CHRONOLOGY

B.C.

BEFORE 70

Gaius Octavius marries Atia

? 70

Gaius Cilnius Maecenas born

69

Octavia, Octavius’ second daughter, born

63

Consulship of Marcus Tullius Cicero
Conspiracy of Lucius Sergius Catilina

September 23

Gaius Octavius (Augustus) born

C. 62

Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa born

61

Gaius Octavius (Augustus’ father) praetor

60

First Triumvirate formed

59

Julius Caesar consul

58

Gaius Octavius dies

58–49

Caesar proconsul in Gaul

BEFORE 54

Octavia marries Gaius Claudius Marcellus

53

Marcus Licinius Crassus invades Parthia; defeated and killed at Carrhae

52

Pompey the Great sole consul

49

Civil war begins. Caesar invades Italy, wins campaign in Spain, becomes dictator

48

Caesar defeats Pompey at Pharsalus in Greece
Pompey killed in Egypt
Caesar installs Cleopatra on Egyptian throne

46

Caesar defeats republican army in northern Africa
Cato commits suicide

45

Caesar defeats republican army in Spain

autumn

Octavius at Apollonia

44

Caesar Dictator for Life

March 15

Caesar assassinated

April

Octavius in Italy
Octavius accepts adoption by Caesar; becomes Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, or Octavian

43

War at Mutina; Mark Antony defeated
Octavian consul
Mark Antony, Octavian, and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus form Second Triumvirate; Proscription launched; Cicero put to death

42

Campaign at Philippi; Brutus and Cassius commit suicide
Sextus Pompeius in control of Sicily
Julius Caesar deified
Octavia’s son, Marcus Claudius Marcellus (Marcellus), born
Tiberius Claudius Nero, son of Livia Drusilla and Tiberius Claudius Nero, (Tiberius) born

41

Lucius Antonius besieged at Perusia
Antony meets Cleopatra, winters at Alexandria

40

Perusia falls
Marcellus, Octavia’s husband, dies
Octavian marries Scribonia
Parthians invade Syria
Calenus dies in Gaul
Treaty of Brundisium; Antony marries Octavia

39

Treaty of Misenum
Ventidius defeats the Parthians
Agrippa campaigns in Gaul
Octavian’s daughter, Julia, born

38

Triumvirate renewed
Nero Claudius Drusus (Drusus) born

January 17

Octavian marries Livia Drusilla
Antony dismisses Ventidius
Sextus Pompeius defeats Octavian off Cumae and in straits of Messana

37

Virgil’s Eclogues published
Treaty of Tarentum

36

After initial defeat (August), Octavian defeats Sextus Pompeius at Naulochus (September 3)
Lepidus dropped from Triumvirate
Antony’s Parthian expedition
Octavian granted tribunicia sacrosanctitas

35

Sextus Pompeius killed
Octavian campaigns in the Balkans

34

Antony annexes Armenia
Donations of Alexandria

33

Octavian consul (2), Triumvirate lapses at end of year
Agrippa aedile
Tiberius Claudius Nero (father) dies

32

Antony divorces Octavia
Octavian publishes Antony’s will
Consuls leave Rome for Antony
Oath of loyalty to Octavian

31

Octavian consul (3)
Battle of Actium

30

Octavian consul (4)
Octavian captures Alexandria; Antony and Cleopatra commit suicide

29

Octavian consul (5)
Octavian’s triple triumph
Temple of Julius Caesar and the Curia Julia dedicated
Marcus Licinius Crassus pacifies Thrace

28

Octavian consul (6)
Review of Senate
Temple of Apollo on the Palatine dedicated
Mausoleum of Augustus begun

27

Octavian consul (7)

January

First constitutional settlement; Octavian named Augustus; granted a large provincia for ten years
Agrippa builds Pantheon

27–24

Augustus in Gaul and Spain

26

Augustus consul (8)
Dismissal and death of Gaius Cornelius Gallus
Expedition to Arabia Felix

25

Augustus consul (9)
Julia marries Marcellus
Augustus falls ill in Spain, convalesces

? 24–23

Trial of Marcus Primus and conspiracy of Fannius Caepio and Aulus Terentius Varro Murena

24

Augustus consul (10)

23

Augustus consul (11)
Augustus at Rome, falls ill
Second constitutional settlement: Augustus resigns consulship, receives imperium proconsulare maius and tribunicia potestas
Death of Marcellus
Horace’s Odes (three books) published

23–21

Agrippa with enhanced imperium in the east

22–19

Augustus in the east

21

Agrippa marries Julia, goes to Gaul

20

Augustus negotiates entente with Parthia; Tiberius in Armenia
Gaius born to Julia
Rufus Egnatius praetor

C. 19

Agrippa’s daughter, Julia, born

19

Egnatius bids for the consulship
Virgil dies
Augustus, back at Rome, receives consular powers
Agrippa subdues Spanish tribes

18

Renewal of Augustus’ imperium maius for five years
Renewal of Agrippa’s imperium for five years, plus grant of tribunicia potestas
Review of Senate

18–17

Social and moral reforms (leges Juliae)

17

Lucius born to Julia, Augustus adopts Gaius and Lucius
Celebration of the Ludi Saeculares

16–13

Augustus in Gaul; Agrippa in the east

15

Tiberius and Drusus campaign in the Alps
Drusus’ son, Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus(Germanicus), born

13

Tiberius consul (1)
Agrippa granted imperium maius, and tribunicia potestas renewed
Theater of Marcellus and Ara Pacis dedicated

13–12 winter

Agrippa in Pannonia to suppress threatened rebellion

12

Lepidus dies, Augustus succeeds him as pontifex maximus

March

Agrippa dies
Agrippa Postumus born

12–9

Tiberius campaigns in Pannonia; Drusus in Germany

11

Tiberius divorces Vipsania and marries Julia

10

Drusus’ son, Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus (Claudius), born

9

Death of Drusus

9–7

Tiberius campaigns in Germany

8

Augustus’ imperium maius renewed
Deaths of Maecenas and Horace

7

Tiberius consul (2), celebrates triumph

6

Armenian revolt
Tiberius granted tribunicia potestas for five years
Tiberius retires to Rhodes

5

Augustus consul (12)
Gaius Caesar comes of age, appointed princeps iuventutis, designated consul for A.D. 1

2

Augustus consul (13)
Lucius Caesar comes of age
Disgrace of Julia
Forum of Augustus and Temple of Mars Ultor dedicated
King Frahâta of Parthia murdered, succeeded by Frahâtak
Ovid publishes Ars Amatoria

1

Gaius Caesar sent to the east with imperium

A.D.

2

Agreement between Gaius Caesar and King Frahâtak
Tiberius returns from Rhodes
Lucius Caesar dies at Massilia

2–3

Gaius Caesar wounded

4

Gaius Caesar resigns his duties and dies
Augustus adopts Agrippa Postumus and Tiberius, who adopts Germanicus
Tiberius granted tribunicia potestas for ten years
Tiberius campaigns in Germany
lex Aelia Sentia
Review of Senate

5

Tiberius reaches the Elbe

6

Establishment of aerarium militare
Revolt in Pannonia and Dalmatia

7

Agrippa Postumus banished to Planasia

8

Julia, Augustus’ granddaughter, and Ovid banished
Pannonians surrender

9

Dalmatia subdued
Varus defeated in Germany; three legions lost
lex Papia Poppaea

10–11

Tiberius campaigns in Germany

12

Germanicus consul
Tiberius’ triumph

13

Germanicus takes command in Gaul and Germany
Tiberius’ tribunicia potestas renewed for ten years; he receives imperium proconsulare maius equal to that of Augustus
Germanicus receives proconsular imperium

14 August 19

Augustus dies
Agrippa Postumus put to death
Tiberius becomes princeps
Julia, Augustus’ daughter, dies in exile

15

Germanicus visits the scene of the Variana clades

17

Ovid dies in exile

19

Germanicus dies, perhaps poisoned

23

Tiberius’ son, Drusus, dies, perhaps killed by Sejanus

28

Julia, Augustus’ granddaughter, dies in exile

29

Julia Augusta (Livia) dies

37

Tiberius dies; Gaius (Caligula) succeeds

41

Gaius assassinated; Claudius succeeds

43

Claudius invades Britannia

54

Claudius dies, perhaps poisoned; Nero succeeds

68

Nero commits suicide, last member of Augustus’ family to be princeps