Dates in italics are traditional and legendary. Some traditional dates are judged likely to be historical. Some people and places are listed here whose names, to avoid an excess of detail, do not appear in the main text.
1084 |
Fall of Troy. |
753 |
Romulus founds Rome. |
c. 625 |
Earliest evidence of contact with the Etruscans. |
753–715 |
Romulus. |
715–673 |
Numa Pompilius. |
673–642 |
Tullus Hostilius. |
642–616 |
Ancus Marcius. |
617–579 |
Tarquinius Priscus. |
579–534 |
Servius Tullius. |
534–510 |
Tarquinius Superbus. |
509 |
Fall of the monarchy. First treaty with Carthage. |
494 |
First secession. |
493 |
Treaty of Spurius Cassius with the Latins. |
491 |
Coriolanus marches on Rome. |
From 486 |
Wars with the Aequi and Volsci from time to time over the next fifty years. |
479 |
Battle of the Cremera; sacrifice of the Fabii. |
474 |
Etruscans defeated off Cumae by Hiero I of Syracuse. |
471 |
Concilium plebis and tribunes recognized. |
451–450 |
Rule of the decemvirs. Twelve Tables published. |
449 |
Secession. Valerio-Horatian laws. Rights of tribunes legally defined. |
447 |
Quaestors elected by the People. Comitia tributa probably established. |
445 |
Military tribunes with consular powers replace the consulship. |
443 |
Censors appointed for the first time. |
431 |
Dictatorship of Cincinnatus. |
396 |
Pay for soldiers introduced. |
390 (or 387) |
Battle of the Allia. |
378 |
Construction of Rome’s Servian walls starts. |
367 |
Licinio-Sextian Rogations passed. |
366 |
First plebeian consul elected. First praetors elected. |
358 |
Treaty with the Latins renewed. |
356 |
First plebeian dictator. |
354 |
Alliance with the Samnites. |
348 |
Treaty with Carthage renewed. |
343–341 |
First Samnite War. |
340–338 |
Latins revolt. Latin League dissolved. |
337 |
First plebeian praetor elected. |
326–304 |
Second Samnite War. |
323 |
Alexander’s death. |
321 |
Roman defeat at the Caudine Forks. |
312 |
Censorship of Appius Claudius. |
298–290 |
Third Samnite War. |
295 |
Battle of Sentinum. |
287 |
Lex Hortensia makes resolutions of the concilium plebis binding on all citizens. |
282 |
Tarentum attacks Roman naval squadron. |
281 |
Rome attacks Tarentum, which seeks help from Pyrrhus of Epirus. |
280–275 |
War with Pyrrhus. |
279 |
Battle of Asculum. |
278 |
Roman treaty with Carthage. |
276 |
Pyrrhus returns to Italy. |
275 |
Pyrrhus defeated at Malventum, returns to Greece. |
272 |
Surrender of Tarentum. |
264 |
First Punic War starts. Mamertines of Messana appeal to Rome for assistance against Carthage. Rome sends an expeditionary force. |
263 |
Hiero II changes sides, and allies Syracuse to Rome. |
263/62 |
Sicilian city-states come under Roman control. |
262/61 |
Siege and fall of Acragas. |
261 |
The Carthaginian navy raids the Italian coast from Sardinia. Rome builds a fleet. |
260 |
Naval victory off Mylae. |
259 |
Hamilcar Barca campaigns in Sicily; also, fighting in Corsica and Sardinia. |
258 |
Rome attacks Panormus. Carthaginians defeated off Sulci, in Sardinia. |
257 |
Rome raids Malta and wins minor victory at Tyndaris. |
256 |
Regulus defeats Carthaginian fleet at Ecnomus and sails to North Africa, where he defeats a Punic army and takes Tunis. |
256/55 |
Peace negotiations fail. |
255 |
Spartan Xanthippus leads Carthaginian army to victory near Tunis over Regulus, who is taken prisoner. Roman fleet victorious off Cape Bon. Survivors of Regulus’s army are rescued. Storm inflicts great losses on a Roman fleet. |
255/54 |
Roman fleet rebuilt. |
254 |
Rome captures Panormus; Carthage holds Drepana and sacks Acragas. |
253 |
Rome fails to take Lilybaeum. Major Roman naval losses in a storm. |
252 |
Rome captures Thermae Himerae and the Lipara Islands. |
251/50 |
Hasdrubal defeated near Panormus. |
250–241 |
Roman siege of Lilybaeum. |
249 |
Carthage wins a great sea victory off Drepana over Claudius Pulcher. Heavy Roman losses in a storm near Camarina. Rome seizes Eryx. |
248 |
Mutiny by Carthaginian mercenaries is put down. |
248–244 |
Punic raids on the Italian coast. |
247 |
Hamilcar Barca arrives in Sicily and sets up camp on Mount Heirkte. |
244 |
Hamilcar captures Eryx. |
242 |
New Roman fleet blockades Drepana and Lilybaeum. |
242/41 |
Decisive Roman victory off the Aegates Islands. |
241 |
Peace gives Rome control of Sicily. First Punic War ends. |
241–237 |
Mercenary War at Carthage. |
238–225 |
Invasion and annexation of Corsica and Sardinia. |
236 |
Hamilcar Barca and his son Hannibal go to Spain. Barca launches a war of conquest. |
231 |
Roman embassy to Hamilcar Barca in Spain. |
229–228 |
First Illyrian War. |
228 |
Hamilcar Barca killed in battle. His son-in-law, Hasdrubal, succeeds to his command. |
226 |
Roman embassy to Hasdrubal in Spain. Ebro treaty. |
225 |
Celtic invasion halted at Battle of Telamon. |
221 |
Hasdrubal assassinated. Hannibal succeeds to the command. |
219 |
Second Illyrian War. |
218–201 |
Second Punic War. |
218 |
Hannibal climbs the Alps and enters Italy. |
217 |
Battle of Lake Trasimene. |
216 |
Fabius Maximus, dictator. |
215 |
Partial Roman recovery. |
214 |
Roman successes in Spain. |
214–205 |
First Macedonian War. |
213 |
Marcellus besieges Syracuse. |
212 |
Hannibal takes Tarentum. |
211 |
Hannibal marches on Rome. |
210 |
Young Scipio (later Africanus) arrives in Spain. |
209 |
Scipio takes New Carthage. |
208 |
Marcellus ambushed and killed. |
207 |
Hasdrubal defeated and killed at the Battle of the Metaurus. |
206 |
Scipio wins Battle of Ilipa, leaves for Italy. |
205 |
Scipio elected consul, wins African command. Scipio in Sicily. |
204 |
Scipio lands in northern Africa. |
203 |
Carthaginian and Numidian camps destroyed. |
202 |
Last dictator appointed before Sulla. |
201 |
Rome negotiates peace treaty. Carthage becomes a client state. |
200–196 |
Second Macedonian War. |
197 |
Philip V of Macedon loses Battle of Cynoscephalae. |
196 |
Flamininus announces liberation of Greece at Corinth. |
195 |
Hannibal exiled from Carthage. |
194 |
Rome evacuates Greece. |
192–189 |
War with Antiochus. |
191 |
Battle of Thermopylae. Antiochus driven from Greece. |
189 |
Antiochus loses battle of Magnesia to the Scipios. |
188 |
Settlement of Asia. |
187 |
Criticism of the Scipios. |
186 |
Bacchanalian conspiracy. |
184 |
Scipio withdraws from Rome. |
181–179 |
First Celtiberian War in Spain. |
179 |
Philip V of Macedon dies, succeeded by Perseus. |
173 |
Embassy sent to arbitrate between Masinissa and Carthage. |
172 |
Two plebeian consuls, for the first time. |
172–167 |
Third Macedonian War. |
168 |
Perseus defeated at Battle of Pydna. |
167 |
Macedon divided into four republics. |
166–159 |
Production of Terence’s comedies. |
153–151 |
Second Celtiberian War. |
151 |
Carthage declares war on Masinissa. |
149–146 |
Third Punic War. |
149 |
Publication of Cato’s Origines. |
147 |
Macedon becomes a province. |
146 |
Sack of Carthage. |
143–133 |
Third Celtiberian War. |
133 |
Tiberius Gracchus elected tribune. Land-reform law passed and land commission created. |
132 |
Special court set up to punish Gracchus’s supporters. |
129 |
Scipio Aemilianus dies mysteriously. |
125 |
Proposal to enfranchise the Latins fails. |
123 |
Gaius Gracchus elected tribune for the first time. Proposes many laws this year and in 122. |
122 |
Gaius Gracchus elected tribune for the second time. |
116 |
Problem of Jugurtha begins. Senatorial commission of inquiry partitions Numidian kingdom between Jugurtha and Adherbal. |
112 |
Jugurtha besieges Adherbal, who surrenders and is put to death. Italian merchants in Numidia massacred. Rome declares war on Jugurtha. |
111 |
Jugurtha surrenders but keeps his crown. Visits Rome, where he has a Numidian opponent murdered. |
110 |
War with Jugurtha resumes. |
109 |
Metellus campaigns against Jugurtha. |
107 |
Marius, elected consul, replaces Metellus. |
106 |
Marius advances into western Numidia. |
105 |
Cimbri and Teutones defeat two Roman armies at Arausio, near the river Rhône. |
104 |
Marius, Consul II, reorganizes Roman army equipment and tactics. |
103 |
Marius, Consul III, trains army in Gaul. |
102 |
Marius, Consul IV, defeats Teutones at Aquae Sextiae (Aix-en-Provence). |
101 |
Marius, Consul V, and Catulus defeat Cimbri near Vercellae (Vercelli). |
100 |
Saturninus, Tribune II. |
98 |
Marius leaves politics and travels to Asia as a privatus. |
97–92 |
Sulla, as proconsul of Asia, orders Mithridates, king of Pontus, out of Paphlagonia and Cappadocia. Mithridates obeys. |
91 |
Marcus Livius Drusus, Jr., elected tribune. His plans to enfranchise the Italian allies fail. Drusus assassinated. |
90 |
Roman reverses in the Social War. Legislation grants Roman citizenship to Italian allies. |
89 |
Roman victories in Social War. |
88 |
Social War restricted to the Samnites, who yield. |
87 |
Cinna and Marius seize Rome, massacre opponents. |
86 |
Fall of Athens. Pontic army evacuates Greece after two defeats. |
85 |
Sulla negotiates peace treaty with Mithridates at Dardanus, near Troy. |
84 |
New Italian citizens distributed among all the tribes. |
83 |
Sulla lands in Italy. |
82 |
Civil war in Italy. Sulla wins battle of the Colline Gate. |
81 |
Sulla appointed dictator, reforms the constitution and the criminal law. |
80 |
Sulla Consul II. |
79 |
Sulla resigns as dictator. |
78 |
Sulla dies. |
75 (or 74) |
King Nicomedes bequeaths Bithynia to Rome. |
74 |
Mithridates invades Bithynia. Lucullus given command against him. |
73–71 |
Slave revolt in Italy, led by Spartacus. |
68 |
After successful campaigning against Mithridates, Lucullus’s troops become restless. |
67 |
Pompey given command against pirates, whom he clears from the Mediterranean. |
66 |
Pompey given command against Mithridates. |
63 |
Mithridates commits suicide. |
62 |
Pompey’s eastern settlement; he returns to Italy. |
61 |
Senate refuses to confirm Pompey’s settlement and land allocations for his soldiers. |
60 |
Julius Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus agree alliance, known as the First Triumvirate. |
59 |
Caesar elected consul. |
58–50 |
Caesar’s conquest of Gaul. |
49–45 |
Civil war. |
48 |
Battle of Pharsalus. |
44 |
Caesar assassinated. |
43–33 |
Octavian, Mark Antony, and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus establish Second Triumvirate. |
32–31 |
Civil war. |
31 |
Antony and Cleopatra defeated at the Battle of Actium. |
30 |
Antony and Cleopatra commit suicide. |
27 |
Octavian/Augustus establishes new constitutional settlement. |
43 |
Invasion of Britannia. |