Peloponnesian War: name of the conflict between Athens and Sparta that broke out in 431 and continued, with an interruption, until 404. Athens was forced to dismantle its empire. The war however, was not decisive, because within a decade, the…
Diadochi ("successors"): name of the first generation of military and political leaders after the death of the Macedonian king and conqueror Alexander the Great in 323 BCE. To settle the question whether his empire should disintegrate or survive as a unity,…
Batavian revolt: the rebellion of the Batavians (a Germanic tribe) against the Romans in 69-70 CE. After initial successes by their commander Julius Civilis, the Batavians were ultimately defeated by the Roman general Quintus Petillius Cerialis.Chronology
West
Italy
East (*)
68
January
Vindex revolts
Vespasian recovers Galilee
April
c.5. Rebellion of…
The Roman politician and philosopher Cicero tells the famous story about the tyrant Dionysius II of Syracuse and his courtier Damocles, which he had read in the History of Timaeus of Tauromenium. The anecdote is often told as a reminder…
Cilicia: ancient name of what is now southern Turkey. The Persian king Cyrus the Great conquered this country, and after the fall of the Achaemenid empire, Cilicia belonged to the Seleucid and Roman Empires. It was well-known for its iron…
MicipsaCirta: Numidian-Punic settlement, Roman city, capital of the province of Numidia, modern Constantine.Cirta
Cirta today; the ancient citadel to the left
Situated…
Claudian Army Reforms: modern name of a wide-ranging series of changes of the Roman military, initiated early during the reign of the emperor Claudius (41-54).
…
Claudius: emperor of the Roman world (r.41-54).
Claudius
Names:
1 August 10 BCE: Tiberius Claudius Nero
25 January 41: Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus
13…