5000 Years of History. Wisdom. Heritage. Vision.
Important dates and events in Ancient Rome, 1000 B. C. – 476 A. D. 1000 B. C. Phoenicians build Carthage and explore coast of Italy. 800-700 B. C. Six farming villages unite to become the city of Rome. 750 B. C. Cumae, first Greek colony in Italy, settled by refugees. 509 B. C. Romans drive out the last of the Etruscan kings. 353 B. C. Rome expands, conquering the towns of nearby Latium. 312 B. C. Work begins on Appian Way, first Roman road. 280-256 B. C. Rome fights a Greek army under Pyrrhus, wins control of entire Italian peninsula. 264-146 B. C. Rome and Carthage at war. 218 B. C. Carthaginian army under Hannibal crosses the Alps to invade Italy. 204 B. C. The Roman general, Scipio, invades Africa, menaces Carthage. 203 B. C. Hannibal, recalled from Italy, meets Scipio in battle of Zama and is defeated. 196 B. C. Deaths of Hannibal, Scipio. 146 B. C. After nearly three years of siege, Roman troops capture Carthage, enslave its citizens and burn the city to the ground. 133 B. C. Tiberius Gracchus elected tribune, murdered by Senate. 124 B. C. His brother Caius Gracchus elected, passes many reform laws. 121 B. C. The mob turns on Caius and forces him to commit suicide. 107-86 B. C. Struggle for power between Marius and Sulla, which ends only with the death of Marius. 73-71 B. C. Slaves, led by Spartacus, revolt; they are suppressed after two years of fighting. 60 B. C. Pompey, Julius Caesar and Crassus form the First Triumvirate to combat the power of the senate. 58-50 B. C. Caesar, commander of the legions in Gaul, subdues the barbarians; Pompey plots in Rome. 49 B. C. Caesar crosses the Rubicon with his legions; Pompey and the Senate flee; Pompey is crushed at the battle of Pharsalus. 48-46 B. C. Caesar, charmed by Cleopatra, stays in Egypt. 46 B. C. Caesar returns to Rome, begins to consolidate his power and enact reforms. 44 B. C. Caesar assassinated by Cassius, Brutus and other Senators. Civil War breaks out. 42 B. C. Octavius, Antony and Lepidus form the Second Triumvirate and destroy Cassius and Brutus at battle of Philippi. 41-31 B. C. Rivalry between Octavius and Antony develops into war. 31 B. C. Fleet of Antony and Cleopatra beaten by Octavius at the battle of Actium. 30 B. C. Antony and Cleopatra kill themselves; Octavius becomes Augustus. 29 B. C. – A.D. 14 Reign of Augustus; the Empire at peace; the arts and culture flourish. A. D. 14 – 117 A series of emperors rule Rome. A.D. 64 Fire devastates Rome; Nero blames it on Christians A.D. 68 Nero, last of Caesar’s family, commits suicide to avoid assassination at the hands of his guards. A.D. 79 Eruption of Vesuvius buries town of Pompeii under lava. A.D. 106 Legions under Emperor Trajan push the borders of the Empire beyond the Danube River. A.D. 117-138 Reign of Hadrian; trade flourishes; walls built on the borders to stop barbarians. A.D. 138-180 Hadrian’s successors, Antoninus and Marcus Aurelius, govern the Empire. A.D. 167 Barbarians break through the border defenses into Italy and are beaten back with difficulty. A.D. 192-284 Chaos in the Empire; the borders are breached; revolts in the provinces; trade falls off; famine and plague in the cities. A.D. 284-305 Diocletian restores order by making the Empire an armed camp ruled by the legions. A.D. 324 Constantine, a Christian, becomes Emperor. A.D. 326 Constantine begins to build a new capital for the Empire at Byzantium on the Hellespont. A.D. 395 At the death of Theodosius, his two sons divided the Empire between them; it is never reunited. A.D. 406 The Rhine defenses collapse before waves of barbarian invaders; Gaul is overrun. A.D. 410 Visigoths under Alaric capture and sack the city of Rome. A.D. 476 Emperor Romulus deposed by barbarians, bringing the Roman Empire in the West to an end; Caesar’s heirs still rule the East.
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