Roman Timeline

Founding of Rome

753 BCE

Egypt, succumbed to an expanding Italian power, Rome. Rome was founded: April 21, the day of the festival sacred to Pales, goddess of shepherds, on which they celebrated the Par ilia; however, information suggests the exact year the city had been founded is unknown. Romans ruled a massive empire under a single government that provided significant peace and prosperity for centuries.

Founding of Republic

509 BCE

The Republic and its institutions of government were well known for five centuries, until demise by civil wars. The union of military and political power had major refrain in the transformation of the Roman Republic into a monarchical empire. The king was the commander of the army. The Senate was the second branch of the early Roman government and the curiate assembly was made up of all citizens, divided into thirty groups, it was the third and final branch of government.

Punic Wars

264 BCE

The First Punic War (264–241 B . C . E .) After the war in Sicily came to a halt it was considered a stalemate; however the Romans cut off supplies to the Carthaginian cities at the western of Sicily. When Carthage sent its own fleet to raise the siege, the Romans destroyed it. A rebellion broke out. Rome’s expansion created new administrative problems. The loyalty of Rome had come to an end and things began to fall apart.

Second Punic War

218 BCE

Hasdrubal was assassinated during The Second Punic War (218–202 B . C . E .) The army actually chose the successor as Hannibal, son of Hamilcar Barca. The Second Punic War ended the Carthaginian command of the western Mediterranean and Carthage’s. Rome ruled the seas and the entire Mediterranean coast from Italy towards the west.

First Triumvirate

60 BCE

The First Triumvirate of ancient Rome was an alliance between Julius Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus which, from 60 BCE until 53 BCE, controlled the politics of the Roman Republic.

The Assassination of Julius Caesar

44 BCE

Caesar continued to combine and unify his own power and in February 44 BC, he declared himself dictator for life. This act, turned many in the Senate against him. Sixty members of the Senate decided the only resolution was to assassinate him. Caesar was stabbed to death by daggers. He collapsed at the foot of Pompey's statue from the multiple wounds he sustained.

Battle of Actium

31 BCE

Civil wars broke out after the death of Caesar, the battle of Actium became an important part of the imperial propaganda. 31 BCE, an early morning battle; the fleets of Mark Antony and Cleopatra met the fleet of Octavian outside the Gulf of Actium in Greece. Octavian won when Cleopatra and the Anthony fled. Anthony later stabbed himself to death and Cleopatra killed herself as well to end the humiliation by Octavian.

Death of Nero

68

In the final years of Nero’s rule, the Roman Empire was under great tension. Uprisings in Britain and Judea and conflicts with Parthia lead to rebuilding expenses in the capital which forced him to empty funds. Nero attempted to flee when things began to fall apart, but when he learned his arrest and execution were imminent, he took his own life. In the centuries following his reign, the name Nero would become a embodiment for debauchery, misrule and anti-Christian persecution.

Death of Marcus Aurelius

121

Marcus Aurelius proved himself a skillful and competent General, even though he had no formal training in warfare, he was known for his famous journal. Marcus Aurelius died in the Danube region. After the death of Marcus Aurelius, It was known the kingdom would not be the same, “a kingdom of gold into one of iron and rust.”

Life of Constantine

272

Constantine recognized his own success through conversion to Christianity. The triumphal arch erected after the defeat of Maxentius was victory to the “inspiration of the Divinity.” During the Battle of the Milvian Bridge he painted the Christian monogram on shields by God's instruction. His public actions and policies, weren't without ambiguity. Constantine left much to do, but it was a personal choice made in 312 that determined the rise of the Roman Empire as a Christian state.

Fall Of Rome

476

476 C.E. Romulus, the last of the Roman emperors in the west, was overthrown by the Germanic leader Odoacer, who became the first Barbarian to rule in Rome. The order that the Roman Empire had created was no more.