APPENDIX 2: Timeline of Major Events from the Foundation of Rome to Justinian I
Note that dates given for kings and emperors are the dates of their reigns, rather than dates of their births or deaths, unless otherwise indicated. To avoid undue repetition of the abbreviations ‘bc’ and ‘ad’, these are only given for the first date listed that falls within each.
The letter ‘c’ (circa, ‘around’) before a date indicates that the date is approximate.Monarchy
| 753 bc 753-716 715-672 672-642 642-616 616-579 579-534 534-509 | Foundation of Rome (traditional date) Reign of Romulus, Senate established Reign of Numa Pompilius Reign of Tullus Hostilius Reign of Ancus Marcius Reign of Tarquinius Priscus Reign of Servius Tullius Reign of Tarquinius Superbus |
Earlier Republic
| 509 451-450 443 390 367 287 | Overthrow of Monarchy, establishment of Republic Twelve Tables compiled Establishment of office of Censor Sack of Rome by Gauls Praetorship and Aedileship established, leges Liciniae Sextiae enacted Lex Hortensia makes plebiscita of concilium plebis binding |
Later Republic
264—241 First Punic War
242 Praetorship divided into two (Urban and Peregrine)
218-201 Second Punic War
214-148 First to Fourth Macedonian Wars
| 149-146 133 123 91-88 60 60-53 58-50 49-45 44 43-33 33-31 | Third Punic War Tiberius Gracchus elected tribune Gaius Gracchus elected tribune Social War Julius Caesar elected consul First Triumvirate (Caesar, Pompey and Crassus) Conquest of Gaul Civil War between Caesar and Pompey Assassination of Caesar Second Triumvirate (Octavian, Marcus Antonius and Marcus Lepidus) Civil War between Octavian and Marcus Antonius |
Principale
| 27 c. 4 AD 14 14-37 c. 3337-41 41-54 43 54-68 69 83/84 117-138 122 138-161 142 161-180 212 c. 235 238 270-275 | Octavian awarded title of Augustus Birth of Jesus Death of Augustus Reign of Tiberius Crucifixion of Jesus Reign of Caligula Reign of Claudius Invasion of Britain, leading to creation of province of Britannia Reign of Nero Year of Four Emperors Battle of Mons Graupius Reign of Hadrian Construction of Hadrian's Wall begins Reign of Antoninus Pius Construction of Antonine Wall begins Reign of Marcus Aurelius Constitutio Antoniniana: general grant of Roman citizenship Beginning of Crisis of the Third Century Year of Six Emperors Reign of Aurelian |
Dominate
| 284 293 East 305 306 313 | Beginning of reign of Diocletian Establishment of the Tetrarchy and first division of Empire into and West Abdication of Diocletian Constantine I proclaimed western emperor Edict of Milan, establishing official toleration of Christianity |
Constantine I becomes sole emperor, Constantinople established as capital
Baptism and death of Constantine I
Reign of Julian the Apostate, last non-Christian emperor
Reign of Theodosius I as eastern emperor (western emperor from 392)
Reign of Theodosius II (alone from 408, with regent 408-416)
Sack of Rome by Visigoths, Romans abandon Britannia
Law of Citations
Codex Theodosianus
Arrival of Anglo-Saxons in former Roman Britannia
Last western emperor, Romulus Augustulus, deposed
Reign of Justinian I
Digest and Institutes of Justinian
Codex of Justinian