Roman Republic

Timeline

• 753 BCE

  The legendary founding date of Rome.
• 509 BCE

  Quaestors become a prominent position in the Roman Republic.
• 450 BCE

  The number of Roman quaestors is increased to four and made open to plebians.
• c. 440 BCE

  Roman quaestors are chosen by the assembly rather than the consuls.
• 367 BCE

  Livy mentions Celtic armies in Ancona and one such group moves against Rome once more.
• 343 BCE - 341 BCE

  First Samnite War (Rome vs. Samnites).
• 340 BCE - 338 BCE

  Latin War, victory for Rome.
• 334 BCE

  Rome signs a peace treaty with the Senones tribe.
• 326 BCE - 304 BCE

  Second Samnite War.
• 298 BCE - 290 BCE

  Third Samnite War. Victory for Rome, peace with the Etruscans.
• 297 BCE

  Celts and Samnites join forces and defeat the Romans at Camertium.
• c. 295 BCE

  In a battle lasting all day, Romans narrowly defeat a force of Celts and Samnites at Sentinum.
• 285 BCE

  Roman forces heavily defeat the Senones at Lake Vadimo.
• 285 BCE - 282 BCE

  Rome defeats the Celts in Italy. Rome's dominance in central Italy is secured.
• 284 BCE

  Gauls of the Insubres and Boii tribes defeat the Romans at Arretium.
• 283 BCE

  Rome decisively defeats the Senones at Picenum.
• 283 BCE

  Romans defeat the Etruscans and Celts at lake Vadimonis.
• 282 BCE

  A Celtic army with many youth among their ranks is again defeated by Romans.
• 282 BCE - 272 BCE

  Roman war against Tarentum. Rome conquers Tarentum. Rome’s dominance in lower Italy is secured.
• 280 BCE

  Celts join with Pyrrhus, aiding in his victory over the Romans at Heraclea.
• 279 BCE

  Celts stay with Pyrrhus and fight in the Epirote army at Asculum, a victory over the Romans.
• 264 BCE - 241 BCE

  First Punic War. Carthage cedes Siciliy to Rome.
• 241 BCE - 238 BCE

  The rebellion of the mercenaries: Unpaid mercenaries under the leadership of Mathos and Spendios rebel against Carthage. Despite a peace treaty, Rome seizes the opportunity to strip Carthage of Sardinia and Corsica.
• 229 BCE - 228 BCE

  Rome fights Illyrian pirates. Queen Teuta pays tribute to Rome.
• 225 BCE

  Two Roman armies surround and defeat a Celtic army at Telamon.
• 222 BCE

  Rome conquers Cisalpine Gaul (modern-day Provence, France).
• 222 BCE

  The Celts are defeated at Clastidium by Roman forces.
• 219 BCE

  Illyrian coast is under Roman control.
• 217 BCE

  Victory of Hannibal over the Romans at Lake Trasimene.
• 216 BCE

  Battle of Cannae. Worst defeat in Roman history, against Carthage.
• 216 BCE

  "Hannibal ante portas." Hannibal directly threatens the city of Rome, but cannot advance due to lack of supplies and reinforcements.
• c. 215 BCE - c. 216 BCE

  The Boii crush a Roman army 25,000 strong at Litana. Victory was, in part, achieved by pushing precariously cut trees down atop the horrified Romans as they marched.
• 214 BCE - 205 BCE

  First Macedonian War: Rome defeats Philip V of Macedon.
• 207 BCE

  Battle of Metaurus. Carthage loses against Rome and loses control of Iberia (Spain).
• 204 BCE

  Scipio Africanus sails over to Africa.
• 202 BCE

  Battle of Zama. The Carthaginian army is defeated, Hannibal flees to Hadrumentum.
• 201 BCE

  Syracuse joins the Roman Republic, province of Sicily is formed.
• 200 BCE - 196 BCE

  Second Macedonian War: Roman victory.
• 193 BCE

  The Boii are defeated by the Romans, suffering, according to Livy, 14,000 dead.
• 191 BCE

  Antiochus III and his army, including many Galatians, are defeated by Rome at Magnesia.
• 191 BCE - 134 BCE

  Various resistance movements against Rome in Iberia. Viriato leads the Lusitanians against Rome from 154 to 139 BC.
• 190 BCE

  Battle of Magnesia ad Sipylum, disastrous defeat for Antiochos III against Romans.
• c. 189 BCE

  The treaty of Apameea Kibotos. Peace and alliance is established between the Seleucid Kingdom and Rome joined by her allies, such as Pergamon and Rhodes. The Seleucids have to evacuate all the land and the cities from Asia Minor and to pay a huge war indemnity.
• 172 BCE - 168 BCE

  Third Macedonian War: Perseus of Macedon challenges Rome and is defeated.
• 149 BCE - 146 BCE

  Third Punic War.
• 146 BCE

  Rome sacks Corinth and dissolves the Achaean league. Greece is ruled by Rome.
• 146 BCE

  Roman influence over Greece begins to rise.
• 137 BCE

  4,000 Celtiberians trap a force of 20,000 Romans at Numantia forcing their surrender.
• 133 BCE

  Rome captures Numantia. End of Iberian resistance.
• 133 BCE

  Attalus III, the last king of Pergamon, bequeathes the whole of Pergamon to Rome.
• 133 BCE

  Numantia falls to the Romans who besiege the oppidum. Mass suicide ensues among many of the survivors. Land reforms by Tiberius Gracchus.
• 125 BCE

  Rome intervenes on behalf of Massalia against the Saluvii Celts.
• 121 BCE

  Gallia Narbonensis becomes a Roman province.
• 113 BCE

  Romans defeated at Noreia by the Cimbri.
• 109 BCE

  Cimbri defeat a Roman army under Julius Silanus.
• 106 BCE

  The governor of the Roman province of Macedonia, M. Minucius Rufus, celebrates his victory over a raid of the Dacians allied with the Celtic tribe of the Scordiscii in the Balkans.
• 106 BCE

  Roman statesman and orator Cicero is born.
• 105 BCE

  Cimbri, Teutons, and Ambrones are victorious at Arausio killing 60,000 Romans.
• 102 BCE

  Marius, after reforming the Roman army, defeats the Teutons and Ambrones at Aquae Sextiae.
• 101 BCE

  At Vercellae the Romans crush the Cimbri who reportedly lose near 100,000.
• 91 BCE - 89 BCE

  Social War between Rome and her Italian allies. Italians want Roman Citizenship and equal share in power. Only won by Rome by granting the Italian wishes.
• 88 BCE - 87 BCE

  First Civil War between Marius and Sulla. First march on Rome by Sulla.
• 88 BCE - 63 BCE

  Mithridatic Wars between Mithridates VI and Roman Republic .
• 83 BCE

  Sulla's second march on Rome. Mass Proscriptions.
• 83 BCE

  Pompey fights under the Roman dictator Sulla.
• 81 BCE

  Sulla is persuaded to give Pompey his first triumph.
• 72 BCE

  Crixos, a Celt and second in command under Spartacus, is killed. 300 Romans are sacrificed in his honor.
• 71 BCE

  Pompey is granted his second triumph.
• 70 BCE

  Pompey takes the consulship with Crassus.
• 67 BCE

  The Gabinian Law is passed, giving Pompey great power to deal with pirates.
• 66 BCE

  The Manilian Law is passed, giving Pompey great power to deal with Mithridates VI of Pontus.
• 64 BCE

  The Roman general Pompey defeats the Seleucid Antiochus XIII and incorporates Syria as a province of the Roman empire.
• 64 BCE

  Galatia becomes a client state of Rome.
• 62 BCE

  Pompey returns to Italy, and disbands his army upon landing.
• 60 BCE - 53 BCE

  First Triumvirate' (no official approval by Senate) between Caesar, Pompey and Crassus. Ends with death of Crassus in 53BC.
• 58 BCE

  Caesar attacks the Helvetii while on migration and defeats them.
• 58 BCE - 57 BCE

  Cicero is exiled from Rome.
• 58 BCE - 51 BCE

  Julius Caesar’s conquest of Gaul.
• 56 BCE

  The navies of Rome and the Veneti Gauls clash resulting in a Roman victory. This is the first recorded naval battle in the Atlantic Ocean.
• 55 BCE

  Caesar attempts to invade Britain.
• 54 BCE

  Caesar successfully invades Britain but withdraws to Gaul.
• 54 BCE - 53 BCE

  Ambiorix of the Eburones tribe destroys around 9,000 Roman soldiers at Atuatuca.
• 54 BCE - 43 CE

  Roman influence grows in Britain owing to trade.
• 53 BCE

  Battle of Carrhae. Great Roman defeat against Parthians, with the triumvir Crassus captured and executed.
• 53 BCE

  Parthians defeat Romans at Carrhae.
• 52 BCE

  Caesar defeated at Gergovia by Vercingetorix.
• 52 BCE

  After becoming trapped and besieged at Alesia Vercingetorix surrenders to Caesar.
• 51 BCE

  Caesar's capture of Uxellodunum ends the Gallic War.
• 49 BCE

  Caesar crosses the Rubicon. Civil war between Caesar and Pompey begins.
• 49 BCE - 48 BCE

  Burebistas sends Acornion of Dionysopolis as ambassador to negotiate an alliance with Pompey.
• 46 BCE

  The Bellovaci unsuccessfully rise against Roman rule in Belgica.
• 44 BCE

  The Allobroges unsuccessfully rise against Roman rule in southern Gaul.
• 44 BCE

  Caesar becomes dictator for life. On the 'Ides of March' (15th) he is killed by conspirators including Brutus and Cassius. Octavian, son of Caesars niece Atia, is posthumously adopted as his heir.
• 43 BCE

  Roman statesman and orator Cicero dies.
• 43 BCE - 36 BCE

  Second Roman Triumvirate: Antony, Octavian, and Lepidus (official approvement by Senate). Mass proscriptions including Cicero.
• 42 BCE

  Octavian and Antony defeat Republicans under Brutus and Cassius at the Battle of Philippi (Greece).
• 36 BCE

  Octavian strips Lepidus of all power but Pontifex Maximus (suppreme priest). Lepidus dies of old age in 12 BC.
• 33 BCE

  The Belgic Morini and the Celts of Aquitania unsuccessfully rise against Roman rule.
• 31 BCE

  Octavian defeats Antony and Cleopatra at the sea battle of Actium (Greece). Antony and Cleopatra commit suicide.
• 27 BCE

  Octavian gets extraordinary powers by the Senate and given the name Augustus.