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100
Romulus and Remus Begin an Empire
753 BC According to legend, Romulus and Remus were born to Rhea Silvia by the Roman god, Mars, and then were forced to be abandoned by Silvia's uncle, Amulius. Through a series of fortunate events, Romulus and Remus were saved first by a river carrying them to safety, then by a she-wolf who suckled them, and by a wood-pecker who fed them. After this, they were found by a shepherd and his wife who raised them in shepherdhood. -
100
Rome Begins the Republic
509 BC Rome changes from the Roman Kingdom it was previously and becomes a Republic, with 2 consuls as the highest level. Several events occurred while Rome was a Republic, including Punic wars and the first Triumvirate. -
100
The First Triumvirate Begins
59 BC Julius Caesar, Pompey the Great, and Marcus Crassus began the first Triumvirate to rule Rome. They adopted the Republic's idea, with Pompey and Crassus technically being consuls and Caesar being a general, but they were splitting power in actuality. This triumvirate ended shortly after both Crassus and Pompey died, leaving only one man to rule the Roman World: Caesar. -
100
Construction Begins on the Roman Coliseum
72 AD Construction begins on the Roman Coliseum (can also be spelled as Colosseum) under the Roman emperor Vespasian, and continues on for about a decade. The Coliseum was continued , and completed, under the reign of Titus, and was later modified by Domitian. It was originally designed to hold 50,000 to 80,000 people at a time. -
100
Pont du Gard Aqueduct is Built
Circa 19 BC The Pont du Gard, one of the most famous Roman aqueducts, was thought to have been constructed around 19 BC. Construction didn't end until between 40-60 AD, meaning it was being built for around 60 years. It is an impressive structure, with more than one purpose; it was an aqueduct, but also served as a toll bridge. -
100
First Punic War
264 BC The first Punic War begins, with Rome and Carthage fighting, on land, mainly over Sicily. The sea battle was quite a different story, with several different battles with water being the battlefield. Rome won the first Punic War, and forced Carthage to evacuate Sicily, and pay Rome a large war indemnity. -
100
Third Punic War
149 BC The Third Punic War was simply explained as a siege on Carthage. After the treaty was completed, Rome tried to create another treaty, requiring 300 children and Carthage being moved from the coast deeper into Africa. After they refused, the Romans began their siege, and eventually burned Carthage to the ground, taking 50,000 Carthaginians as slaves in the process. -
100
The Second Triumvirate Begins
43 BC the Second Triumvirate begins in the ashes of the first, with Gaius Octavius, Marc Antony, and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus. Unlike the First Triumvirate, this one was established legally, in total compliance with the law. Lepidus was the first to fall, after fighting and conquering Sicily. His legions defected to Octavian and he was stripped of all power. After this, the story is, as they say, history. There was a war between Octavian and Antony, with Octavian coming out as the victor. -
100
Second Punic War
218 BC The second of three Punic wars begin, with Rome being forced to fight two wars at once; the First Macedonian War was also raging. This Punic war included Hannibal, the famous war general who led war elephants into battle. At the conclusion of this war, not much was left of Carthage, except the city itself. -
Period: 100 to 180
Pax Romana
27 BC The Pax Romana began with the defeat of Marc Antony by Octavian (Augustus). He then established a junta, group of military leaders ruling together, with himself as the leader. This setup then encouraged the long-lasting peace, along with the closing of the Gates of Janus, which is a Roman tradition to begin long-lasting peace in the world. It is said to have been closed 3 times, once around 29 BC and again around 25 BC. There is no current documentation of the third closing.