ANTIQUITY

c. 1000 B.C. Etruscans and Ancient Rome.

c. 10th -5th centuries B.C. Greek and Phoenician colonization of southern "Italy" and Sicily.

753 B.C. (traditional date) Romulus and Remus founded Rome. Ancient Rome began as a republican city-state ruled by the Etruscans. Etruscans were influenced by the Greeks. A people called the Latins farmed in the area near Rome.

c. 700 B.C. Etruscans arrived in Tuscany which they used as their base. The Etruscan civilization, a great maritime, commercial and artistic culture, reached it's peak near this time period.

c. 650 B.C. About this time "Italy" was divided into ethnic areas: the Umbrians in the north, the Ligurians in the northwest, the Latins and Etruscans in the central regions, the Greeks and the Phoenicians in the south and in Sicily.

509 B.C. After the new Romans (the Latins) overthrew their Etruscan Monarchs in Rome, the Etruscan civilization's control began to wane in "Italy". As the civilization vanished, sculptures and various works of art were left behind. They were artisans of gold and other metals.

400's B.C. Horatius (a farmer) defended a key bridge for Rome against the Etruscan army.

458 B.C. Cinncinnatus, Roman farmer, soldier-leader.

450 B.C. Twelve tables of Roman law. Guaranteed Roman citizens certain rights.

400 B.C. Latin League was formed by Rome and a few of it's neighbors, for mutual protection against the constant warfare in central "Italy".

c. 350 B.C. After a series of wars with both Greeks and Etruscans, the Latins gained the ascendancy. Rome was their capital.

272-264 B.C. Ancient Rome reigned supreme uniting the "Italian" peninsula. Most of "Italy" spoke Latin. After this time period, Ancient Rome began its overseas conquests.

264-146 B.C. Period of conquest (Punic wars) in the Mediterranean area.
264-241 B.C. First Punic War against Carthage (NW coast of Africa). During the century, Ancient Rome extended it's conquests taking Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica. Mostly a war at sea.

234-149 B.C. Cato the Elder (Marco Porcius Cato) Roman statesman and moralist.

218-201 B.C. Second Punic War. Romans versus the Carthaginian General Hannibal. Hannibal lead an army across the Strait of gibraltar, through Spain and France, over the Alps and attacked the Italian peninsula from the north. Eighty thousand troops, twelve thousand horses and many war elephants. Battles at lake Trasimeno 217 B.C.and Cannae in 216 B.C. Hannibal remained in Italy for thirteen years plundering the countryside but he was never able to break the city of Rome and it's allied neighboring cities. Rome attacked Carthage forcing Hannibal to return home to North Africa, in defense. Hannibal was defeated in the Battle of Zama in 202 B.C.

149-146 B.C. Third Punic War. Greece and Carthage were conquered. Roman statesman Cato demanded Carthage be completely destroyed as punishment. It's people were enslaved. Roman priests cursed it. In vengeance Romans plowed up the ground and spread salt over it so nothing would grow for years. After the Punic Wars, Ancient Rome's power spread and it became dominant in the Mediterranean.

134 B.C. Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus (two brothers) became leaders of the poor farmers whose service in Rome's armies had helped to make Rome great. The Gracchus brothers demanded that the old estates be broken up and distributed to the poor farmers. The Senators (owned large landholdings) had the brothers killed. Many conflicts between the rich and the poor began to weaken Ancient Rome.

100/102?-44 B.C. Gaius Julius Caesar, renowned as a historian and prose stylist. More famous as a great orator, military and politcal leader, (Gallic Wars 58-49 B.C.)

88-82 B.C. Sulla against Marius and his son, began the first famous civil conflict in the Roman republic.

84-34 B.C. Sallust (Gaius Sallustius Crispus), historian.

63 B.C.-A.D.14 Octavian (Gaius Octavianus); later known as Augustus, first emperor of the Roman Empire.

59 B.C.-A.D.17 Livy (Titus Livius), historian.

58-51 B.C. Julius Caesar invaded Britain and conquered Gaul. Meanwhile Caesar's rival, Pompey took over Rome.

49-45 B.C. Julius Caesar against Pompey, the second famous civil conflict in the Roman republic. Pompey stabbed to death by the brother of an Egyptian Queen-Cleopatra.

44 B.C. March 15 (the Ides of March) Julius Caesar assassinated by the Senate members at the Roman Forum.

43 B.C. Brutus and Cassius against Mark Antony (Caesar's first lieutenant) and Octavian (Caesar's grandnephew), the third famous civil conflict in the Roman republic.

31 B.C. Mark Antony against Octavian, The Battle of Actium, the fourth famous civil conflict in the Roman republic that caused the Ancient Roman republic's demise. Octavian was the final victor, he was given the title of Augustus ("exalted, revered one") by the Senate.

27 B.C. Augustus declared the ROMAN EMPIRE, he became first emperor of Rome. The Augustan Age-The Golden Age of Rome. During his rule Augustus punished corrupt officials and lowered taxes the colonies paid to Rome. Many magnificient new buildings rose and the arts flourished under his regime. Augustus died in A.D. 14. He appointed Tiberius as his successor.

27 B.C.- 200's A.D. The Roman Empire conquered and brought Roman law, Roman administration, and peace ("Pax Romana") to an area extending from the Atlantic to the Rhine, to the British Isles, to the Iberian Peninsula, large parts of North Africa, and to the Middle East as far as the Euphrates.

A.D.

A.D.12-41 Caligula (Gaius Caesar Germancus), Roman emperor.

A.D.37-68 Nero (Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus), Roman emperor.

A.D. 54 Nero became Roman emperor at age sixteen. He poisoned his adopted brother, and executed his mother.

c. A.D.55?-117 Cornelius Tacitus, Roman historian.

63 A.D. City of Pompeii struck by an earthquake.

64 A.D. Rome destroyed by a great fire. Nero accused the Christian sect of setting the fire and ordered hundreds of them put to death in the Roman arena.

68 A.D. Nero comitted suicide.

c.A.D.69?-140 Suetonius(Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus),Roman historian.

76/79 A.D. Volcano, Mount Vesuvius erupted devastating Pompeii.

98-180 A.D. The Golden Century of Peace "pax Romana". During this period the Roman Empire controlled all lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea. The five "good emperors" were:

Trajan (98-117) he expanded the borders of the Roman empire
from North Africa to England, and from Egypt to the Black Sea.,
Nerva,
Hadrian,
Antonius Pius,
and Marcus Aurelius.

A.D.121-180 Marcus Aurelius (Marcus Annius Verius), Roman emperor, philosopher-statesman.

3rd century A.D. Rome's decline and fall. Service in the army took so many men that foreign workers had to be employed. Many were granted citizenship even though their loyalties were with their homelands. The army began taking over Roman politics and pushed twenty-nine emperors and claimants on and off the throne. Those emperors were called "barracks emperors". Many civil wars ensued. Rome was threatened by the internal discord and menaced by the Germanic and Asian invaders (commonly called barbarians).

284/285 A.D. Emperor Diocletian took power and stopped the civil wars. He divided the empire into eastern and western parts. (It became permanent in 395 A.D.)

310-337 A.D. Constantine I (the Great; Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus, born Moesia, 280?-337 ), Roman emporer.

313 A.D. Edict of Milan granted toleration of Christianity. Emperor Constantine I officially recognized Christianity. Centuries of Roman persecution of Christians came to an end.

324-330 A.D. Roman Emperor Constantine I moved the seat of the Roman Empire from Rome. He chose the (former Greek colonial) city of Byzantium as his capital. Place name was later changed to Constantinople.

330 A.D. (circa) Old St. Peter's Church begun. One of the first early Christian bascilica. Stood on the site of the present St. Peter's Church in Rome.

376-476 A.D. Invasions by Huns, Visigoths, Vandals and Ostrogoths culminated in the destruction of Rome and the end of the Western Roman Empire. With the fall of Rome (476 A.D.), the Italian peninsula became divided among many different rulers.

400-500's The popes increase their religious and political influence in Italy.

401 The Visigoths crossed the Alps in to Northern Italy.

410 Visigoths invade the city of Rome.

Early Middle Ages

476 A.D. Rome is conquered. Last Roman emperor, Romulus Augustulus, defeated in Italy by Germanic leader/Teutonic chief, Odoacer. Odoacer became emperor. It was the end of (Italian Rome) the Western part of the Roman Empire. The Eastern Roman Empire was called the Byzantine Empire.

476 A.D. Odoacer ruled "Italy" for 13 years).

AD 480?-543/547? St. Benedict of Nursia, Italian, founder of the Benedictines.

489 A.D. Odoacer attacked and defeated by Theodoric (Germanic king of the Ostrogoths). Afterward, Odoacer and Theodoric ruled "Italy" jointly.

493 A.D. Theodoric murdered Odoacer. Theodoric with Ostrogoth army, and mostly Italian goverment continue to rule Italy.

500's-700's A.D. The Roman Catholic popes continually attempted to protect Rome from capture by the Lombards (Germanic tribe). The popes defeated the Lombards with the help of Pepin the Short and Charlemagne (Frankish kings).

526 A.D. Death of Theodoric. Kingdom weakened.

529 A.D. First monastery in the west founded by St. Benedict at Monte Cassino.

AD 540?-604 Pope Gregory I (St.Gregory the Great), Italian.

553 A.D. Justinian, Byzantine emperor (ruled eastern part of Roman Empire), expelled the Ostrogoths. Old Roman Empire united again.

568 A.D. Lombard (Germanic tribe) invasions. Rome attacked. Peninsula divided between Lombards in the north and the Byzantine Empire centered in Ravenna.

572 A.D. With the Lombard invasions, Byzantine rule in "Italy" ends.

Early 8th century A.D. Continued conflicts between the bishop of Rome (pope) and the Byzantine emperor caused a schism between "Italy" and the Eastern Roman Empire.

8th century Frankish invasions.

755-756 A.D. "Pepin the short", won land for the popes. King Pepin ceded the lands in central Italy to the Pope, which later became the core of the Papal states. With the establishment of the Papal States, the popes gained political rule in central Italy.

774 A.D. Charlemagne crushed the Lombards and added Lombardy to his kingdom.

800's Medieval Romanesque style churches built in Italy.

800 A.D. Frankish King Charlemagne crowned emperor of the Romans (Holy Roman Emperor) by Pope Leo III in St. Peter's, Rome.

mid 9th century A.D. Moslem invasions of Sicily and southern Italy. The Saracens.

814 A.D. Charlemagne died, his son Louis I succeeds him. Louis divides the empire among his sons. The sons fight each other for territory until the crowning of Otto the Great.

10th century The German invasions.

The Holy Roman Empire

The German emperors (of the Holy Roman Empire), the popes, and the rising Italian city-states vied for power from the 10th to the 14th century, and "Italy" was divided into several, often hostile, territories:

north- an assortment of large and small city-states, such as;

Venice, Milan, Florence, and Bologna;
south- the Kingdom of Naples, under Norman and Angevin rule;
central area- the Papal States.

• ITALY, The World Book Encyclopedia, Vol.10, 1993 edition. [World book's additional resources :
  • DICTIONARY OF MODERN ITALIAN HISTORY, Ed. by Frank J. Coppa. Greenwood,1985.

  • A HISTORY OF CONTEMPORARY ITALY: SOCIETY AND POLITICS, 1943-1988 by Paul Ginsborg. Penguin, 1991.

  • THE ITALIANS: HISTORY, ART, AND THE GENIUS OF A PEOPLE. Ed. by John J. Norwich. Portland Hse., 1989.

    First published in 1983.

  • ITALY by Ian James. 1988, Watts. For young readers.

  • MICHELIN GREEN GUIDE TO ITALY. 2nd ed., 1989.]

• WORLDMARK ENCYCLOPEDIA of the NATIONS, EUROPE Vol.5 (Italy), Seventh Edition 1988, Worldmark Press, LTD., Publisher John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Exclusive World Distributor, G63.W67 1988 903'.21 88-5530 ISBN 0-471 62406-3(WILEY)

• ITALY the land and it's people by Michael Leech, Silver Burdett Company - Morristown, N.J. 1981 Printing. ISBN 0 382 06107 1 Library of Congress Catalog Card No.75-44863 1974 Macdonald Educational Limited, Holywell house, London, E.C. 2

• ENCHANTMENT of the WORLD, by R. Conrad Stein, Childrens Press, 1984 Chicago.