Roman Timeline

The founding of Rome

753 BCE

Legend has it that on the 21st of April, brothers Romulus and Remus founded Rome. Romulus eventually kills Remus to become the first king and names the city after himself.

The Republic begins

509 BCE

After the last of seven kings, Rome begins the Republic period during which it is ruled by senators and has a constitution.

The settlement of the Latin War

338 BCE

Romans faced a rebellion by their neighboring Latin allies. After Rome emerged victorious, the settlement they imposed underpinned subsequent Roman conquests of Italy and overseas territories. The Latins, and other Italian allies, were forbidden to conduct diplomacy or enter into treaties with other states. They were not taxed, except in having to provide men to fight in Roman commanded armies, which bolstered their ranks significantly.

The First Punic War

264 BCE

The First Punic War was fought over control of the island of Sicily, and many of the crucial clashes were naval battles. Rome demonstrated its adaptability in building its first large war fleet, and its almost limitless manpower in building several replacements after repeated catastrophic disasters. Victory gave Rome her initial overseas possession in Sicily.

Hannibal invades

218 BCE

Hannibal of Carthage attacks Rome and invades Italy during the Second Punic War.

The Second Punic War

218 BCE

The Second Punic War saw the famous invasion of Italy by Carthaginian general Hannibal. Although Roman resilience and resources were stretched to near breaking point by a string of defeats, Rome ultimately emerged victorious, and the war marked the end of Carthage as a regional power.

The Third Punic War

149 BCE

The Third Punic War was a foregone conclusion, in which Rome was finally successful in destroying its hated rival.

Spartacus slave uprising

73 BCE

Spartacus, a gladiator, leads an army of slaves in a series of battles. Spartacus and his men were caught and crucified.

Pompey in the East

67 BCE

Pompey initially went to the east in 67 BC as part of his campaign against pirates who were infesting the Mediterranean. Having crushed the pirates in just three months, in 66 BC Pompey succeeded to the command against the long-term enemy of Rome, Mithradates VI of Pontus. Again quickly victorious, Pompey then became the first Roman to lead an army to the Euphrates river.

Settlement of the East

62 BCE

Pompey established two new Roman provinces (Syria and Bithynia-Pontus), vastly expanded a third (Cilicia), and conducted diplomacy that turned numerous local rulers into clients of Rome. It has been estimated that his ‘settlement’ more than doubled the annual income of the Roman empire.

Julius Caesar becomes a dictator

45 BCE

After Julius Caesar wins the civil war, he establishes himself as a dictator for life and supreme ruler of Rome, thus ending the Roman Republic.

The death of Julius Caesar

44 BCE

On March 15th, known today as the Ides of March, Caesar is assassinated on the steps of the Senate by factions wishing to bring back the Republic.

Augustus reintroduces monarchy to Rome

31 BCE

After a welter of civil wars, Augustus emerged the victor, boasting that he had restored the Republic. However, with overriding military authority and the right to make law, he had in effect reintroduced one-man rule, and become Rome’s first emperor.

The Roman Empire begins

27 BCE

Even though Caesar was a dictator, the first leader to call himself ''Emperor'' or Augustus was Octavius.

The Great Fire of Rome

64

Most of the city is destroyed in a vast fire. Emperor Nero has often been blamed, but modern scholarship doubts this.

Building of the Colosseum

80

One of the most iconic ancient buildings in Rome, the completion of the structure was a massive celebration.

Hadrian's Wall

122

A wall was built across the North of England and marked the northern boundary of the Roman Empire.

The Third Century Crisis

235

Roman empire suffered chronic political and military instability. Amid endemic civil wars and defeats at the hands of barbarians, emperors came and went with bewildering rapidity. The average reign was no more than 18 months, and many survived for much shorter periods.

The Crisis

255

In the east, repeated Roman attacks had undermined the Arsacid dynasty of Parthia, who were consequently overthrown by the far more aggressive power of the Sassanid Persians. In the north, beyond the Rhine and the Danube, Roman trade and diplomacy had encouraged the formation of large and dangerous barbarian confederations, including the Franks, Alamanni, and Goths.

Monopolisation

284

Final factor was the monopolisation of military glory by the emperor. If the emperor could not or would not campaign in person on a frontier and one of his generals was successful, the latter would sometimes be proclaimed emperor by his troops, perhaps even against his will. The resulting civil war stripped troops from the frontier, encouraging further barbarian attacks, and opening up the possibility of another local commander being elevated to claim the throne

Constantine becomes emperor

306

This marks a change in the way that Christians were treated in Rome. Constantine himself became a Christian.

Constantine converts to Christianity

312

At the battle of the Milvian Bridge in AD 312, the emperor Constantine sent his troops into combat with crosses painted on their shields. By the end of his life, he claimed that before the battle he had experienced a vision in which he was given the divine command: “in this sign conquer”. Constantine’s conversion to Christianity had a profound effect on European, and world, history.

Christianity becomes the official religion

380

This will have an effect on the rest of European history to the present day.

Rome splits

395

In an effort to make administration of the vast empire easier, Rome becomes two separate empires (Western Roman Empire and Eastern Roman Empire) with two capitals and two rulers.

The attack of the Visigoths

410

This marks the beginning of the fatal weakening of Rome that would lead to its downfall.

The end of the Western Roman Empire

476

The last Roman emperor Romulus Augustus is deposed and the Middle Ages begin