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12 BCE
Tiberius has Victory in Germany
Before becoming emperor Tiberius fought in a campaign in Germany were he was victorious and too 40000 prisoners, which he then relocated to Gaul. -
6 BCE
Augustus Annexes Judaea for Rome
King Herod of Judaea helped Augustus to make Judaea a client state rather than a province of the empire. -
3
Birth of Jesus
Jesus was born to parents Mary and Joseph, through an Immaculate Conception. He was born in Bethlehem in a manger. -
Period: 3 to 33
Lifespan of Jesus Christ
Catholicism was controversial during the early Roman empire and Jesus was crucified for preaching his faith. More specifically Jesus was crucified for claiming that he was the son of god, during the rule of Emperor Tiberius. -
12
Augustus becomes Pontifex Maximus
Augustus becomes the chief priest of religious ceremonies, after Lepidus dies. This made him the chief of the government and of religion. -
14
Death of Emperor Augustus
Augustus Caesar dies in Nola, Italy, and his heir Tiberius ascended to the thrown. -
Period: 14 to 37
Reign of Tiberius Caesar Augustus
Tiberius was the stepson of Augustus and was adopted as his heir before Augustus's death. Tiberius is one of the greatest Roman general ever, and during his rue he enforced the building of military bases. -
18
Emperor Tiberius delegates power to Nephew Germanicus
Tiberius puts Germanicus in charge of Eastern provinces, after Germanicus had triumphs in the north in Pannonia. -
19
The Publication of the Aeneid
The Aeneid was published after the death of Vergil against his will, and the epic story was requested by Emperor Augustus. -
23
Emperor Tiberius Loses his Son
Tiberius was known for being withdrawn and indesicive. The death of his son caused his to become for isolated. -
Period: 27 to 14
Reign of Augustus Caesar
Augustus Caesar is attributed as the greatest Roman emperor. His rule began the Pax Romana, and during his rule he formed a new constitution and greatly supported the construction new roads, aqueducts, and public buildings. -
Period: 27 to 68
Emperors in the Julio-Claudian Dynasty
The emperors in the Julio-Claudian dynasty were Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero. Nero was the last of this dynasty and was followed by Vespasian. The Julio-Claudian dynasty had both good emperors like Augustus and bad emperors like Nero. -
33
The Crucifixion of Jesus
Jesus was sentenced to death by Pontius Pilate, the prefect or officer of Judaea, who served under Emperor Tiberius. He was scourged, and crucified by the Romans for preaching his religion. -
37
Emperor Tiberius Falls Ill
While traveling in Campania he came down with an illness which eventually caused his death. -
37
Caligula Restores the Practice of Democratic Elections
For positions other than emperor Caligula decided to give the people of Rome a vote. -
37
Claudius becomes Co-consul
After Tiberius died, Caligula recognized Claudius's wisdom and made him co-consul. -
Period: 37 to 41
Reign of Caligula
Emperor Caligula, formerly known as Gaius, was a descendant of Augustus and was the first Roman emperor to be assassinated. Caligula's assassination was a broad conspiracy by a praetorian commander and several senators. -
40
Emperor Caligula expands the Empire
Emperor Caligula expanded the empire into Mauretania. This helped to eliminate a future potential threat to the Roman empire by joining Mauretania with the Roman empire. -
Period: 41 to 54
Reign of Claudius
Claudius was born outside of Italy, and from birth was afflicted with limpness and slight deafness. He was highly involved with policy making and law, and would issue up to 20 edicts a day. During his rule began the conquest of Britain, and he constructed a canal across the empire. -
43
Emperor Claudius Launches the Conquest of Britian
The conquest of Britain was started by Claudius. Claudius dispatched 40,000 troops who crossed the English channel and victoriously gained a strong standing in the territory. -
53
Vespasian excels as a Military Commander
Vespasian was not from the Roman elite and gained respect and station through being a great military commander while fighting in Britain. -
Period: 54 to 68
Reign of Nero
Nero is known in history as the most evil emperor ever. Nero came to power after his mother murdered his stepfather, Claudius so that he could become emperor. Nero ruled during the Great Fire of Rome and it is said that he himself may have started the fire, but Nero blamed it on the Christians in Rome. -
64
The Great Fire of Rome
Nero started a huge fire in Rome and blames the Christians in Rome. Supposedly Nero started the fire to clear public space in Rome to allow for new public works to be built. This began a witch hunt for Christians in Rome. -
65
Emperor Nero Gives Public Performance
Emperor Nero had a large interest in music and the arts. In 65 AD, the year after the fire emperor Nero worked intensely on organizing relief and rebuilding the city. He gave a grand performance in 65 to distract from the horrors of the fire. -
68
Suicide of Emperor Nero
Nero was not liked by the people of Rome and commit suicide after the Great Fire of Rome. After his death followed a brief civil war, the first since the Mark Anthony's death in 30 BC. -
Period: 68 to 69
Reign of Galba
After the death of Nero, Galba was pronounced emperor by the Senate. He was the first emperor not of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty. After having several complications and mistrust early on with the Senate, Otho previously a supporter of Galba, worked with several praetorians to murder Galba so that he could take the emperorship himself. -
69
General Vespasian expelled Nero
Nero was the last of Augustus' descendants and Vespasian started a new imperial family. -
69
The Year of the Four Emperors
In the year 69 AD there was much transition between emperors. No emperor lasted long and the succession went from Galba to Otho to Vitellius, to Vespasian. -
69
Emperor Otho's army is defeated by Vitellius
A civil war over the emperorship was fought between Otho and Vitellius. Otho wanted to share the emperorship, but Vitellius wanted the power to himself. He was defeated on April 14, 69 AD. -
69
Otho Commits Suicide
After having been defeated by Vitellius Otho knew Vitellius was going to come from him so he stabbed himself to death on the morning of April 16, 69 AD, in Brixellum, Italy. -
Period: 69 to 69
Reign of Otho
Otho was one of the four emperors in the Year of the Four Emperors. He was the second and ruled for 3 months from January 15th to April 16th. Otho was not from the Roman aristocracy, but his family had gained rank through politics. Otho was a close companion and on some account a lover of Nero. -
Period: 69 to 69
Reign of Vitellius
Vitellius was one of the four Emperors in the year 69 AD. He was the third of the emperors and followed Galba and Otho. He was proclaimed emperor, and ruled for eight months. from April 16th to December 22nd. Toward the end of his emperorship, many romans began to support Vespasian, the governor of Judaea. Fearing his overthrow Vitellius fought Vespasian and was easily defeated. Vespasian and his men brutally killed Vitellius and threw his body into thee Tiber River. -
Period: 69 to 79
Reign of Vespasian
Vespasian was the first Roman emperor to be directly succeeded by his true son. He started the Flavian dynasty, which lived on long after his death in 69 AD. He become emperor at an uneasy time in Rome, because Rome was still recovering from Nero and Claudius. During his rule, much money was spent on restoring Rome. He initiated the construct of the Temple of Peace, and the Colosseum. -
Period: 69 to 96
The Flavian Dynasty
The Flavian dynasty was created by Vespasian, and was continues by his son Titus and his followers. The emperors Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian make up the Flavian reign in Rome. The Flavians unlike the Julio-Claudian dynasty were Italian gentry, not Roan Aristocrats. During this dynasty stability was restored to Rome following Nero. -
70
The Colosseum is Completed
The Colosseum is completed under Emperor Titus. Another name for the Colosseum was the Flavian Ampitheatre. The completion of the Colosseum was celebrated with 100 days of games. -
70
Emperor Titus causes the Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
After Nero had blamed the Great Fire of Rome on Christians, there was much resentment toward Christians. As an effort to restore stability in Rome, Titus devastated Jerusalem giving the Roman people the closure they needed. -
72
Vespasian Begins the Construction of the Colosseum
The Colosseum was constructed under Vespasian to be used for games to please the people of Rome. -
79
The eruption of Mt. Vesuvius
This erupted killed thousands and covered the city of Pompeii and the surrounding areas. -
Period: 79 to 81
Reign of Titus
Titus succeeded his father Vespasian and continued on the Flavian Dynasty. He was close friends with the son of Claudius, Britannicus. Before becoming emperor Titus was a military tribune and fought in Jerusalem, devastating the city of Jerusalem after destroying the Temple. -
Period: 81 to 96
Reign of Domitian
Domitian was the youngest brother of Titus and son of Vespasian. He was also the last of the Flavian dynasty. He was the first emperor since Claudius to campaign in person, but he was not well liked by the aristocracy. He insisted on being called dominus et deus, meaning "master and god", one of the many reasons the Senate came to resent Domitian. He was murdered in 96 AD, by palace officials with the help of his wife and government prefects. -
82
Emperor Domitian Construct the Arch of Titus in Rome
Following as successor to his brother Titus, Domitian constructed a memorial, the Arch of Titus in Rome. -
89
Emperor Domitian Signs Peace Treaty with the Dacian King, Decebalus
This treaty was crucial to make peace with Dacia. -
90
First Christian bishop of Rome
Peter a follower and disciple of Christ becomes the first Christian bishop of Rome. -
96
Assassination of Domitian
Domitian would often elevate equestrian officers to positions of power in the Senate. Because this was unorthodox, the upper class was upset with Domitian, and he soon became paranoid fearing his assassination. He was eventually killed in 96 AD. -
Period: 96 to 98
Reign of Nerva
In the beginning of Nerva's rule he had gained much popularity with the Senate that they had endowed him with the title of pater patriae, or "father of the country". Nerva was popular among the people and the Senate, but not the military. The military still mourned Domitian. The military imprisoned Nerva and took the assassins of Domitian and publicly killed them. This incident left Nerva's authority recked. Nerva died of a sickness in 98 AD after ruling for 16 months. -
Period: 96 to 180
"Five Good Emperors"
The period of the "Five Good Emperors" was a time of peace in Rome, where the emperors are considered the best. This period began with Nerva and ended with Marcus Aurelius. -
97
Emperor Nerva is Imprisoned and Embarrassed by the Military
The military still mourning Domitian demanded the assassins of Domitian but Nerva refused so the military imprisoned Nerva and took the assassins for public executions. -
98
Death of Nerva
Nerva dies and Trajan becomes the new emperor. Trajan completes his military action on the Rhine and returns back to Rome. -
Period: 98 to 117
Reign of Trajan
Trajan is known as the "kind soldier", and during his rule the Roman empire reached it's fullest extent. He conquered the rich kingdom of Dacia, and was one of the greatest Roman soldiers ever. He is known for his wisdom and his tolerance. He also began an imperial fund for the poor, specifically children. -
104
Trajan Conquers Dacia
Emperor Trajan conquers Dacia and the King of Dacia Decebalus dies. -
Period: 113 to 117
Parthian War
The Parthian war was a war between the Roman empire and Persia. -
Period: 117 to 138
Reign of Hadrian
By the end of Hadrian's rule he had traveled nearly every province in his empire. He was very well connected with the civilians. He designed and built the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. Hadrian also built Hadrian's wall, which marks the northern border of Roman Britain. -
122
Emperor Hadrian constructs the Hadrian Wall
The Hadrian wall is a long wall on the northern border intended to keep barbarians out. -
126
Emperor Hadrian Builds the Pantheon
The Pantheon was a temple for the worship of all gods. The temple was designed in a Greek architecture style, unlike anything else seen in Rome at the time. -
Period: 138 to 161
Reign of Emperor Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius was the 4th of the "Five Good Emperors". -
Period: 161 to 180
Reign of Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius was the last of the "Five Good Emperors". -
Nerva makes Trajan his successor
Nerva adopts Trajan as colleague and successor.