Unit 3 Classical Civilization Timeline

  • Rise of the Roman Republic
    509 BCE

    Rise of the Roman Republic

    A group of Patricians in Rome led a revolt against the Etruscan monarchy in 509 BCE. They overthrew the monarchy and earned their freedom. The group of rebels who revolted against the Etruscan monarchy decided to form a new government, called representative democratic government.
  • Roman Government (Representative Democratic Government) Created
    509 BCE

    Roman Government (Representative Democratic Government) Created

    The groups of rebels formed the new Roman government. This government had a few branches: The Consuls; The Senate; The Council of Plebians, The Assembly of Tribes, and The Assembly of Centuries. This way of governing gave the Consuls the most power, however, they applied checks and balances throughout the other branches, and only let Consuls serve one-year terms.
  • Punic Wars
    260 BCE

    Punic Wars

    The Punic Wars were a series of wars between Rome and Carthage, which inevitably led to the Romans' expansion. There were 3 wars that resulted in the destruction of Carthage and the enslavement of their population. This allowed Rome to continue to conquer the western Mediterranean area.
  • The Rise of the Han Dynasty
    206 BCE

    The Rise of the Han Dynasty

    The Han Dynasty united China after the demise of the Qin Dynasty. This began the classical Chinese civilization. This was China's First Golden Age. The Han Dynasty valued Confucianism and this became very important to the civilization.
  • The Creation of the Silk Road
    130 BCE

    The Creation of the Silk Road

    The Silk Road was a network of roads/routes that were used by traders in China. They were used for over 1,500 years. These roads helped to facilitate economic, cultural, religious, and political interactions between the Eastern and Western worlds in and around Europe.
  • The First Triumvirate
    60 BCE

    The First Triumvirate

    This was a group of men who were the most powerful people in Rome at this time who decided to form this group as an alliance, however, they were a very unstable alliance. It was formed as a response to the Senate passing laws that would try to stop these men from taking full control. The men that formed it were Julius Caesar, Gnaeus Magnus Pompey, and Marcus Licinius Crassus. Crassus fell from the race due to a death in Parthia and Pompey was killed by Caesar's troops.
  • Caesar's Rise To Power
    46 BCE

    Caesar's Rise To Power

    After Caesar defeated Pompey, he claimed the role of dictator of Rome. He became the sole Consul of Rome. This led to him changing different government positions and laws so that he could have majority of the power.
  • Caesar's Dictatorship
    45 BCE

    Caesar's Dictatorship

    As the dictator, Caesar made many changes, whether they were good or bad. The better of the things he did were give land to the poor, he granted more citizenship, and he created the Julian calendar. The things that worsened Rome during his reign were enlarging the Senate, as that weakened their power and kept him in the dictatorship position for longer.
  • Caesar's Assassination
    44 BCE

    Caesar's Assassination

    Julius Caesar was assassinated in March, 44 BCE. He was stabbed, in Rome, by a group of high-ranked Senators, who wanted him dead. The Senate assassinated him because they had thought that he would try to bring back the monarchy, which would have secured his power for longer.
  • The Second Triumvirate
    43 BCE

    The Second Triumvirate

    The Second Triumvirate began after Caesar was assassinated and they had a war with the Senators who killed Caesar. The Second Triumvirate was formed by Marc Anthony, Lepidus, and Octavian. Lepidus was defeated in a battle and he fled to Sardinia, while Antony was defeated in a battle with Octavian when he destroyed all of Antony and Cleopatra's forces. This left Octavian to lead Rome and led to the dismantle of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire.
  • Rise of Augustus Caesar (Octavian) & Rise of Roman Empire
    27 BCE

    Rise of Augustus Caesar (Octavian) & Rise of Roman Empire

    As he was the final man standing alive in the Second Triumvirate, the Senate named Augustus Caesar (Octavian) as the first Imperator (Emperor) of Rome. This led to the Roman Empire being created. He allowed the Senate to exist under his control, and he created the largest army that Rome had ever seen. He appointed governors to rule the different provinces and he stabilized Rome, which led to him gaining much more territory for Rome
  • Pax Romana (The Peace of Rome)
    26 BCE

    Pax Romana (The Peace of Rome)

    This time period was called the Peace of Rome because it was a time that there was an unprecedented amount of peace and economic prosperity in Rome. This allowed the Empire to expand. They had five good emperors throughout this 200 year time span. These emperors were tolerant and effective, allowed locals to rule themselves, expanded the Emperor's power, cut the power of the Senate, and allowed for trade with INdia and China.
  • Development of Christianity in Rome
    4 BCE

    Development of Christianity in Rome

    The Romans were very tolerant of other religions, although they had their own religion of Paganism. The Jewish people, specifically, who lived in Rome had lived peacefully until 66 CE when they revolted. Later, Jesus was born, and he was said to be an apocalyptic prophet and had 12 followers known as apostles. Jesus and his followers were not accepted by Roman leadership (due to the fast spread and monotheism) and Jewish Priests (as they were highly suspicious of Jesus).
  • Christianity Spreads Throughout Rome
    1 CE

    Christianity Spreads Throughout Rome

    The spread of Christianity was wide throughout Rome. The apostles, Simon Peter and Paul, were talked about and there were oral stories and written letters about them and this religion. The New Testament was created and there were many different interpretations. At this time, it was still seen as a form of Judaism. The spread went from the turn of the second century to the turn of the fourth century.
  • Roman Persecution of Christians
    64

    Roman Persecution of Christians

    The Christians began to be persecuted by the Romans for many reasons. The Romans didn't like them because they did not worship Roman gods or emperors. They believed that this was treason against Rome, which was punishable by death. The persecution began during the reign of Nero, but never became to large or widespread.
  • The Fall of the Han Dynasty
    220

    The Fall of the Han Dynasty

    The Yellow River in China flooded which caused the river to change course, many peasant to die, widespread poverty, and finally, the economy destroyed because that was their main form of trade and income. They also had regional conflicts, which led to the demise. Many corrupt officials and weak leaders led to this fall because they lost control of the government.
  • Christianity Takes Over Rome
    313

    Christianity Takes Over Rome

    The Romans began to widely accept Christianity. It gave them the idea of salvation, they could relate to Jesus, they provided support for suffering people, and they had an idea of equality within the religion. The Edict of Milan was an agreement made by Constantine, which ended the persecution of Christians and granted legal recognition of the Christian faith. Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire when Theodosius the Great become the emperor.
  • Edict of Milan
    313

    Edict of Milan

    The Edict of Milan was an Edict that was issued by Constantine and his co-emperor Licinius. The Edict ended the persecution of Christians and granted legal recognition of the faith in Rome. This led to Christianity to eventually become the national religion of the Roman Empire.
  • Romulus Augustulus
    455

    Romulus Augustulus

    Romulus Augustulus was the last Roman Emperor. He was deposed by the Germanic head of the army which led to the downfall and eventual end of the Roman Empire. This led to the Empire splitting into two pieces (East and West) and the West falling soon after.
  • The Fall of the (West) Roman Empire
    476

    The Fall of the (West) Roman Empire

    There were many reasons why the Roman Empire fell. The empire split into two and the Huns attacked the West. Then, the Visigoths and Vandals attacked the west as well. The other things were the rise of Christianity, Political Corruption, the Economy, the Size of the Empire, and the decline in morals and values. Romulus Augustulus was the final Roman emperor, who was deposed by the Germanic head of the army. The Eastern Empire continued until 1453, when they met their demise as well.