List of Important Dates

All important dates listed on syllabus, including those not mentioned in class (and therefore not relevant to tests/exams)

Regal Period

753-510 B.C.

Republic

509-31 B.C.

Roman Empire

31 B.C. - 476 A.D.

Earliest graves in the Forum area

1000-900 B.C.

Traditional date of the founding of Rome

21 April 753 B.C.

Stone wall built around base of Palatine

750-725 B.C.

Rome is a large and complex city

550 B.C.

Tarquin expelled

510 B.C.

First year of the Republc

509 B.C.

Capitoline Temple (to Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva) dedicated

12 September 507 B.C.

Battle of Lake Regillus

496 B.C.

Secession of the plebs

494 B.C.

Treaty between Rome and Latin League

493 B.C.

Decemviri

451-450 B.C.

Defeat of Veii

396 B.C.

Conquest of Rome by Senones

390 B.C. (actual date 386 B.C.)

Servian wall built

378 B.C.

Defeat of the Latin League at Naples

340 B.C.

Dissolution of the Latin League

338 B.C.

First, second, and third Samnite wars

343-290 B.C.

Via Appia completed

312 B.C.

King Pyrrhus of Epirus invades Italy, wins victory at Heraclea

280 B.C.

Pyrrhus wins ‘Pyrrhic victory’ at Ausculum; leaves for Syracuse

279 B.C.

Pyrrhus returns to Italy and is defeated at Beneventum

275 B.C.

Rome captures Tarentum

272 B.C.

First Punic War

264-241 B.C.

Only major Roman defeats in First Punic War

255, 259 B.C.

Sicily is the first Roman province

241 B.C.

Sardinia and Corsica provinces; Carthage turns to Spanish conquest

237 B.C.

Siege of Saguntum

219 B.C.

Second Punic War

218-201 B.C.

Battles of Ticinum and Trebia

218 B.C.

Battle of Lake Trasimene

217 B.C.

Battle of Cannae

216 B.C.

Hannibal takes Capua and is supported by Macedonia and Syracuse

215 B.C.

Defeat of Syracuse; death of Archimedes

212 B.C.

Defeat of Hasdrubal at Metaurus River

207 B.C.

Romans conquer Spain

206 B.C.

End of First Macedonian War

205 B.C.

Scipio invades Africa

204 B.C.

Hannibal recalled

203 B.C.

Battle of Zama

202 B.C.

Treaty signed (Second Punic War)

201 B.C.

Spain made into two provinces

197 B.C.

Philip V defeated at Cynoscephalae (Second Macedonian War)

197 B.C.

Antiochus III of Syria defeat at Magnesia

190 B.C.

Third Macedonian War ends at Pydna

168 B.C.

Illyricum made a province

167 B.C.

Third Punic War; destruction of Carthage; Africa made a province

149-146 B.C.

Fourth Macedonian War ends

148 B.C.

Revolt of Achaean League; Achaea and Macedonia made a province

146 B.C.

Tiberius Gracchus, tribune of the plebs

133 B.C.

Gaius Gracchus, tribune of the plebs

123-122 B.C.

Gaius Marius, consul six times, five times in a row

107-100 B.C. (104-100 B.C. in a row)

Social War

91-87 B.C.

Siege of Rome

82 B.C.

Sulla dictator

81-early 80 B.C.

Revolt of Spartacus in Italy

73-71 B.C.

Pompey and Crassus consuls

70 B.C.

Gaius Julius Caesar consul

59 B.C.

Caesar begins first five-year command in Gaul

58 B.C.

Caesar’s conquest of Britain

55-54 B.C.

Crassus killed at Carrhae against Parthians

53 B.C.

Gaul made a province

51 B.C.

Senate declares martial law against Caesar

7 January 49 B.C.

Caesar crosses the Rubicon River, thereby declaring civil war

11 January 49 B.C.

Pompey defeated at Pharsalus by Caesar

48 B.C.

Caesar assassinated

15 March 44 B.C.

Brutus and Cassius defeated at Philippi by Octavian and Antony

42 B.C.

Battle of Actium

2 September 31 B.C.

Octavian hands back all power to senate

13 January 27 B.C.

First Settlement: Senate bestows title Augustus on Octavian

16 January 27 B.C.

Second Settlement: Augustus gives up consulship to get other powers

26 June 23 B.C.

Clades Variana and end of major Roman expansion

9 A.D.

Death of Augustus

14 A.D.

Julio-Claudian dynasty (Augustus to Nero)

27 B.C.-68 A.D.

Conquest of Britain

43-74 A.D.

Year of four emperors

69 A.D.

Flavian dynasty (Vespasian to Domitian)

69-96 A.D.

Adoptive emperors (Nerva to Marcus Aurelius)

96-180 A.D.

Abandonment of Trajan’s eastern conquests

117 A.D.