Roman Empire Timeline

The First Census

28 BCE

After he won the Battle of Actium, Augustus, with help from Agrippa, held the first of three censuses in the Roman Empire. This was extremely important because it is the first time we have actual numbers of the civilian population in the Roman Empire.

Augustus Crowned Emperor

27 BCE

Augustus was crowned emperor of the Roman Empire after he won the battle of Actium. He died from old age and his adoptive son, Tiberius took over the throne.

Roman Mint Re-Opened

20 BCE

The Roman Mint was re-opened by Augustus because of all the land he had annexed. There was not enough Roman money to supply all of these places and there was a lot of new industry because of the prosperous economy. Therefore they needed more money and Augustus decided to re-open the mint

Aeneid Pulished

19 BCE

The book was published after Vergil's death, but before its completion. Augustus had the work published against Vergil's last wishes.

Secular Games

17 BCE

It was games that were supposed to purify people from sins and provide religious inauguration.

Julio-Claudian Dynasty

Period: 14 BCE to 68

The Birth of Jesus

6 BCE

Tiberius Crowned Emperor

14

After Augustus died in 14 AD, Tiberius took over. Tiberius was participating in a ceremonial game where he had to throw a javelin. He hurt his arm and then went into a coma. He woke up for a brief period of time, but then was smothered in blankets by Macro and died.

Drusus Dies

23

Tiberius's son, Drusus, dies in this year. Although the two were not particularly close, Tiberius was greatly saddened by the death of his son and from that point spent less and less energy towards running his empire.

Tiberius Moves to Capri

27

After his son died, Tiberius went to visit Capri, an Island off of southern Italy. His original intent was to visit for a short time, but after he saw its beauty he decided that he would stay and rule from there, never returning to Rome.

Jesus's Death

30

Caligula Crowned Emperor

37

After Tiberius died Caligula was crowned Emperor in 37 AD. He took the place of Tiberius's grandson and later put him to death. He was assassinated by most notably Cassius Chaerea and Cornelius Sabinus. His wife and children were also put to death.

Caligula executes supporters

38

In 38 Caligula executed Naevius Sutorius Macro and Tiberius Gemellus. Naevius was a prefect and was a supporter of his who made it possible for him to become Emperor. Tiberius Gemellus was the grandson of Tiberius I who was supposed to be Emperor before him.

Caligula's Military Campaign in Gaul

40

Caligula had a military campaign in Gaul towards the end of his rule as emperor. He ransacked Gaul and then ordered his men to continue on to Britain where is was assumed they would be fighting more. Instead he ordered them to collect sea shells from the beach and said they were spoils from the ocean they conquered.

Claudius Crowned Emperor

41

After Caligula died Claudius was crowned emperor in 14 AD. He was the uncle of Caligula and took over after he was assassinated. Reports of his death differ, though it is clear he was assassinated. The account favored by the Romans says that his second wife and niece Agrippina poisoned him.

Claudius Invades Britian

43

This is the start of Claudius's military campaign. He made an appearance at the capture of Camulodunum mostly because he was unpopular and his presence at a military success would boost his popularity and glory.

Rivival of the Secular Games

47

Claudius revived old religious traditions such as the Secular Games that were last seen during the reign of Augustus. The Games this year were held to celebrate the 800th birthday of Rome.

Nero Crowned Emperor

54

After Claudius died, Nero was crowned emperor in 54 AD. Nero was Claudius's adoptive son with his wife Agrippina. She was power hungry and urged him to be emperor, however others told him to work independently of her. At the end of his rule, Nero fled the city and stabbed himself in the throat with a knife.

Nero murders Agrippina

59

This is the beginning of Nero's craziness as Emperor. Before this point he had undone some of the outlandish laws and shady dealings of Claudius. He murdered his mother because she was insane and angry that her son was not under her control anymore.

Great Fire of Rome

64

The Great Fire of Rome was an opportunity for Nero to rebuild the city, though he did it in Grecian styles. Nero did not start the fire, he was not even in the city when it happened, however people hated him so much they had no trouble blaming it on him. This caused his reputation to sink even lower. Nero blamed the fire on Christians which resulted in his horrible treatment of them later on.

Galba Crowned Emperor

68

After Nero died Galba was crowned emperor in 69 AD. He led the rebellion against Nero and after his suicide, he went back to Rome where he was praised and crowned emperor. He was later murdered by Otho.

The Year of Four Emperors

Period: 68 to 69

Otho Crowned Emperor

69

After Galba died Otho was crowned Emperor in 69 AD. Otho rose to power after he helped assassinate Galba, and after his army was defeated he committed suicide.

Vitellius Crowned Emperor

69

After Otho died Vitellius was crowned emperor in 69 AD

Vespasian Crowned Emperor

69

After Vitellus died, Vespasian was crowned emperor. He gained popularity after Otho died and eventually was able to take the throne. He later died from illness and was made a god.

Conspiracies

69

Otho conspired to kill Galba with the Praetorian Guard and then proceeded to rise to the throne.

Army Defeated

69

Under Galba, Germany chose to follow Vitellius instead of him. This continued under Otho, who tried to fight them in order to gain back their loyalty. His armies were defeated in Bedriacum, where he then committed suicide.

Angering the Germans

69

He rewarded the territories who supported Vindex, which made Upper Germany really mad because they had defeated them. The Germans then refused to follow Galba and supported Vitellius.

Galba Sides with Nobles in Rome

69

Because of the lack of support from the Germans, Galba decided to forsake his supporter Otho, and align himself with the Roman Nobles. This was not great because it prompted Otho to kill him.

The Five Good Emperors

Period: 69 to 161

Flavian Dynasty

Period: 69 to 96

Fundraising For Public Works

70

In the year 70 he started raising money to build and re-build public works including Forum, the Temple of Peace, the Colosseum, and he started the restoration of the capitol building.

Executions

78

Vespasian proved that he could keep order through harsh measures and still be loved by the people when he executed Eprius Marcellus for treason. Eprius was one of his earliest supporters which showed that he would not let personal affairs get in the way of what was best for the Empire.

Titus Crowned Emperor

79

After his father, Vespasian, died, Titus took over as Emperor. His death is attributed to Domitian who took the throne after he died.

Eruption of Mount Vesuvius

79

The eruption of Mount Vesuvius happened during Titus's rule as well. The eruption completely covered the city of Pompeii in ash, preserving it almost perfectly to the present day.

Finishing of the Colosseum

79

The Colosseum, that was started by his father, was finished under his short rule and opened for the public to attend games.

Domitian Crowned Emperor

81

After his brother, Titus died, Domitian was crowned emperor. He was murdered in 96 by a variety of government officials and his wife.

Military Campaign

84

He was the first emperor to actively campaign since Claudius, and he was able to make advances in both Germany and Britain.

Appointed Censor for Life

85

In 85 he was appointed Censor for life which meant he had control over senatorial membership, which they were not happy about. He wore a Greek robe and crown and he asked to be addressed as "god and master" This furthered the people's and politician's disgust for his ruling style.

Nerva Crowned Emperor

97

After Domitian was assassinated, Nerva was appointed emperor. He brought on Trajan to help him and eventually when he died, Trajan took over.

Executions

97

Nerva had to execute those who had killed Domitian because the Senate had more control over him than they had over Emperors in the past.

Appointment of Trajan

97

Nerva appointed Trajan to help him rule because he was well liked by both the senators and the military. Trajan took over as emperor when Nerva died, relatively soon after appointing him consul.

Trajan Crowned Emperor

98

After Nerva died, Trajan was crowned emperor. He died from an illness later in his life.

Public Works

99

Trajan began a series of public works during his emperor-ship to better the city. He built: roads, bridges, aqueducts, harbours and buildings.

Trajan's Column

113

Trajan built a huge column that commemorated the Dacian wars. The column depicted various scenes from battles along with buildings and important Roman and Dacian figures. Trajan's ashes were later put there after he died. There was also originally a statue of Trajan on top of the column, but it was removed in the middle ages and replaced with a statue of St. Peter.

Hadrian Crowned Emperor

117

After Trajan died, he adopted Hadrian who was then crowned emperor. He died slowly and painfully in a seaside resort in Baiae.

Tour of the Empire

121

Hadrian took a tour of the empire to check the military presence by the borders and in the provinces. He also was able to prevent an uprising in Morocco. This tour helped to stabilize the empire and his success led him to refer to himself as the new Augustus, returning Rome to days of glory.

Pantheon Completed

125

The Pantheon had been destroyed in the fire, and it was rebuilt under Hadrian's rule.

Antonius Pius Crowned Emperor

138

After Hadrian died Antonius Pius was crowned Emperor

Marcus Aurelius Crowned Emperor

161

After Antonius Pius died, Marcus Aurelius was crowned emperor.