Roman Empire Timeline

By latin_time
  • 79 BCE

    Mount Vesuvius eruption

    Mount Vesuvius eruption
    Mount Vesuvius wiped out the entire city of Pompeii within 25 hours preserving the people present during the eruption in volcanic ash for hundreds of years.
  • Period: 27 BCE to 14

    Emperor Augustus

    Emperor Augustus laid down the foundation for the long and prosperous time period to follow that is the Pax Romana. He was a brilliant statesman and smart military leader. During the time of his 40-year rule, he increased the empire two times over and also during that time he founded the Roman postal service.
  • 19 BCE

    Publication of the Aeneid

    Publication of the Aeneid
    The Aeneid is an epic poem comprised of 12 books that tell the story of Aeneas, a Trojan and the founder of Rome. The hero starts his journey fleeing the ruins of his former home and spends the rest of the book finding the promised land and founding Rome being commanded by the fates.
  • 4 BCE

    Jesus' birth

    During the reign of King Herod the Great. Jesus was born in Judea, a Roman province and his life was the basis for the founding of Christianity.
  • Period: 14 to 68

    Julio Claudian Dynasty

    The Julio-Claudian dynasty was made up of the four successors of Augustus: Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero. The most capable was Tiberius. During this time Rome conquered South Britain, many public works were accomplished, the West became Romanized, and imperial bureaucracy saw significant development.
  • Period: 14 to 37

    Emperor Tiberius

    Tiberius came to power when the only contender for the throne, was murdered. He was a very capable ruler known for strengthening Rome by increasing the treasure by twenty times and strengthening the navy. The death of Tiberius' son Drusus in 23 affected Tiberius severely so that while he was still emperor he eventually did not carry out the duties of a ruler. He became an unpopular tyrant, and after he fell into a coma in 37, he was smothered to death by Macro, the Praetorian commander.
  • 33

    Jesus' crucifixion

    Jesus was tried by the Sanhedrin and sentenced by Pontius Pilate to be scourged. Then he was handed over to the Roman people to be crucified.
  • Period: 37 to 41

    Emperor Caligula

    Caligula was an emperor that loved his luxury and his wealth. Would play games of dress up and treated the position of emperor almost as a game of pretend. He reign came to a close when he was stabbed to death at the hands of a conspiracy who disliked his extreme spending habits. In 37 A.D. Caligula focused on reforms for the people and the government(stopping unfair taxes and adding new members into the Senate. In 38 A.D. Caligula oversaw and organized the construction of multiple public works.
  • Period: 41 to 54

    Emperor Claudius

    Was considered very dimwitted and was susceptible to cruel jokes because of his limp and drooling. In search of military accomplishments, he led an army across Gaul and conquered the island of Britain. In 43 A.D. he ordered thousands of troops to cross the English channel to take Britain and succeeded in establishing rule there. In the same year, he established the capital of the British colony, Colonia Claudia Victricensis.
  • Period: 54 to 68

    Emperor Nero

    Nero is known as the most infamous emperor. He was responsible for the executions of many Christians and murders of many political officials. His accomplishments are that during his first five years he encourages power-sharing within the government and he ended political trials that were kept the secret from him and other political members.
  • 64

    Great Fire of Rome

    Great Fire of Rome
    A huge fire that started in shops surrounding the Circus Maximus and burned for 6 days. After it had gone out it reignited and continued to burn for another 3 days. The fire had destroyed 10 of the 14 districts and well as a couple of temples (the Temple of Jupiter and the Hearth of the Vestal Virgins). Tacitus, a Roman historian, recalled that the fire started in shops at the Circus Maximus and that the wind caused the fire to spread very quickly. Nero blamed the fire on Roman Christians.
  • Period: 68 to 69

    Emperor Galba

    Galba was invited to lead the rebelling group against Nero. When Galba became emperor He tried to limit the emperor's excessive spending and executed Nero's troops. He gained the favor of the Senate after naming a scion of a noble Roman family as his heir instead of his ally Otho. In the year 44 A.D. he became the governor of Africa and then attained the position of governor of Spain in 60 A.D.
  • 69

    The Year of the Four Emperors

    In the year 69, four emperors ruled in succession. Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian each came to power and fell in year 69.
  • Period: 69 to 69

    Emperor Otho

    Otho had been a part of the rebellion against the emperor Nero. Was disappointed when his ally Galba did not name him as heir and as a result planned to forcefully take the power. He murdered the emperor and took the position up himself. He later committed suicide after his troops lost a battle at Bedriacum. In 69 A.D. Otho founded the gladiatorial fights and in the same year awarded the handful of generals and military leaders that aided him in the conspiracy against Galba.
  • Period: 69 to 69

    Emperor Aulus Vitellius

    During the reign of Galba, Aulus Vitellius' troops in Germany proclaimed him as the emperor on Januray 2nd in 69. With support from governors in Spain, Gaul, and Britain, he overthrew Galba. In October of 69, Vespasian's brother convinced Vitellius to stand down from the throne. On December 20 of 69 Vespasian's army killed Vitellius when they entered Rome with great barbarity.
  • Period: 69 to 79

    Emperor Vespasian

    Vespasian came to power in December of 69 when his army defeated Emperor Vitellius' army. After he was confirmed by the Senate, he received several powers that had not been given to previous emperors, including the power of naked autocracy. Born of humble origins, in 70 he doubled provincial taxation to increase Rome's treasury. This allowed him to build the Forum, the Temple of Peace, restore the Capitol, and begin work on the Colosseum.
  • Period: 69 to 96

    The Emperors in the Flavian Dynasty

    The Flavian Dynasty included the reign of Vespasian and his sons Domitian and Titus. Their collective rule lasted for about 27 years.
  • Period: 79 to 81

    Emperor Titus

    In 69 Titus had command of the Jewish War, and his victory in destroying Jerusalem was commemorated by the Arch of Titus. He became the military leader of the principate for his father, Emperor Vespasian, whose death in 79 made Titus emperor. He was popular during his short rule, and he is known for rebuilding after the fire in 80 and completing the Colosseum.
  • Period: 81 to 96

    Emperor Domitian

    Coming to power in 81 after the death of his father, he was hated by the Senate and became censor for life in 85 and insisted upon being called "master and god". In 84 he increased the pay of the army by one third to help ensure their loyalty despite his tremendous unpopularity in Rome. The revolt of Antonius Saturninus in 89 led to a number of executions by the Senate and a period of terror during Domitian's reign.
  • Period: 96 to 98

    Emperor Nerva

    One of the 5 Good Emperors, he came to power in 96 following the assassination of Domitian. He is known for using propaganda to renounce the tyranny of Domitian's rule. A system of alimenta which manages poor children throughout Italy was implemented during his rule, and in 97 he adopted Trajan to ensure that he would have a successor.
  • Period: 96 to 180

    The Five Good Emperors

    Emperor Nerva, Emperor Trajan, Emperor Hadrian, Emperor Antoninus Pius, and Emperor Marcus Aurelius. This time period had a continuous rule that brought peace and prosperity to Rome. What ensured that they would be good emperors is that they were not given the position of the emperor through lineage but chosen from a group of candidates.
  • Period: 98 to 117

    Emperor Trajan

    Adopted by Emperor Nerva, Trajan became emperor following his death. Upon his return to Rome in 99 from a campaign, he decreased taxes, was generous to the poor, and implemented the policy of alimenta to aid poor Italian children. Beginning in 99 he began several public works projects including building bridges, roads, and aqueducts throughout Rome and its provinces. He built a new forum, and in 113 he constructed the King's Highway between Arabia and the Red Sea.
  • Period: 117 to 138

    Emperor Hadrian

    In 117 Hadrian was proclaimed emperor by the army following Trajan's death. From 121 to 125 he toured the Roman Empire, but his explorations and long absence from Rome resulted several provincial disturbances and an overall lack of supervision. His reign began a building renaissance. In 122 he began building Hadrian's Wall, which is a defensive fortification in the Roman province of Britain.
  • Period: 138 to 161

    Emperor Antoninus Pius

    A capable emperor who promoted peace, Antoninus Pius began his reign following Hadrian and was one of the 5 Good Emperors. In 142 he began construction of the Antonine Wall as an extension of Hadrian's Wall. In 141 after his wife died, he began a charity for daughters of poor citizens.
  • Period: 161 to 180

    Emperor Marcus Aurelius

    Marcus Aurelius transitioned smoothly into power. In 167 Marcus Aurelius and Verus traveled around the Roman Empire and saw firsthand that underlying issues in the finances and military. He then took measures to resolve financial problems and military shortages throughout the empire. In 177 he declared that his son Commodus would be a joint emperor with him.