Roman Empire

Julio-Claudian Dynasty

Period: 27 BCE to 68

Emperors from the family of Julius Caesar, including Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and ending with Nero. This family was made from the aristocratic society of Rome, thus causing a gap between the government and the people.

Emperor Augustus

Period: 27 BCE to 14

"The Second Settlement"

23 BCE

In response to a conspiracy that left 2 principals executed, Augustus relinquished his consulship and was granted an empire-wide proconsular power for 5 years.

Publication of The Aeneid

19 BCE

This epic poem, commissioned by Augustus and written by Virgil, is the quintessential Roman text, still studied today by Latin scholars around the world

Birth of Christ

5 BCE

The exact date is questionable, but most scholars estimate late November, 5 BC based on the death of Harod the Great in 4 BC

Creation of aerarium militare

6

After reworking the structure of the Army, Augustus established the aerarium militare, a public treasury, to pay the wages of soldiers. This continued the practice started in 14BC of giving cash payments to soldiers rather than land grants.

Death of Augustus

14

Augustus died a natural death at the age of 76

Emperor Tiberius

Period: 14 to 37

Sejanus' plot

23

In an attempt to become Tiberius' heir, Sejanus poisoned the Emperor's son Drusus. Sejanus' ultimate plan was to seduce Drusus's wife Livilla, but when he asked for Tiberius's permission to marry her in 25, he was rejected.

Tiberius's withdrawl to Capri

26

After Sejanus' plot, Tiberius was left depressed, betrayed, and paranoid. He moved out of Rome, never to return, leaving Sejanus in charge until his schemes were discovered.

Crucifixion of Christ

33

This occurred either on or the day after Passover, depending on which Gospel is used.

Death of Tiberius

37

Tiberius died a natural death at the age of 77

Emperor Caligula

Period: 37 to 41

Drusilla diefied

38

After the death of Caligula's favorite sister Drusilla, Caligula deified the first woman in Roman history. Her divinity was not recognized after the death of Caligula, however, because of the total disregard of Roman tradition.

Campaign toward Britain

39

While the Roman army did not invade Britain, the campaign led to the eventual annexation of the island in 43. Caligula's leadership on the front lines led to soldiers spending their time collecting sea shells.

Death of Caligula

41

Caligula and his wife and daughter were murdered by soldiers when leaving a sporting event. He was 28.

Emperor Claudius

Period: 41 to 54

Successful invasion of Britain

43

While the entire island was never added to the Roman Empire, Claudius's campaign in Britain proved successful in expanding the empire and earning the young emperor military success.

Messalina executed

48

While Claudius was in Ostia, his wife Messalina put on a wedding between herself and Gaius Silius. This political mistake forced all involved in this ordeal to be executed and Claudius to quickly find a new wife.

Death of Claudius

54

Claudius was supposedly poisoned by his wife Agrippina so that her son Nero could ascend to the throne. he was 63.

Emperor Nero

Period: 54 to 68

Murder of Agrippina

59

Wishing to prove himself independent of his mother's influence and win the hand of Poppaea Sabina, Nero conspired to drown his mother in the Bay of Naples, and when that plan failed, he sent sailors to club her to death.

The Great Fire of Rome

64

This fire lasted for 9 days and ruined 10 of Rome's 14 districts, including the Temple of Jupiter Stator and the Atrium Vestae. Legend has it that Emperor Nero started the fire as a way to get around the senate in order to build a massive palace for himself. He did build himself a glorious network of villas and parks immediately after the fire razed the city. Lore tells us the Nero happily watched his city burn while playing merrily on his fiddle.

Beginning of Christian Persecution

64

Nero blamed the Great Fire of Rome on the Christian population and subsequently began brutally murdering Christians. This persecution would continue until Emperor Constantine published the Edict of Milan in 313.

Death of Nero

68

Nero committed suicide at the age of 30 to end the Julio-Claudian Dynasty.

Emperor Galba

Period: 68 to 69

Death of Galba

69

At the age of 70, Galba was murdered in a conspiracy to put Otho in power.

Death of Vitellius

69

At the age of 54, Vitellius was murdered by supporters of Vespasian after attempting to disguise himself as a doorkeeper.

Death of Otho

69

After devestating fighting between Otho and Vitellius, Otho committed suicide, rather than cause a civil war, at the age of 36

Upper German troops alliance with Vitellius

69

In an effort to make up for the reckless spending of Nero, Galba denied soldiers in Upper Germany who had fought against Vindex their cash rewards, thus alienating the military and creating an enemy for him in these troops. These troops thus joined Vitellius and his Lower German troops in their battle for power.

Vitellius pardoned Salvius Titianus

69

In order to establish peace and order to Rome after the turmoil of early 69, Vitellius pardoned Otho's brother and key supporter, Salvius Titianus. This attempted to bring an end to any political craziness of the last year.

The Year of the Four Emperors

Period: 69 to 69

4 different men were emperor in 69 AD, sometimes overlapping, thus causing political unrest and confusion. The 4 emperors were Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian.

Emperor Vitellius

Period: 69 to 69

Emperor Otho

Period: 69 to 69

Emperor Vespasian

Period: 69 to 79

Emperor Vitellius

Period: 69 to 69

Emperor Otho

Period: 69 to 69

Flavian Dynasty

Period: 69 to 96

Including Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian, the Flavians were Roman gentry as opposed to the nobility of the Julio-Claudians, so they were seen as more connected with the people. They brought a period of stability to Rome after the turmoil of Nero and the year of 4 emperors.

Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple

70

This completely destroyed any thoughts of uprising among the Jews in Israel and began a period of fear and persecution of Jews.

Construction of Flavian Ampitheater

70

In an attempt to rebuild Rome after the turmoil of civil wars, Vespasian commissioned the construction of the Flavian Amphitheater to host games in the city. It was partially funded by the ransack of the Jewish Temple in Jersusalem.

Eruption of Mout Vesuvius

79

This volcano completely buried the city of Pompeii, but the ashes actually preserved the city as it stood in 79. The city was rediscovered in 1595.

Death of Vespasian

79

Vespasian died a natural death at the age of 69.

Emperor Titus

Period: 79 to 81

100-day celebration

80

At the opening of the Colosseum after additions were made, Titus called for a grand festival, which included sea fights in the ampitheater, infantry battles, wild beast hunts, and more. This boosted morale in the city and created a positive image for the emperor.

Fire destroyed much of Rome

80

During the reign of Titus, another fire ravaged the city, which encouraged the emperor to pour money into rebuilding the city and earning him a positive reputation within the city.

Death of Titus

81

Titus died a natural death at the age of 41

Emperor Domitian

Period: 81 to 96

First Capitoline Games

86

In an effort to connect Jupiter's power and divinity to his reign, Domitian put on the Ludi Capitolini (Capitoline Games) every 4 years. Similar to the Olympics, the Games included chariot races and gymnastics, as well as music and poetry.

First Pannonian War

89

In an effort to bring military excellence to his reign, Domitian launched an attack on the Suebian Marcomanni and Quadi while working out treaties with the Dacian king to avoid total war. These conflicts would lead to at least one more war, and a third campaign is suggested by not proven.

Death of Domitian

96

At the age of 44, Domitian was assassinated in a palace conspiracy, but there are no definite conspirators known.

Emperor Nerva

Period: 96 to 98

First of the 5 Good Emperors

Abolition of unnecessary expeditures

97

In an effort to maintain a balanced budget, Nerva began cutting back on the spending of the empire. He abolished many sacrifices, races, and games, hoping to help the urban poor with tax breaks.

Death of Nerva

98

Nerva died a natural death at the age of 67

Dedication of Forum of Nerva

98

One of the few public works Nerva was able to complete in his short reign was the dedication of the forum built by Domitian that connected the Forum of Augustus with the Forum of Peace/.

Emperor Trajan

Period: 98 to 117

Second of the 5 Good Emperors

The Five Good Emperors

Period: 98 to 161

This period was the reign of 5 basically unrelated men who were political allies, which included Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Lucius Aelius, and Antoninus Pius

Final defeat of Dacian territory

106

after 5 years of war, struggle, and rebellion, Trajan pushed the Dacian king to commit suicide and finally forfeit his kingdom to the empire.

The Parthian War

114

Wanting to return to his former military achievement and rival Alexander the Great, Trajan led a campaign against Parthia that lasted 4 years and resulted in the convincing defeat of Parthia and expansion of the empire. However, Hadrian would abandon this conquest in an effort to consolidate the empire.

Death of Trajan

117

Trajan died a natural death at the age of 63.

Emperor Hadrian

Period: 117 to 138

Third of the 5 Good Emperors

Hadrian's Wall

122

In order to mark the boundaries of the empire, Hadrian had this wall built to mark the end of the Roman Empire in Britain.

Death of Antinous

130

A young friend of Hadrian drowned while on a Nile cruise with the emperor. Although rumors of the nature of their relationship and his death were rampant (a homosexual relationship, sacrificing himself to save/extend Hardian's life, etc.), the young man's death was devastating to Hadrian, and Antinous was deified after the death.

Death of Hadrian

138

Hadrian died a natural death at the age of 62.