Rome: History Timeline & Key Events
26 key events in the history of Rome, from 509 BCE to 1071 CE, with places and context on an interactive map.
Open the interactive map509 BCE · Roman Republic Founded
Rome overthrows its monarchy and establishes the Roman Republic, creating a system of elected magistrates and the Senate. (Rome) View on map
449 BCE · Twelve Tables: Foundation of Roman Law
The Twelve Tables are created, the earliest codification of Roman law and foundation of the Roman legal tradition that shaped Western civilization. (Rome) View on map
218 BCE · Hannibal Crosses the Alps
Carthaginian general Hannibal famously crosses the Alps with war elephants to invade Italy during the Second Punic War. (Alps) View on map
146 BCE · Rome Conquers Greece
Rome defeats the Achaean League and destroys Corinth, bringing Greece under Roman control and absorbing Greek culture. (Corinth, Greece) View on map
63 BCE · Cicero: Master Orator and Philosopher
Marcus Tullius Cicero delivers his famous orations against Catiline and becomes Rome's greatest orator, shaping Latin prose and republican ideals. (Rome) View on map
53 BCE · Battle of Carrhae (Roman Defeat)
Roman general Crassus is decisively defeated by the Parthian army at Carrhae, one of Rome's worst military disasters. (Carrhae (Harran)) View on map
44 BCE · Assassination of Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar is assassinated on the Ides of March by Roman senators, plunging Rome into civil war and ending the Republic. (Rome) View on map
30 BCE · Cleopatra and the Fall of Ptolemaic Egypt
Cleopatra VII, the last Ptolemaic ruler, is defeated at the Battle of Actium with Mark Antony. Egypt becomes a Roman province. (Alexandria, Egypt) View on map
27 BCE · Augustus Becomes First Roman Emperor
Octavian takes the title Augustus and becomes the first Roman Emperor, beginning the Pax Romana and the Roman Empire era. (Rome) View on map
19 BCE · Virgil Writes the Aeneid
Virgil composes the Aeneid, the national epic of Rome tracing Roman origins to the Trojan hero Aeneas, a masterpiece of Latin literature. (Rome) View on map
33 CE · Crucifixion of Jesus Christ
Jesus of Nazareth is crucified in Jerusalem under Roman rule, around 30–33 CE. This event gives rise to Christianity, which becomes the world's largest religion. (Jerusalem) View on map
64 CE · Great Fire of Rome Under Nero
A devastating fire destroys much of Rome during Emperor Nero's reign. Nero famously rebuilds the city and persecutes Christians. (Rome) View on map
80 CE · Colosseum Completed
The Flavian Amphitheatre (Colosseum) is completed in Rome, the largest amphitheatre ever built, seating 50,000 spectators. (Rome) View on map
117 CE · Roman Empire at Greatest Extent Under Trajan
Emperor Trajan expands the Roman Empire to its greatest territorial extent, conquering Dacia and briefly Mesopotamia, bordering the Parthian Empire. (Rome) View on map
122 CE · Hadrian's Wall Built
Emperor Hadrian orders construction of a wall across northern Britain, marking the frontier of the Roman Empire. (Northern England) View on map
150 CE · Ptolemy Writes the Almagest
Claudius Ptolemy writes the Almagest in Alexandria, the most influential astronomical treatise of antiquity, used for over 1,400 years. (Alexandria, Egypt) View on map
161 CE · Marcus Aurelius: Philosopher Emperor
Marcus Aurelius becomes Roman Emperor and writes his Meditations, one of the greatest works of Stoic philosophy, while defending the empire's borders. (Rome) View on map
170 CE · Galen: Foundations of Medical Science
Galen of Pergamon becomes the most accomplished medical researcher of antiquity, whose works dominated medicine for over 1,300 years. (Pergamon) View on map
260 CE · Shapur I Captures Roman Emperor Valerian
Sasanian King Shapur I defeats and captures Roman Emperor Valerian at the Battle of Edessa, a humiliation for Rome immortalized in rock reliefs. (Edessa (Urfa)) View on map
330 CE · Constantinople Founded
Emperor Constantine I dedicates Constantinople (modern Istanbul) as the new capital of the Roman Empire, shifting power eastward. (Constantinople) View on map
380 CE · Christianity Becomes Roman State Religion
Emperor Theodosius I makes Christianity the official state religion of the Roman Empire, banning pagan practices. (Rome) View on map
476 CE · Fall of the Western Roman Empire
The last Western Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustulus, is deposed by the Germanic chieftain Odoacer, marking the traditional end of ancient Rome. (Ravenna, Italy) View on map
534 CE · Justinian's Code of Laws
Emperor Justinian codifies Roman law into the Corpus Juris Civilis, which becomes the foundation of civil law in much of Europe. (Constantinople) View on map
537 CE · Hagia Sophia Completed
Emperor Justinian completes the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, the world's largest cathedral for nearly a thousand years. (Constantinople) View on map
678 CE · Greek Fire Defends Constantinople
The Byzantines use Greek fire, a devastating incendiary weapon, to repel the Arab siege of Constantinople, saving the empire. (Constantinople) View on map
1071 CE · Battle of Manzikert
The Seljuk Turks decisively defeat the Byzantine Empire at Manzikert, opening Anatolia to Turkish settlement and leading to the Crusades. (Manzikert (Malazgirt)) View on map