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One frontier, drawn and redrawn for eleven centuries. It starts as a patch of hills on a river and takes six hundred years to reach the Atlantic and the Euphrates; then it stops, and takes four hundred more to come apart. The map shows only what moves the border and the events that moved it — no administration, no lists of consuls. Watch the second century AD: almost nothing happens, and that is the point. It is the only stretch where there is nothing left to fight.
How this is made →282events
1 January 508 BC – 31 December 565span
Wars & Empirescategory
Roman territoryThe Western EmpireThe Eastern EmpireBattlesSiegesRome itselfPlague, fire and earthquake
What is on the map
- 197 Battles
- 47 Sieges
- 34 Rome itself
- 4 Plague, fire and earthquake
Chronology
- Battle of Lake Regillusbattle▸
- The plebs walk out of the city and refuse to come back until they are given their own magistratesevent▸
- Battle of the Cremerabattle▸
- Battle of Mount Algidusbattle▸
- The Twelve Tables: the law is written down and posted in the forum, so it can no longer be whatever the patricians remember it to beevent▸
- Gauls take Rome and burn it. The Romans will still be talking about this day eight centuries laterevent▸
- Sack of Romebattle▸
- Battle of Suessulabattle▸
- Battle of Saticulabattle▸
- Battle of Mount Gaurusbattle▸
- Battle of Vesuviusbattle▸
- Capture of Neapolisbattle▸
- Battle of the Caudine Forksbattle▸
- Battle of Lautulaebattle▸
- The Appian Way: the first great Roman road, built to move armies southevent▸
- Battle of Lake Vadimobattle▸
- Battle of Bovianumbattle▸
- Battle of Tifernumbattle▸
- Battle of Camerinumbattle▸
- Battle of Sentinumbattle▸
- Battle of Arretiumbattle▸
- Battle of Lake Vadimobattle▸
- Battle of Heracleabattle▸
- Battle of Asculumbattle▸
- Battle of the Strait of Messinabattle▸
- Siege of Lilybaeumbattle▸
- Battle of Beneventumbattle▸
- The First Punic War begins over a quarrel in Sicily, and lasts twenty-three yearsevent▸
- Battle of Messanabattle▸
- Battle of Agrigentumbattle▸
- Siege of Aspisbattle▸
- Battle of Bagradasbattle▸
- Battle of Adysbattle▸
- Battle of Panormusbattle▸
- Battle of Faesulaebattle▸
- Battle of Telamonbattle▸
- Battle of Clastidiumbattle▸
- Hannibal brings an army over the Alps in October, with elephants, and arrives in Italy where nobody is waiting for himevent▸
- Siege of Mutinabattle▸
- Battle of Cissabattle▸
- Battle of Rhone Crossingbattle▸
- Battle of Ticinusbattle▸
- Battle of the Trebiabattle▸
- Battle of Geroniumbattle▸
- Battle of Ager Falernusbattle▸
- Battle of Lake Trasimenebattle▸
- Cannae: fifty thousand Romans die in an afternoon, the worst day in the history of the Republicevent▸
- Battle of Silva Litanabattle▸
- Battle of Nolabattle▸
- Battle of Cornusbattle▸
- Battle of Dertosabattle▸
- Battle of Cumaebattle▸
- Battle of Nolabattle▸
- Battle of Beneventumbattle▸
- Battle of Nolabattle▸
- Siege of Arpibattle▸
- Battle of Beneventumbattle▸
- Battle of Herdoniabattle▸
- Battle of the Silarusbattle▸
- Battle of Capuabattle▸
- Battle of Tarentumbattle▸
- Battle of Capuabattle▸
- Battle of the Upper Baetisbattle▸
- Battle of Numistrobattle▸
- Battle of Herdoniabattle▸
- Battle of Canusiumbattle▸
- Battle of Tarentumbattle▸
- First Battle of Lamiabattle▸
- Second Battle of Lamiabattle▸
- Battle of New Carthagebattle▸
- Battle of Peteliabattle▸
- Battle of Baeculabattle▸
- Battle of Carmonabattle▸
- Battle of the Metaurusbattle▸
- Battle of Mantineabattle▸
- Battle of Grumentumbattle▸
- Battle of Ilipabattle▸
- Battle of Carteiabattle▸
- Battle of Crotonabattle▸
- Siege of Uticabattle▸
- Battle of Cirtabattle▸
- Po Valley Raidbattle▸
- Battle of Uticabattle▸
- Battle of the Great Plainsbattle▸
- Zama: Hannibal is beaten in Africa and Carthage becomes a clientevent▸
- Battle of Cremonabattle▸
- Battle of the Aousbattle▸
- Battle of Cynoscephalaebattle▸
- Battle of Gythiumbattle▸
- Battle of Placentiabattle▸
- Battle of Mutinabattle▸
- Battle of Thermopylaebattle▸
- Battle of the Eurymedonbattle▸
- Battle of Myonessusbattle▸
- Battle of Magnesiabattle▸
- Battle of Mount Olympusbattle▸
- Battle of Callinicusbattle▸
- Battle of Pydnabattle▸
- First Battle of Nepherisbattle▸
- Battle of Pydnabattle▸
- Second Battle of Nepherisbattle▸
- Carthage is destroyed and the ground sown with salt, says the legend. The Mediterranean has one masterevent▸
- Battle of Scarpheiabattle▸
- Battle of Corinthbattle▸
- Tiberius Gracchus is clubbed to death in the street for proposing land reform: the first political murder in Rome for four centuriesevent▸
- His brother Gaius follows him, and with him the idea that Roman politics is settled by argumentevent▸
- Battle of Noreiabattle▸
- Siege of Thalabattle▸
- Siege of the fortress at Mulucchabattle▸
- Battle of Arausiobattle▸
- Battle of Aquae Sextiaebattle▸
- Battle of Vercellaebattle▸
- Battle of Taenumbattle▸
- Battle of Fucine Lakebattle▸
- Battle of Asculumbattle▸
- Sulla marches on Rome with his own legions. No Roman general has ever done this, and now they all know it can be doneevent▸
- Battle of Chaeroneabattle▸
- Battle of Orchomenusbattle▸
- Battle of Halysbattle▸
- Battle of Chalcedonbattle▸
- Spartacus and seventy gladiators break out of a school in Capua and beat consular armies for two yearsevent▸
- Battle of the Rhyndacusbattle▸
- Siege of Cyzicusbattle▸
- Battle of Tenedosbattle▸
- Battle of Cabirabattle▸
- Battle of the Silarius Riverbattle▸
- Battle of Tigranocertabattle▸
- Battle of Artaxatabattle▸
- Battle of Zelabattle▸
- Battle of the Lycusbattle▸
- Siege of Jerusalembattle▸
- Battle of Magetobriabattle▸
- Battle of Vosgesbattle▸
- Battle of the Ararbattle▸
- Battle of Bibractebattle▸
- Battle of the Axonabattle▸
- Battle of the Sabisbattle▸
- Siege of the Atuatucibattle▸
- Ambiorix's Revoltbattle▸
- Battle of Carrhaebattle▸
- Battle of Lutetiabattle▸
- Battle of Gergoviabattle▸
- Battle of Vingeannebattle▸
- Siege of Uxellodunumbattle▸
- Siege of Antiochbattle▸
- Caesar crosses the Rubicon with one legion. The river is the border of his province, and crossing it in arms is treasonevent▸
- Battle of Nicopolisbattle▸
- Battle of the Nilebattle▸
- Siege of Alexandriabattle▸
- Battle of Zelabattle▸
- The Ides of March: twenty-three wounds in the theatre of Pompey, and the Republic does not come backevent▸
- Battle of the Cilician Gatesbattle▸
- Battle of Amanus Passbattle▸
- Battle of Mount Gindarusbattle▸
- Actium: the last fleet of the Republic is beaten, and one man is left standingevent▸
- The Senate gives Octavian the name Augustus. Nothing is officially changed, and everything isevent▸
- Siege of Aracillumbattle▸
- Three legions are destroyed in the Teutoburg forest. Rome stops at the Rhine and stays thereevent▸
- Battle of Idistavisobattle▸
- Battle of Baduhenna Woodbattle▸
- Battle of the Medwaybattle▸
- Battle of Caer Caradocbattle▸
- Battle of Rhandeiabattle▸
- Rome burns for six days. Ten of the fourteen districts are damaged, and the blame is put on a small sectevent▸
- Battle of Beth Horonbattle▸
- Siege of Gush Halavbattle▸
- Battles of Bedriacumbattle▸
- First Battle of Bedriacumbattle▸
- Vesuvius buries Pompeii and Herculaneum in an afternoon, and preserves themevent▸
- The Colosseum opens with a hundred days of gamesevent▸
- Battle of Mons Graupiusbattle▸
- Third Battle of Tapaebattle▸
- Battle of Sarmisegetusabattle▸
- Hadrian builds a wall across Britain: the empire has decided how big it is going to beevent▸
- Siege of Edessabattle▸
- Siege of Edessabattle▸
- The Antonine plague comes back with the army from the east and kills for fifteen years. Nobody counts, but it may be one person in tenevent▸
- Battle of Lugdunumbattle▸
- Caracalla makes every free man in the empire a Roman citizen — partly to widen the inheritance taxevent▸
- Battle of Nisibisbattle▸
- Battle of Antiochbattle▸
- Ardashir I's Siege of Hatrabattle▸
- Siege of Nisibisbattle▸
- Battle at the Harzhornbattle▸
- The crisis begins: in fifty years there will be more than twenty emperors, and almost none will die in bedevent▸
- Battle of Resaenabattle▸
- Battle of Misichebattle▸
- Siege of Dura-Europosbattle▸
- Battle of Philippopolisbattle▸
- Battle of Abritusbattle▸
- Battle of Barbalissosbattle▸
- Siege of Nisibisbattle▸
- Siege of Emesabattle▸
- Siege of Antiochbattle▸
- Battle of Edessabattle▸
- Siege of Antiochbattle▸
- Siege of Caesareabattle▸
- The emperor Valerian is captured alive by the Persians, and never releasedevent▸
- Battle of Lake Benacusbattle▸
- Battle of Naissusbattle▸
- Battle of Fanobattle▸
- Battle of Placentiabattle▸
- Battle of Paviabattle▸
- Aurelian walls Rome for the first time in six centuries. The capital no longer assumes it is safeevent▸
- Battle of Immaebattle▸
- Battle of Emesabattle▸
- Battle of Châlonsbattle▸
- Diocletian splits the empire into four: it has become too big for one man to defendevent▸
- Battle of Lingonesbattle▸
- Battle of Vindonissabattle▸
- Battle of Veronabattle▸
- Battle of the Milvian Bridgebattle▸
- The Edict of Milan: Christianity stops being illegal, seventy years before it becomes compulsoryevent▸
- Battle of Tzirallumbattle▸
- Battle of Mardiabattle▸
- Battle of Chrysopolisbattle▸
- Constantinople is dedicated. The centre of gravity moves east and never moves backevent▸
- Siege of Nisibisbattle▸
- Battle of Singarabattle▸
- Battle of Mursa Majorbattle▸
- Battle of Mons Seleucusbattle▸
- Battle of Brumathbattle▸
- Battle of Strasbourgbattle▸
- Siege of Amidabattle▸
- Siege of Singarabattle▸
- Shapur II's Siege of Bezabdebattle▸
- Constantius II's Siege of Bezabdebattle▸
- Siege of Maiozamalchabattle▸
- Battle of Ctesiphonbattle▸
- Battle of Thyatirabattle▸
- Battle of Bagavanbattle▸
- Battle of Marcianoplebattle▸
- Battle of the Willowsbattle▸
- Battle of Constantinoplebattle▸
- Battle of Argentovariabattle▸
- Adrianople: an emperor and two thirds of the eastern field army are killed by Goths who had been let in as refugeesevent▸
- Siege of Adrianoplebattle▸
- Battle of Thessalonicabattle▸
- Battle of the Savebattle▸
- Theodosius dies and the empire is divided between his two sons. It is never one againevent▸
- Battle of Pollentiabattle▸
- Battle of Veronabattle▸
- Siege of Florencebattle▸
- Alaric sacks Rome. The city has not been taken by a foreign enemy for eight hundred years, and the news reaches Jerusalem within weeksevent▸
- Siege of Massiliabattle▸
- Battle of the Nervasos Mountainsbattle▸
- Siege of Arlesbattle▸
- Battle of Ravennabattle▸
- Battle of the Maureaco Fieldsbattle▸
- Siege of Milanbattle▸
- Attila turns back in northern Italy after meeting the pope, or after his army runs out of food. The sources disagreeevent▸
- The Vandals take Rome from the sea and spend a fortnight loading shipsevent▸
- Battle of Órbigobattle▸
- Battle of Arelatebattle▸
- Battle of Orleansbattle▸
- Battle of Déolsbattle▸
- Battle of Ravennabattle▸
- Odoacer deposes the last western emperor — a boy — and does not replace him. He sends the imperial insignia to Constantinople, saying the west has no further use for themevent▸
- Battle of the Utusbattle▸
- Battle of Cotyaeumbattle▸
- Siege of Theodosiopolisbattle▸
- Justinian has a thousand years of Roman law sorted, cut and published. It is the version Europe will still be reading in the Middle Agesevent▸
- Battle of Satalabattle▸
- Battle of Darabattle▸
- Siege of Martyropolisbattle▸
- Battle of Callinicumbattle▸
- Battle of Ad Decimumbattle▸
- Battle of Tricamarumbattle▸
- Battle of Nisibisbattle▸
- Siege of Petrabattle▸
- Battle of Trevisobattle▸
- Siege of Veronabattle▸
- The plague of Justinian reaches Constantinople and kills for two centuries, taking the reconquest with itevent▸
- Battle of Faventiabattle▸
- Battle of Mucelliumbattle▸
- Siege of Edessabattle▸
- Sack of Romebattle▸
- Battle of Taginaebattle▸
- Battle of Mons Lactariusbattle▸
- Battle of the Volturnusbattle▸
- Siege of Onogurisbattle▸
- Battle of Melantiasbattle▸
Background reading: the parent article.
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