14 – Death of Augustus, Tiberius becomes emperor
14/15 – Germanicus campaigns against the Germanic tribes
26 – Tiberius retires to Capri, governing Rome by proxy
28 – The tribe of the Frisii rebel because of taxes
31 – The fall of Sejanus
37 –Caligula becomes emperor
41 –Claudius becomes emperor
43 – Claudius orders the Roman invasion of Britain
54 –Nero becomes emperor
60/61 – Boudicca, queen of the Iceni, leads a rebellion that devastates Britain
64 – Rome is destroyed by fire; Nero blames the Christians and orders first persecution
66/74 – Jewish rebellions in Judea
68 – Nero commits suicide – end of the Julio-Claudian dynasty; succeeded by Galba
69 – Year of the four emperors: after the assassination of Galba, Otho and Vitellius briefly become emperors before Vespasian's accession to power in the end of the year; Flavian dynasty begins
69/70 – Civilis leads the Batavian rebellion in Germania Inferior; defeated by Petilius Cerialis
71/84 – pacification of Britain, conquer of modern Wales and Scotland
79 –
- Titus Flavius becomes emperor
- August 24, an eruption of Vesuvius destroys of Pompeii and Herculaneum
80 – Rome partially destroyed by fire
81 – Domitian becomes emperor
85 – king Decebalus of Dacia rebels and invades Moesia
89 – rebellions in Germania Inferior and Pannonia force peace with Decebalus of Dacia
96 – Domitian killed – end of Flavian dynasty; succeeded by Nerva, the first of the Five good emperors
98 – Trajan becomes emperor

2nd century

101/102 – First Dacian War
105/106 – Second Dacian War; king Decebalus commits suicide and Dacia becomes a province
106 – Building of Trajan's Forum and construction of Trajan's column
113/117 – Trajan's unsuccessful campaigns against the Parthian Empire
115/117 – Jewish rebellions in Egypt
117 – Hadrian becomes emperor
121/125 – Hadrian travels through the Northern Empire
122 – construction of Hadrian's Wall begins
128/132 – Hadrian travels through Africa and the Eastern Empire
131/135 - Jewish rebellions led by Simon bar Kokhba
138 – Antoninus Pius becomes emperor
140/143 – After a rebellion Antoninus conquers Scotland; construction of Antonine Wall begins
150/163 – rebellions in Scotland, Antonine Wall is abandoned and reoccupied several times
161 – Marcus Aurelius becomes emperor
162/166 – Lucius Verus unsuccessful campaigns against the Parthian Empire
167 – The tribe of the Marcomanni crosses the Danube and invades Dacia
168/175 – Marcus Aurelius' campaigns against the Marcomanni
180 – Death of Marcus Aurelius, the last of the Five good emperors; Commodus becomes emperor
184 – Antonine Wall abandoned for the last time
193 – Commodus is murdered. After the short two and a half month reign of Pertinax, Septimius Severus becomes emperor. There is opposition from first from Pescennius Niger, then from Clodius Albinus
197 – Septimius Severus secures the empire after the battle of Lugdunum
198 – Septimius Severus invades Parthia

3rd century

208/211 – Severus campaigns against the Caledonians
211 – Caracalla becomes emperor
217 – Caracalla murdered; Macrinus becomes emperor
218 – Elagabulus usurps the throne
222 – Alexander Severus becomes emperor

4th century

330 – Constantine I makes Constantinople the capital

5th century

475 – Romulus Augustus becomes emperor.
476 – Romulus Augustus forced to abdicate. Traditional date for the fall of the western Roman Empire.

History – Ancient History - Ancient Rome – Timeline of Ancient Rome