Battle of Cremona (late October AD 69) — Vitellius’s army, whose commander Caecina sat in chains, clashed with the legions of Antonius Primus on the road from Bedriacum to Cremona. The battle lasted all night; the moon shone at the Flavians’ backs.
Death of Vitellius (December 20, AD 69) — On December 20 three columns of Antonius Primus entered Rome. The people watched the fighting as if it were a show at the games.
The Capitol Fire (December 19, AD 69) — When the soldiers and the people would not let Vitellius abdicate, Flavius Sabinus shut himself up on the Capitol with a handful of men and his nephew Domitian.
Vespasian Proclaimed Emperor (July 1, AD 69) — On July 1, AD 69, Tiberius Julius Alexander, prefect of Egypt, had the legions in Alexandria swear allegiance to Vespasian. The army of Judaea swore a few days later (Tacitus: July 3, Suetonius: July 11), and before mid-July the whole of Syria under the governor Mucianus.
Ides of March (March 15, 44 BC) — On March 15, 44 BC, conspirators kill Caesar in Rome. They are led by Brutus, Cassius and Decimus Brutus.
The Battle of Actium (September 2, 31 BC) — Octavian declared war not on Antony but on Cleopatra, to avoid the appearance of another civil war. In the battle Cleopatra sailed away and Antony followed her.
Fire of Rome, AD 64 (July AD 64) — In July AD 64 the fire began by the Circus Maximus and burned for almost a week. Nero was in Antium; after returning he opened his gardens to the homeless and lowered the price of grain.
The Battle of Philippi (42 BC) — In 42 BC at Philippi, Octavian and Antony defeated Caesar’s assassins. After the victory the allies divided their spheres of influence, and Antony became ruler of the East.
The Fall of Sejanus (October 18, AD 31) — On October 18, AD 31, the Senate in Rome heard a long letter from Tiberius on Capri. The letter first praised Sejanus and then accused him of treason.
Adoption of Nero (AD 50) — In AD 49 Claudius married his niece Agrippina the Younger. A year later he adopted her son Nero, who gained precedence over Britannicus, the emperor’s own son.
Death of Claudius (October 13, AD 54) — Claudius died on October 13, AD 54, in Rome. Suetonius writes that he was poisoned, but there was disagreement over who did it and when.
AD 69 (AD 68–69) — After Nero’s death in AD 68 the Julio-Claudian house died out. The throne was seized in turn by generals backed by the army.
Battle of Alesia (52 BC) — In the summer of 52 BC Caesar besieged Alesia, where Vercingetorix had taken refuge with his warriors. When a relief force came from all over Gaul, he built a second wall and fought on two fronts.
Death of Britannicus (February AD 55) — Britannicus, Claudius’s natural son, died suddenly at a banquet in the palace. Tacitus describes it as poisoning, while Nero explained that the boy had epilepsy (Annals 13.
Proscriptions of the Triumvirs (43 BC) — At the end of 43 BC the three triumvirs met on an island in a river near Bononia and drew up lists of the condemned. According to Appian about three hundred senators and about two thousand equestrians were entered, some of them for their rich villas (Civil Wars 4).
The Horse Incitatus (AD 37–41) — Incitatus was Caligula’s favorite horse. Suetonius describes a marble stable, an ivory manger, purple blankets, a collar of gems and a house with slaves; he also writes that there was talk of an intention to make him consul (Caligula 55).
Battle of Pharsalus (48 BC) — In 48 BC at Pharsalus Caesar, with fewer soldiers, defeated Pompey. A maneuver decided it: six hidden cohorts struck the enemy cavalry, which fled.
Caesar’s Will (March 44 BC) — After the assassination Caesar’s will was opened. He left three quarters of his estate to Gaius Octavius, the grandson of his sister, and the rest to Lucius Pinarius and Quintus Pedius.
Murder of Agrippina (March AD 59) — In March AD 59 Nero invited his mother to Baiae and gave her a ship that was meant to fall apart. The ship did not sink, and Agrippina escaped by swimming.
The Varian Disaster (AD 9) — In AD 9 Varus allowed himself to be lured into a forest. Three legions perished together with their commander, legates and auxiliary units (Suetonius, Augustus 23).
The bridge of ships at Baiae (c. AD 39) — Caligula had a bridge built of merchant ships between Baiae and Puteoli, about five kilometers long, and rode across it on two days: on the first on horseback, in a wreath of oak leaves and a golden cloak, on the second in a chariot (Suetonius, Caligula 19; Dio 59.
Pisonian conspiracy (AD 65) — In AD 65 a group of senators, equestrians and officers of the Guard planned to kill Nero in the circus. The conspiracy was betrayed by the freedman Milichus.
Seashells on the Ocean Shore (AD 40) — In AD 39–40 Caligula set out for Gaul and Germania. On the shore of the Ocean he drew up the army in battle order, and then ordered it to gather shells as spoils of the Ocean for the Capitol and the Palatine (Suetonius, Caligula 46; Dio 59.
The Exile of Julia (2 BC) — In 2 BC Augustus learned of his daughter’s nocturnal revels in the Forum and exiled her to Pandateria; her mother Scribonia went with her (Dio 55. 10).
The calendar reform (46 BC) — In 46 BC Caesar reformed the Roman calendar, which the priests had thrown into disorder by inserting months and days at will. He fixed the year at 365 days and added one day every four years.
The assassination of Caligula (January 24, AD 41) — At noon on January 24, AD 41, during games in the palace, the Praetorian tribune Cassius Chaerea and his comrade Cornelius Sabinus killed Caligula in a covered corridor. Suetonius gives two versions of the course of events; Josephus left the fullest account (Antiquities of the Jews 19.
Vindex’s revolt (March AD 68) — In March AD 68 Vindex rebelled in Gaul, and soon after Galba in Hispania (Suetonius, Nero 40–42). For eight days Nero did not respond to the news from Gaul.
Death of Nero (June 9, AD 68) — Nero fled the palace by night to the villa of the freedman Phaon and there took his own life with the help of his secretary Epaphroditus (Suetonius, Nero 47–49; Dio 63. 27–29).
Claudius proclaimed emperor (January 24–25, AD 41) — On January 24, AD 41, Caligula was killed. According to Suetonius, Claudius hid behind a curtain, and a soldier saw his feet, pulled him out and hailed him emperor (Claudius 10).
Conquest of Britain (AD 43) — In AD 43 Claudius set out for Britain. Dio describes a battle and the capture of Camulodunum (60.
Wedding of Messalina and Silius (autumn AD 48) — In the autumn of AD 48, while Claudius was at Ostia, Messalina reportedly “married” Gaius Silius. The freedman Narcissus revealed this to the emperor and took command of the Guard for a day (Tacitus, Annals 11.
Wedding of Claudius and Agrippina (AD 49) — After Messalina’s death the freedmen quarreled over who would be the emperor’s new wife. Agrippina, Germanicus’s daughter, won (Tacitus, Annals 12.
Naval battle on Lake Fucinus (AD 52) — According to Tacitus, nineteen thousand condemned men took part in the battle, on triremes and quadriremes (Annals 12. 56).
Death of Germanicus (October AD 19) — Germanicus died in Antioch in October AD 19, not yet thirty-four years old. Tacitus writes that before his death he broke with Piso and asked his wife not to provoke those stronger than herself in Rome (Annals 2.
Trial of Piso (AD 20) — In AD 20 the Senate tried Gnaeus Piso. Before a verdict was reached, Piso was found dead.
The Bona Dea Scandal (December 62 BC) — In December 62 BC the festival of the Good Goddess, from which men were excluded, was held in Caesar’s house. Publius Clodius disguised himself as a female lyre player and entered.
The Pact of Three (60 BC) — In the summer of 60 BC Caesar reconciled Pompey and Crassus and made an agreement with them that nothing in the state could be done against the wishes of any of the three. The agreement had no legal form.
The Helvetii on the Rhône (March 58 BC) — In 58 BC the Helvetii burned their own towns and villages and set out west across Gaul. Caesar came from Rome to the Rhône and ordered the bridge at Geneva torn down.
First Battle of Bedriacum (mid-April AD 69) — Ignoring the advice of Suetonius Paulinus to wait for the legions from the Danube, Otho ordered an attack and himself rode off to Brixellum.
Proclamation of Galba (spring AD 68) — In the spring of AD 68, after Vindex’s letters and Nero’s intercepted order, Galba mounted the tribunal in New Carthage and let the soldiers proclaim him. He accepted only the title of legate of the Senate and People of Rome (Suetonius, Galba 10).
Massacre of the Sailors Outside Rome (AD 68) — Outside Rome, according to Plutarch five kilometers from the gates, sailors whom Nero had made legionaries blocked Galba’s way. They demanded an eagle and standards.
Assassination of Galba (January 15, AD 69) — On the morning of January 15, AD 69, Otho left Galba’s sacrifice on a prearranged signal, and under the golden milestone twenty-three soldiers hailed him as emperor. A rumor of his death drew Galba out of the palace.
Eruption of Vesuvius (AD 79 (August 24 or October 24)) — At about one in the afternoon a cloud shaped like a pine rose over the mountain. For more than a dozen hours pumice fell on Pompeii; at night avalanches of hot gas destroyed Herculaneum, and on the morning of the second day they reached Pompeii and Stabiae.
The Black Banquet (c. AD 89) — Cassius Dio describes how Domitian invited the most important senators and equestrians at night to a hall black from ceiling to floor. By each guest stood a slab with his name and a small lamp as in a tomb, the dishes were served as at offerings to the dead, and the emperor spoke only of death.
Domitian’s Dacian Wars (AD 85–89) — The Dacians crossed the Danube and killed the governor of Moesia. The praetorian prefect Cornelius Fuscus, sent against King Decebalus, was killed and his army routed.
Opening of the Flavian Amphitheatre (AD 80) — Suetonius writes of five thousand wild animals in a single day, Dio of nine thousand over the whole games. Titus threw wooden balls with gifts written on them to the spectators, and Martial described the fight of Priscus and Verus, both of whom the emperor released.
Revolt of Antonius Saturninus (early AD 89) — Lucius Antonius (known to scholars as Saturninus), governor of Upper Germany, rebelled against Domitian. Suetonius writes that in the hour of battle the ice on the Rhine suddenly broke up and the Germans could not cross to help.
Assassination of Domitian (September 18, AD 96) — Domitian feared the fifth hour, foretold to him in his youth. On September 18, AD 96, servants in on the plot told him it was already the sixth.
Damnatio memoriae of Domitian (AD 96) — Right after the assassination, senators tore down the shields and portraits of the dead emperor in full view of everyone and decreed that his name be removed from inscriptions throughout the state.
Siege of Jotapata (AD 67, 47 days) — In AD 67 Vespasian besieged Jotapata, a fortress in Galilee defended by Joseph, son of Matthias. The town held out for 47 days.
Siege of Masada (spring AD 73 or 74) — The last act of the Jewish War. Masada, Herod’s fortress on a lonely rock above the Dead Sea, was held by the Sicarii of Eleazar ben Yair.
Triumph of the Flavians (AD 71) — The Senate granted father and son separate triumphs, and they held one. Carried in the procession were gold, towering stages with scenes of the war and spoils from the Temple: the table, the lampstand and the book of the Law.
Destruction of Jerusalem (April–September AD 70) — The siege began during Passover, when pilgrims were in the city. The Romans took two walls, surrounded the city with a wall of their own and took the Antonia fortress.