Timeline

753 BC	Traditional date of the foundation of Rome by Romulus and the beginning of the Roman calendar (ab urbe condita).
c. 600 BC	Construction of the Cloaca Maxima under the Etruscan king, Tarquinius Priscus.
509 BC	Traditional date of the eviction of the last king, Tarquinius Superbus. Foundation of the Republic with two elected consuls as co-rulers.
494 BC	First secession of the plebs. Establishment of the office of Tribunes of the Plebs.
471 BC	Establishment of the Plebeian Council (concilium plebis).
451-450 BC	Twelve Tables written by a commission of ten, the Decemvirate.
449 BC	Second secession of the plebs. Abdication of the Decemvirate. Promulgation of the Twelve Tables.
396 BC	Conquest of Veii by Rome.
387 BC	Battle of Allia. Rome sacked by the Senones.
367 BC	Licinio-Sexian laws passed, limiting interest on loans, restricting the amount of public land that could be held by individuals, and stipulating that one of the two consuls elected must be a plebeian.
343-341 BC	First Samnite War. Rome acquires control over most of Campania.
326-304 BC	Second (Great) Samnite War. Rome acquires total control over Campania.
298-290 BC	Third Samnite War. Rome conquers most of Central Italy and becomes the undisputed power on the Italian peninsula.
287 BC	Lex Hortensia passed, making all resolutions of the Plebeian Council binding on the state.
280-275 BC	Pyrrhic War. Rome acquires control over Southern Italy.
265-264 BC	Roman conquest of Etruria (modern-day Tuscany). Rome acquires complete control over Central Italy.
264-241 BC	First Punic War. Annexation of Sicily by Rome.
218-201 BC	Second Punic War. Hannibal’s army crosses the Alps and invades Italy. Rome drives Carthage out of Spain and annexes a part of its territory in Africa.
214-205 BC	First Macedonian War. Kingdom of Macedon withdraws from alliance with Carthage.
200-197 BC	Second Macedonian War. Kingdom of Macedon loses control over Southern Greece, Thrace and Asia (Western Anatolia). Rome declares “freedom of the Greeks”.
192-188 BC	Third Macedonian War. Kingdom of Macedon broken up.
150-148 BC	Fourth Macedonian War. Macedon annexed by Rome.
149-146 BC	Third Punic War. City of Carthage completely destroyed.
146 BC	Achaean War. Corinth sacked. Mainland Greece annexed by Rome.
135-132 BC	First Servile War. Thousands of slaves in Sicily revolt under the leadership of Eunus.
133 BC	Tiberius Gracchus elected as tribune. Lex Agraria passed, limiting ownership of public lands. Gracchus murdered on the Capitoline Hill by supporters of the senatorial aristocracy.
123 BC	Gaius Gracchus, brother of Tiberius, elected as tribune.
121 BC	Gaius Gracchus fails to be re-elected for a third term as tribune. Gracchus and his supporters killed in conflict with a militia led by consul Lucius Opimius.
107 BC	First consulship of Gaius Marius. Marius begins to reform the Roman military, recruiting from the lowest, propertyless class of citizens for the first time.
104-100 BC	Second Servile War. Slaves in Sicily rise up under the leadership of Salvius and Athenion.
91 BC	Marcus Livius Drusus elected as tribune. Drusus proposes that Roman citizenship be granted to Rome’s Italian allies. Drusus assassinated by opponents of his reforms.
91-87 BC	Social War. Rome’s Italian allies revolt. Citizenship granted to all Italians who support Rome. Italian rebels defeated.
89-88 BC	Beginning of First Mithridatic War. King Mithridates VI of Pontus defeats the Roman army in Bithynia, then invades Roman provinces of Asia and Greece.
88 BC	Sulla marches on Rome with six legions and enters the city. Marius exiled to Africa. Sulla takes his army east to fight Mithridates after having replaced both consuls at Rome.
87-85 BC	Conclusion of First Mithridatic War. Pontic armies defeated in Greece and Asia Minor. Mithridates signs a peace treaty on Sulla’s terms.
87-83 BC	Marian terror. Cinna marches on Rome with his own army supported by Marius and his legions. Supporters of Sulla killed. Marius dies of natural causes, leaving Cinna in power.
83-82 BC	Civil War. Sulla lands at Brundisium with his army. Marian army crushed at Scariportus. Sulla has himself declared dictator.
81-79 BC	Sullan dictatorship. Thousands proscribed and murdered under the terror. Senate expanded from 300 to 600 senators. Law passed restricting power of the tribunes to propose legislation.
80-71 BC	Sertorian War. Quintus Sertorius, a supporter of the Marian side in the Civil War, leads a rebellion against Rome in Hispania (Spain).
73-71 BC	Third Servile War. Slave rebellion begins near Capua, led by the gladiator, Spartacus. After winning many victories the slaves are eventually defeated by the armies of Crassus and Pompey.
73-63 BC	Third Mithridatic War. Kingdom of Pontus destroyed. Pontus and Syria annexed by Rome. Armenia and Judea become Roman client states.
63 BC	Cicero elected as consul. Catiline conspiracy.
59 BC	Formation of the First Triumvirate. First consulship of Julius Caesar.
58-51 BC	Roman conquest of Gaul.
53 BC	Crassus defeated and killed by the Parthians at Carrhae.
52 BC	Pompey elected as sole consul.
49 BC	Caesar declared a public enemy. Caesar crosses the Rubicon with his legions. The Civil War begins.
48 BC	Pompey defeated at Pharsalus and killed in Egypt.
46-44 BC	Dictatorship of Caesar.
February 44 BC	Senate votes to make Caesar dictator for life.
15 March 44 BC	Assassination of Caesar.
27 November 43 BC	Lex Titia passed, granting special powers to Octavian, Antony and Lepidus. Second Triumvirate formally established for a term of five years.
3 October 42 BC	First Battle of Philippi between Octavian and Antony on one side, and the ‘Liberators’, Brutus and Cassius, on the other. Result inconclusive as Octavian’s troops routed by Brutus while Cassius’ troops routed by Antony.
23 October 42 BC	Second Battle of Philippi. Victory for Octavian and Antony.
41-40 BC	Perusine War. Brother and wife of Mark Antony lead an uprising against Octavian in Italy. Defeated by Octavian at Perusia (Perugia).
September 40 BC	Brundisium agreement. Octavian and Antony agree to divide Rome’s territories between themselves, leaving Lepidus with only the province of Africa.
37 BC	Treaty of Tarentum. Triumvirate renewed for another five-year term.
September 36 BC	Sextus Pompey defeated in Sicily. Lepidus stripped of his triumviral powers and forced into exile by Octavian.
2 September 31 BC	Battle of Actium. Antony and Cleopatra flee to Egypt.
1 August 30 BC	Octavian captures Alexandria. Antony and Cleopatra commit suicide. End of the Civil War.
16 January 27 BC	Senate confers the name and title of ‘Augustus’ on Octavian.