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509 BCE
The Roman Republic begins
Etruscans ruled Rome until 509 BC, when the Romans revolted and threw out the last king, tyrant. -
494 BCE
Invaders Threatened Rome
When invaders threatened One in 494 BC, the plebeians seceded, or withdrew. -
450 BCE
Roman Forum: Law of the Twelve Tables
450 BC, the Plebeians forced the Patricians to have all laws written down. -
300 BCE
Election of Magistrates
300s BC Romans also began to elect magistrates called praetors. -
265 BCE
Romans Defeated Etruscans and Greek Cities
265 BC, the Romans had defeated the Etruscans and the Greek cities in Southern Italy. -
264 BCE
First Punic War
Violence broke out between Rome and Carthage in 264 BC, the beginning of the First Punic War. -
218 BCE
Hannibal Invades Italy
In 218 BC the Carthaginian general Hannibal led a well-trained army and a force of war elephants across they Pyrenees and the Alps to invade Italy. -
202 BCE
End of Second Punic War
In. 202 BC Scipio routed Hannibal's forces on the plain of Zama outside Carthage and took the city, ending the Second Punic War. -
149 BCE
Third War Declared
Finally, in 149 BC Rome decided to destroy its old enemy once and for all and declared war for the third time. -
133 BCE
Tiberius Gracchus Noted Treatment of Solider-farmers
In 133 MC the tribune Tiberius Gracchus noted the treatment of soldier-farmers, who were being reduced to poverty. -
107 BCE
Gaius Marius Elected Consul
In 107 BC the social unrest reached a new level when a talented military leader named Gaius Marius was elected consul. -
91 BCE
Social War
In 91 BC conflict broke out. The conflict was known as the Social War, from socius, the Latin word for ally. -
88 BCE
Lucius Cornelius Sulla Became Consul
The Social War revealed the talent of one general in particular, the ambitious Lucius Cornelius Sulla, who became consul in the 88 BC. -
60 BCE
First Triumvirate
In 60 BC the three men took over the Roman Republic as the First Triumvirate, or rule of three men. -
44 BCE
Caesar Declared Dictator for Life
Recognizing Caesar's power, the Senate declared him dictator for life in 44 BC. -
43 BCE
Second Triumvirate
In 43 BC the Second Triumvirate, composed of Caesar's adopted son and heir, Octavian; a loyal officer named Marc Anthony; and the high priest Lepidus, took power. -
31 BCE
Octavian Defeated Antony
When civil war between the two eventually broke out, Octavian defeated Antony and his ally, Queen Cleopatra, at the naval battle of Actium in 31 BC. -
27 BCE
Octavian Given Title "Augustus"
In 27 BC the Senate gave Octavian a title of honor -- Augustus, "the revered one." -
Period: 27 BCE to 180
Pax Romana
The period from the beginning of Augustus's reign in 27 BC until the death of the last of the Good Emperors in AD 180 is often called the Pax Romana -- the Roman Peace. -
14
Death of Augustus
Augustus died in AD 14. For 54 years, the relatives of Julius Caesar, called the Julio-Claudian Emperors, ruled the empire. -
68
Nero Committed Suicide
Nero, the last of the Julio-Claudians, commuted suicide in AD 68. After his death, civil wars in Rome, and four military leaders claimed the throne in turn. -
96
Good Emperors
In AD 96 a new line of emperors established itself on the Roman throne. Called the Good Emperors, these five rulers governed Rome for almost a century. -
100
Supreme Position of the Emperor
By the AD 100s the supreme position of the emperor had been well established.
