8th century

753 Romulus founds Rome: Monarchy

7th century

c.620 Etruscan kings take over and urbanize Rome

6th century

509 Lucius Brutus ejects the Tarquins: Republic

5th century

494 First "Secession of the plebs"

443 first censors created

4th century

367-6 lex Licinia/Sextia: consulship open to plebeians, but new office of praetor only open to patricians

338 Failed Latin rebellion: Rome takes over central Italy

3rd century

287 Lex Hortensia: plebiscites are binding

216 Battle of Cannae: Hannibal's triumph

c. 215 first Roman historian

202 Battle of Zama: Rome takes over Mediterranean Sea

2nd century

195 1) Flamininus "liberates" Greece; 2) after women's protests, the Lex Oppia is repealed

184 Cato the Elder becomes censor

169 death of Ennius

160's-150's repeated immigrations and explusions of Greek teachers of philosophy and rhetoric

160 Terence's Brothers

133 and 123 tribunates of Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus

107-100 Marius' first six consulships

1st century

88 Sulla marches on Rome

c. 85 anonymous handbook on oratory Ad Herennium

67 Pompey's maius imperium over Mediterranean Sea

60 First Triumvirate: Caesar, Pompey, Crassus

56 Cicero's speech For Caelius; poems of Lucretius and Catullus

48-44 Battle of Pharsalus, followed by Caesar's dictatorship

46 Forum of Caesar dedicated

43 Second Triumvirate by lex Titia: Octavian, Antony, Lepidus

30's "Cold War" between Octavian in Rome, Antony in the East

30's Horace's Epodes; Virgil's Eclogues

31 Battle of Actium: Republic unofficially Empire

28 Palatine Temple of Apollo

27 Octavian "resigns his powers" and is named "Augustus"

20's Horace's Odes 1-3; Virgil's Aeneid

23 Augustus' tribunician potestas and proconsular imperium

13 Horace's Odes, Book 4

18 Femily values lex Julia; Secular Games set for next year

9 Ara Pacis completed

1st century A.D.

14 Augustus dies, succeeded by Tiberius

37 Tiberius dies, succeeded by Gaius (Caligula)

54-68 Tyranny of Nero exposes Principate

65 Lucan's Civil War

69 Lex de imperio Vespasiani: Republic officially Empire

80 Colosseum inaugurated

98 After tyranny of Domitian, Trajan begins pax Romana

2nd century

113-117 Invasion and annexation of Parthia

106-113 Trajan supervises building of Forum, Bath, Markets

117 Hadrian stops further invasions: defensive stance

110's Tacitus' Annals

180-192 Commodus brings an end to imperial stability

c. 170's Apuleius' Metamorphoses

3rd century

218-222 Young Elagabalus tries to enforce his religion alone

4th century

330 Emperor Constantine transfers center of Empire to Constantinople (Istanbul)