] Amongst other portents which occurred
throughout
the world, in the suburbs of Rome an ox said to a ploughman, "There is no point in pushing me, because it is men, not food, who are going to be in short supply".
Roman Translations
4 [1932] [not in Ar.
] A census was held at Rome, and 463,000 citizens were counted.
174th OLYMPIAD [=84-81 B. C. ]
174. 1 [1933] [not in Ar. ] The temple at Delphi was burnt down for the third time, by the Thracians. The Capitolium at Rome was also burnt down.
174. 2 [1934] [not in Ar. ] Jannaeus captured a large number of cities.
[not in Ar. ] Cicero spoke in defence of Quintius, when he was 26 years old.
174. 3 [1935] [not in Ar. ] P. Terentius Varro was born in the village of Atax in the province of Narbonensis. Later, when he was 35 years old, he became a very keen student of the Greek language.
174. 4 [1936] [not in Ar. ] Vultacilius Plotus, a teacher of Latin rhetoric who was the freedman and tutor of Cn. Pompeius, opened a school at Rome.
175th OLYMPIAD [=80-77 B. C. ]
175. 1 * [1937] Ptolemy Dionysius [became] the 11th [king] of Egypt, for 30 years.
[not in Ar. ] Sulla gained control of Rome, and died two years later.
175. 2 [1938] [not in Ar. ] After defending Roscius against Chrysogonus, Cicero went away to Athens, where he stayed for three years before returning to Rome.
175. 3 [1939] [1940 in Ar. ] Pompeius celebrated a most glorious triumph.
175. 4 [1940] [1939 in Ar. ] Lepidus was declared a public enemy ["of the Romans" - Ar. ].
[not in Ar. ] Titus Quinticius Atta, the writer of "togatae" plays, died at Rome, and was buried by the second milestone on the Via Praenestina.
176th OLYMPIAD [=76-73 B. C. ]
176. 1 * [1941] Alexandra became queen of the Jews, for 9 years.
Alexandra, also called Salina, was the widow of Alexander and became queen of Jerusalem. From her reign onwards, disorders and assorted troubles overtook the Jews.
176. 4 [1944] [not in Ar. ] The war against the gladiators in Campania.
[1943 in Ar. ] L. Lucullus was the first to be given the title "imperator", after conquering Armenia and Mesopotamia and capturing Nisibis along with the brother of the king. ["Lucullus spent his life in luxury" - Ar. ]
177th OLYMPIAD [=72-69 B. C. ]
177. 1 [1945] [not in Ar. ] Pompeius subjugated the whole of Spain.
177. 2 [1946] [not in Ar. ] M. Lucullus celebrated a triumph over the Bessi, after capturing Cabyle, Tomi, and other neighbouring cities.
177. 3 [1947] [not in Ar. ] The triumph of Crassus.
177. 4 [1948] [not in Ar. ] Vergilius Maro was born in a town called Andes, not far from Mantua, when Pompeius and Crassus were consuls.
178th OLYMPIAD [=68-65 B. C. ]
178. 1 [1949] [1944 in Ar. ] Antioch in Syria was captured by the Romans.
[1946 in Ar. ] The start of the Cretan war, from which Metellus was given the name Creticus.
[not in Ar. ] The grove of Daphne near Antioch was dedicated to Apollo by Pompeius.
178. 2 * [1950] The Jews were made tributary to the Romans, and Hyrcanus became their high priest, for 34 years.
Aristobulus and Hyrcanus, the sons of Alexandra, fought against each other for the right to be king, and thereby gave an opportunity for the Romans to invade Judaea. And so Pompeius came to Jerusalem, captured the city, opened up the temple, and went in as far as the holy of holies. He established Hyrcanus as the high priest, and took Aristobulus away as a prisoner. Then he appointed Antipater, the son of Herodes of Ascalon, to be governor of Palestine.
178. 4 [1952] [not in Ar. ] Libya was bequeathed to the Romans by the will of king Appion.
[not in Ar. ] Horatius Flaccus, the writer of satires and lyric poems, was born to a freedman father at Venusia.
179th OLYMPIAD [=64-61 B. C. ]
179. 1 [1953] [not in Ar. ] Apollodorus of Pergamum, the Greek orator and tutor of Calidius and Augustus, was in his prime.
179. 2 [1954] [not in Ar. ] Pompeius captured Jerusalem and reduced the Jews to tributary status.
179. 3 [1955] [not in Ar. ] The events which Sallustius and Livius relate about Catilina, Cethegus, Lentulus and Cicero as consul, happened at this time.
179. 4 [1956] [not in Ar. ] Cicero was forced into exile for a year, but was received with honour by Plancius.
[not in Ar. ] Pompeius was called "imperator".
180th OLYMPIAD [=60-57 B. C. ]
180. 1 [1957] [1958 in Ar. ] Caesar conquered Lusitania and some islands in the Ocean.
180. 2 [1958] [not in Ar. ] The orator Messala Corvinus and the historian Titus Livius of Patavium were born.
180. 3 [1959] [not in Ar. ] Vergilius was educated at Cremona.
[not in Ar. ] Catullus died at Rome, at the age of 30 years.
180. 4 [1960] [not in Ar. ] The orator M. Calidius was in his prime. He later belonged to Caesar's party in the civil war, and died at Placentia while governing Gallia Togata.
181th OLYMPIAD [=56-53 B. C. ]
181. 1 [1961] Caesar crossed the Rhine and defeated the Germans.
181. 2 [1962] [not in Ar. ] The consul Crassus was captured with his son at Carrhae.
[not in Ar. ] Ventidius was the first Roman general to defeat the Parthians.
181. 3 [1963] [not in Ar. ] Curio, a fluent and popular orator, was in his prime at Rome. He later lost an army in Africa, and was prompted by shame to die rather seek escape.
181. 4 [1964] [not in Ar. ] Vergilius started to wear the toga, and moved to Mediolanum; shortly afterwards, he went off to Rome.
182nd OLYMPIAD [=52-49 B. C. ]
182. 1 [1965] [1962 in Ar. ] The statue of Zeus at Olympia was struck by lightning.
182. 2 [1966] Caesar conquered the Germans and Gauls.
182. 3 * [1967] Cleopatra [became] the 12th [ruler] of Egypt, for 22 years.
[1969 in Ar. ] The beginning of the civil war between Caesar and Pompeius.
182. 4 [1968] [not in Ar. ] Diodorus Siculus, the Greek historian, was in his prime.
[1969 in Ar. ] Gaius Julius Caesar was the first Roman to become sole ruler, and the Roman emperors were called Caesars after him. ["At this time Roman power reached its peak" - Ar. ]
183rd OLYMPIAD [=48-45 B. C. ]
183. 1 * [1969] Gaius Julius Caesar [became] the first [emperor] of the Romans, for 4 years and 6 months [or "5 years" - Ar. ]
[1974 in Ar. ] The inhabitants of Antioch reckon their years from this point.
[not in Ar. ] Pompeius fled [to Egypt] after being defeated in battle, and was killed by the eunuchs of the king of Alexandria.
[not in Ar. ] M. Caelius, a praetor, and T. Annius Milo, an exile, tried to foment revolution simultaneously in Etruria and Bruttium, but were suppressed.
183. 2 [1970] [not in Ar. ] The body of Ptolemy, in a golden breastplate, was discovered in the river Nile.
[not in Ar. ] Caesar established Cleopatra as queen of Egypt, in return for sexual favours.
183. 3 [1971] [not in Ar. ] The Basilica Julia was dedicated at Rome.
[not in Ar. ] The Jews received a decree of the senate and of the Athenians, after seeking an alliance through envoys.
[not in Ar. ] Cleopatra entered Rome with a royal retinue.
[not in Ar. ] Women were forbidden to wear amber and pearls, if they did not have a husband or children, and were under 45 years old.
183. 4 [1972] [not in Ar. ] Nigidius Figulus, the Pythagorean sage, died in exile.
184th OLYMPIAD [=44-41 B. C. ]
184. 1 [1973] [1969 in Ar. ] Antonius passed a decree that the month of Quintilis should be called July, because Julius had been born in that month.
Cassius conquered Judaea and despoiled the temple.
Gaius Julius Caesar was killed in the senate-house on the Ides of March, after which P. Dolabella took up the fasces [became consul].
[not in Ar. ] The body of Caesar was cremated on the rostra, as a mark of honour.
[not in Ar. ] The lawyer Servius Sulpicius and P. Servilius Isauricus were given public funerals.
[not in Ar. ] At Rome three separate suns rose into the sky, and gradually converged into a single circle.
[not in Ar.
] Amongst other portents which occurred throughout the world, in the suburbs of Rome an ox said to a ploughman, "There is no point in pushing me, because it is men, not food, who are going to be in short supply".
184. 2 * [1974] Octavianus Caesar Augustus became the 2nd emperor of the Romans, for 56 years and 6 months; the Roman emperors were called Augusti after him.
[not in Ar. ] Antonius fought a war against Caesar Augustus.
[not in Ar. ] Laberius, the writer of mimes, died at Puteoli 10 months after the death of C. Caesar.
[not in Ar. ] Publius, the Syrian writer of mimes, was the leading dramatist at Rome.
184. 3 [1975] [not in Ar. ] Cicero was killed on his Formian estate by Herennius and Popilius, when he was in his 64th year.
[not in Ar. ] The head and right hand of Cicero were placed in front of the rostra, next to a crowned statue of Popilius, the soldier who had killed him.
[not in Ar. ] According to some, Cicero was killed at Caieta.
[not in Ar. ] Ovidius Naso was born in the territory of the Paeligni.
[not in Ar. ] C. Falcidius, a tribune of the plebs, passed a law that no-one should make such a large bequest in their will as to leave less than a quarter of the estate to their legal heirs.
184. 4 [1976] [not in Ar. ] Curtius Salassus was burnt alive along with four cohorts on the island of Aradus, because he had collected tribute too harshly.
[not in Ar. ] Vibius Maximus, when quaestor designate, was recognised as a slave by his master, who took him away.
[not in Ar. ] In a brothel across the river Tiber, oil burst out of the ground and flowed for a whole day without stopping, signifying the grace of Christ to the gentiles.
[not in Ar. ] Augustus defeated Antonius, but the senate intervened to restore friendship between them.
[not in Ar. ] The poet Cornificius died after being deserted by his soldiers, whom he called "rabbits in helmets" because they frequently ran away from battle. His sister Cornificia wrote some remarkable epigrams, which still survive.
[not in Ar. ] Cassius despoiled the temples of the Rhodians.
[not in Ar. ] The second dispute between Augustus and Antonius.
185th OLYMPIAD [=40-37 B. C. ]
185. 1 [1977] [not in Ar. ] The historian Cornelius Nepos was in his prime.
185. 2 [1978] [1873 in Ar. ] Antigonus was killed after fighting for a long time against the Jews; from his death until the present time, there have been no [legitimate] kings in Jerusalem. Herodes, who was appointed as king after him by the Romans, was a foreigner with no real claim on Judaea.
185. 4 [1980] The two Furnii, father and son, were in their prime as orators; the son became a consul, and died before his father.
186th OLYMPIAD [=36-33 B. C. ]
186. 1 [1981] Sallustius died, four years before the battle of Actium.
186. 2 [1982] M. Varius, the poet whom Vergilius mentions in his Bucolica [Eclogues], died in Cappadocia.
186. 3 [1983] Herodes, the son of Antipater of Ascalon and Cypris of Arabia, was appointed by the Romans to be king of Judaea. At this time, just before the birth of Christ, the kingdom and high priesthood of Judaea, which had been passed from father to son, came to an end, in fulfilment of the prophecy which was spoken through Moses [Genesis, 49'10]: "The sceptre will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs". At this time also the Anointed-rule was completed, as prophesied in the book of Daniel, because the anointed ones, that is the priests, were the rulers of Judaea before Herodes. They ruled from the restoration of the temple in under Dareius, in the 65th Olympiad, up until Hyrcanus in the 185th Olympiad, for a total of 483 years. This is what Daniel referred to when he said [Daniel, 9'25]: "Know and understand this: from the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven 'sevens' and sixty-two 'sevens' ". 69 'sevens' make a total of 483 years, during which the anointed ones, that is the anointed priests, were the rulers. When the last of them, Hyrcanus, was captured by the Parthians, Herodes was appointed by Augustus and the senate to rule over Judaea, which he had no right to. And after Herodes his descendants were kings [of Judaea] up until the final capture of Jerusalem. The high priests were no longer chosen by succession from the priestly families, nor did they serve for the whole of their lives, as laid down in the law of Moses. But first some insignificant men, and then others, purchased the high priesthood from the Romans, for a year or sometimes for a little longer. The prophet Daniel foretold this too, when he said [Daniel, 9'26]: "After the seven and sixty-two 'sevens', the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood". And then he says [Daniel, 9'27]: "And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him".
[1984 in Ar. ] Herodes summoned a certain Ananelus from Babylon and set him up as high priest of the Jews. Shortly afterwards, he replaced him with Aristobulus, the brother of Herodes' wife and grandson [or "son" - Ar. ] of Hyrcanus. A year later Herodes killed Aristobulus and reinstated Ananelus as high priest.
[not in Ar. ] The Romans calculated the course of the moon.
186. 4 * [1984] The rule of the high priests came to an end, and Herodes, a foreigner, became king of the Jews for 37 years.
A treaty between Augustus and Antonius.
[1985 in Ar. ] The Romans founded some colonies.
[1986 in Ar. ] Augustus celebrated a triumph on foot.
[1987 in Ar. ] Antonius assigned Arabia to Cleopatra.
[not in Ar. ] The start of the third dispute between Augustus and Antonius, which arose when Antonius divorced {Octavia} the sister of Caesar and married Cleopatra.
[not in Ar. ] Nicetas, Hybraeas, Theodorus, and Plutio were considered the most eminent teachers of Greek rhetoric.
187th OLYMPIAD [=32-29 B. C. ]
187. 1 [1985] [1988 in Ar. ] Cleopatra and Antonius committed suicide, and Egypt became a Roman province. The first governor of the province was C. Cornelius Gallus, whom Vergilius mentions in the Bucolica [Eclogues].
[1988 in Ar. ] The dynasty called the Lagidae ruled in Egypt for a total of 295 years, up until Cleopatra.
187. 2 [1986] [not in Ar. ] Artorius, the doctor of Augustus, died in a shipwreck after the battle of Actium.
[1989 in Ar. ] Some count this as the first year of Augustus' reign.
187. 3 [1987] [1989 in Ar. ] Caesar was given the name Augustus, and because of this the month of Sextilis was called August.
187. 4 [1988] [1990 in Ar. ] Augustus returned to Rome and celebrated a magnificent triumph. The children of Cleopatra, Sol [Helius] and Luna [Selene], were led before his chariot.
[1989 in Ar. ] The city of Nicopolis was founded near Actium, and the Actian Games were established.
[1991 in Ar. ] Augustus created many laws for the Romans.
188th OLYMPIAD [=28-25 B. C. ]
188. 1 [1989] [1991 in Ar. ] A census was held at Rome, and 4,164,000 Roman citizens were listed.
[1991 in Ar. ] Colonies were founded.
[not in Ar. ] Anaxilaus of Larissa, a Pythagorean wise man, was banished from Rome and Italy by Augustus.
188. 2 [1990] [not in Ar. ] The philosopher M. Terentius Varro died, at the age of about 90 years.
[1992 in Ar. ] Thebes in Egypt was razed to the ground.
[not in Ar. ] The poet Cornelius Gallus of Forum Julii, who as we said above was the first governor of Egypt, committed suicide in the 43rd year of his life.
[1992 in Ar. ] Tralles was destroyed by an earthquake.
188. 3 [1991] [not in Ar. ] The Indians sent envoys to Augustus to ask for a treaty of friendship.
[not in Ar. ] Messala Corvinus was appointed to be the first prefect of the city, but he resigned on the sixth day of his tenure, declaring that such power was oppressive.
188. 4 [1992] [1993 in Ar. ] Augustus reduced Calabria and Gaul [ or "the Galatians" - Ar. ] to tributary status.
[not in Ar. ] Munatius Plancus, a follower of Cicero, was considered an outstanding orator. While he was governor of Gallia Comata, he founded the city of Lugdunum.
189th OLYMPIAD [=24-21 B. C. ]
189. 1 [1993] M. Lollius made Galatia a Roman province.
[1994 in Ar. ] Augustus was offered the title of king, but refused it.
189. 2 [1994] [not in Ar. ] Quintilius of Cremona, the friend of Vergilius and Horatius, died.
189. 3 [1995] Augustus took away the liberty of the citizens of Cyzicus.
[not in Ar. ] Pylades of Cilicia, a performer of mimes, was the first to have a chorus and piper to perform for him, when his predecessor had sung and danced for themselves.
189. 4 [1996] [1995 in Ar. ] Tiberius was sent by Augustus to seize Armenia [ or "the Jews" - Ar. ].
[not in Ar. ] Atratinus, who prosecuted Caelius when he was seventeen years old, was considered an outstanding orator. In the end, he became weary of illness and killed himself in the bath, leaving Augustus as his heir.
190th OLYMPIAD [=20-17 B. C. ]
190. 1 [1997] [not in Ar. ] A revolt of the Cantabri was suppressed.
190. 2 [1998] [1996 in Ar. ] Herodes constructed many great buildings in Jerusalem.
190. 3 [1999] [not in Ar. ] Vergilius died at Brundisium, in the consulship of Sentius Saturninus and Lucretius Cinna. His bones were taken to Neapolis and buried two miles from the city, with the following inscription above them, which he had dictated as he died:
"Mantua gave me birth; the Calabrians took me away; Parthenope
now holds me. I sang of pastures, countryside and leaders. "
190. 4 [2000] [1996 in Ar. ] Herodes completely rebuilt Samaria, which was lying in ashes, and in honour of Augustus he called it Augusta, that is Sebaste. He also built the so-called Panium at Paneas.
[1997 in Ar. ] Augustus granted freedom to the Samians [ or "the Samaritans" - Ar. ].
[1998 in Ar. ] Many parts of the cities in Cyprus were destroyed by an earthquake.
[1998 in Ar. ] The Germans began an armed uprising, but were defeated by M. Lollius.
[not in Ar. ] Varius and Tucca, the associates of Vergilius and Horatius, were considered outstanding poets. They afterwards edited the books of the Aeneid, on the principle that they should add nothing to it.
[only in Ar. ] Tiberius was given the title of Caesar.
191st OLYMPIAD [=16-13 B. C. ]
191.
174th OLYMPIAD [=84-81 B. C. ]
174. 1 [1933] [not in Ar. ] The temple at Delphi was burnt down for the third time, by the Thracians. The Capitolium at Rome was also burnt down.
174. 2 [1934] [not in Ar. ] Jannaeus captured a large number of cities.
[not in Ar. ] Cicero spoke in defence of Quintius, when he was 26 years old.
174. 3 [1935] [not in Ar. ] P. Terentius Varro was born in the village of Atax in the province of Narbonensis. Later, when he was 35 years old, he became a very keen student of the Greek language.
174. 4 [1936] [not in Ar. ] Vultacilius Plotus, a teacher of Latin rhetoric who was the freedman and tutor of Cn. Pompeius, opened a school at Rome.
175th OLYMPIAD [=80-77 B. C. ]
175. 1 * [1937] Ptolemy Dionysius [became] the 11th [king] of Egypt, for 30 years.
[not in Ar. ] Sulla gained control of Rome, and died two years later.
175. 2 [1938] [not in Ar. ] After defending Roscius against Chrysogonus, Cicero went away to Athens, where he stayed for three years before returning to Rome.
175. 3 [1939] [1940 in Ar. ] Pompeius celebrated a most glorious triumph.
175. 4 [1940] [1939 in Ar. ] Lepidus was declared a public enemy ["of the Romans" - Ar. ].
[not in Ar. ] Titus Quinticius Atta, the writer of "togatae" plays, died at Rome, and was buried by the second milestone on the Via Praenestina.
176th OLYMPIAD [=76-73 B. C. ]
176. 1 * [1941] Alexandra became queen of the Jews, for 9 years.
Alexandra, also called Salina, was the widow of Alexander and became queen of Jerusalem. From her reign onwards, disorders and assorted troubles overtook the Jews.
176. 4 [1944] [not in Ar. ] The war against the gladiators in Campania.
[1943 in Ar. ] L. Lucullus was the first to be given the title "imperator", after conquering Armenia and Mesopotamia and capturing Nisibis along with the brother of the king. ["Lucullus spent his life in luxury" - Ar. ]
177th OLYMPIAD [=72-69 B. C. ]
177. 1 [1945] [not in Ar. ] Pompeius subjugated the whole of Spain.
177. 2 [1946] [not in Ar. ] M. Lucullus celebrated a triumph over the Bessi, after capturing Cabyle, Tomi, and other neighbouring cities.
177. 3 [1947] [not in Ar. ] The triumph of Crassus.
177. 4 [1948] [not in Ar. ] Vergilius Maro was born in a town called Andes, not far from Mantua, when Pompeius and Crassus were consuls.
178th OLYMPIAD [=68-65 B. C. ]
178. 1 [1949] [1944 in Ar. ] Antioch in Syria was captured by the Romans.
[1946 in Ar. ] The start of the Cretan war, from which Metellus was given the name Creticus.
[not in Ar. ] The grove of Daphne near Antioch was dedicated to Apollo by Pompeius.
178. 2 * [1950] The Jews were made tributary to the Romans, and Hyrcanus became their high priest, for 34 years.
Aristobulus and Hyrcanus, the sons of Alexandra, fought against each other for the right to be king, and thereby gave an opportunity for the Romans to invade Judaea. And so Pompeius came to Jerusalem, captured the city, opened up the temple, and went in as far as the holy of holies. He established Hyrcanus as the high priest, and took Aristobulus away as a prisoner. Then he appointed Antipater, the son of Herodes of Ascalon, to be governor of Palestine.
178. 4 [1952] [not in Ar. ] Libya was bequeathed to the Romans by the will of king Appion.
[not in Ar. ] Horatius Flaccus, the writer of satires and lyric poems, was born to a freedman father at Venusia.
179th OLYMPIAD [=64-61 B. C. ]
179. 1 [1953] [not in Ar. ] Apollodorus of Pergamum, the Greek orator and tutor of Calidius and Augustus, was in his prime.
179. 2 [1954] [not in Ar. ] Pompeius captured Jerusalem and reduced the Jews to tributary status.
179. 3 [1955] [not in Ar. ] The events which Sallustius and Livius relate about Catilina, Cethegus, Lentulus and Cicero as consul, happened at this time.
179. 4 [1956] [not in Ar. ] Cicero was forced into exile for a year, but was received with honour by Plancius.
[not in Ar. ] Pompeius was called "imperator".
180th OLYMPIAD [=60-57 B. C. ]
180. 1 [1957] [1958 in Ar. ] Caesar conquered Lusitania and some islands in the Ocean.
180. 2 [1958] [not in Ar. ] The orator Messala Corvinus and the historian Titus Livius of Patavium were born.
180. 3 [1959] [not in Ar. ] Vergilius was educated at Cremona.
[not in Ar. ] Catullus died at Rome, at the age of 30 years.
180. 4 [1960] [not in Ar. ] The orator M. Calidius was in his prime. He later belonged to Caesar's party in the civil war, and died at Placentia while governing Gallia Togata.
181th OLYMPIAD [=56-53 B. C. ]
181. 1 [1961] Caesar crossed the Rhine and defeated the Germans.
181. 2 [1962] [not in Ar. ] The consul Crassus was captured with his son at Carrhae.
[not in Ar. ] Ventidius was the first Roman general to defeat the Parthians.
181. 3 [1963] [not in Ar. ] Curio, a fluent and popular orator, was in his prime at Rome. He later lost an army in Africa, and was prompted by shame to die rather seek escape.
181. 4 [1964] [not in Ar. ] Vergilius started to wear the toga, and moved to Mediolanum; shortly afterwards, he went off to Rome.
182nd OLYMPIAD [=52-49 B. C. ]
182. 1 [1965] [1962 in Ar. ] The statue of Zeus at Olympia was struck by lightning.
182. 2 [1966] Caesar conquered the Germans and Gauls.
182. 3 * [1967] Cleopatra [became] the 12th [ruler] of Egypt, for 22 years.
[1969 in Ar. ] The beginning of the civil war between Caesar and Pompeius.
182. 4 [1968] [not in Ar. ] Diodorus Siculus, the Greek historian, was in his prime.
[1969 in Ar. ] Gaius Julius Caesar was the first Roman to become sole ruler, and the Roman emperors were called Caesars after him. ["At this time Roman power reached its peak" - Ar. ]
183rd OLYMPIAD [=48-45 B. C. ]
183. 1 * [1969] Gaius Julius Caesar [became] the first [emperor] of the Romans, for 4 years and 6 months [or "5 years" - Ar. ]
[1974 in Ar. ] The inhabitants of Antioch reckon their years from this point.
[not in Ar. ] Pompeius fled [to Egypt] after being defeated in battle, and was killed by the eunuchs of the king of Alexandria.
[not in Ar. ] M. Caelius, a praetor, and T. Annius Milo, an exile, tried to foment revolution simultaneously in Etruria and Bruttium, but were suppressed.
183. 2 [1970] [not in Ar. ] The body of Ptolemy, in a golden breastplate, was discovered in the river Nile.
[not in Ar. ] Caesar established Cleopatra as queen of Egypt, in return for sexual favours.
183. 3 [1971] [not in Ar. ] The Basilica Julia was dedicated at Rome.
[not in Ar. ] The Jews received a decree of the senate and of the Athenians, after seeking an alliance through envoys.
[not in Ar. ] Cleopatra entered Rome with a royal retinue.
[not in Ar. ] Women were forbidden to wear amber and pearls, if they did not have a husband or children, and were under 45 years old.
183. 4 [1972] [not in Ar. ] Nigidius Figulus, the Pythagorean sage, died in exile.
184th OLYMPIAD [=44-41 B. C. ]
184. 1 [1973] [1969 in Ar. ] Antonius passed a decree that the month of Quintilis should be called July, because Julius had been born in that month.
Cassius conquered Judaea and despoiled the temple.
Gaius Julius Caesar was killed in the senate-house on the Ides of March, after which P. Dolabella took up the fasces [became consul].
[not in Ar. ] The body of Caesar was cremated on the rostra, as a mark of honour.
[not in Ar. ] The lawyer Servius Sulpicius and P. Servilius Isauricus were given public funerals.
[not in Ar. ] At Rome three separate suns rose into the sky, and gradually converged into a single circle.
[not in Ar.
] Amongst other portents which occurred throughout the world, in the suburbs of Rome an ox said to a ploughman, "There is no point in pushing me, because it is men, not food, who are going to be in short supply".
184. 2 * [1974] Octavianus Caesar Augustus became the 2nd emperor of the Romans, for 56 years and 6 months; the Roman emperors were called Augusti after him.
[not in Ar. ] Antonius fought a war against Caesar Augustus.
[not in Ar. ] Laberius, the writer of mimes, died at Puteoli 10 months after the death of C. Caesar.
[not in Ar. ] Publius, the Syrian writer of mimes, was the leading dramatist at Rome.
184. 3 [1975] [not in Ar. ] Cicero was killed on his Formian estate by Herennius and Popilius, when he was in his 64th year.
[not in Ar. ] The head and right hand of Cicero were placed in front of the rostra, next to a crowned statue of Popilius, the soldier who had killed him.
[not in Ar. ] According to some, Cicero was killed at Caieta.
[not in Ar. ] Ovidius Naso was born in the territory of the Paeligni.
[not in Ar. ] C. Falcidius, a tribune of the plebs, passed a law that no-one should make such a large bequest in their will as to leave less than a quarter of the estate to their legal heirs.
184. 4 [1976] [not in Ar. ] Curtius Salassus was burnt alive along with four cohorts on the island of Aradus, because he had collected tribute too harshly.
[not in Ar. ] Vibius Maximus, when quaestor designate, was recognised as a slave by his master, who took him away.
[not in Ar. ] In a brothel across the river Tiber, oil burst out of the ground and flowed for a whole day without stopping, signifying the grace of Christ to the gentiles.
[not in Ar. ] Augustus defeated Antonius, but the senate intervened to restore friendship between them.
[not in Ar. ] The poet Cornificius died after being deserted by his soldiers, whom he called "rabbits in helmets" because they frequently ran away from battle. His sister Cornificia wrote some remarkable epigrams, which still survive.
[not in Ar. ] Cassius despoiled the temples of the Rhodians.
[not in Ar. ] The second dispute between Augustus and Antonius.
185th OLYMPIAD [=40-37 B. C. ]
185. 1 [1977] [not in Ar. ] The historian Cornelius Nepos was in his prime.
185. 2 [1978] [1873 in Ar. ] Antigonus was killed after fighting for a long time against the Jews; from his death until the present time, there have been no [legitimate] kings in Jerusalem. Herodes, who was appointed as king after him by the Romans, was a foreigner with no real claim on Judaea.
185. 4 [1980] The two Furnii, father and son, were in their prime as orators; the son became a consul, and died before his father.
186th OLYMPIAD [=36-33 B. C. ]
186. 1 [1981] Sallustius died, four years before the battle of Actium.
186. 2 [1982] M. Varius, the poet whom Vergilius mentions in his Bucolica [Eclogues], died in Cappadocia.
186. 3 [1983] Herodes, the son of Antipater of Ascalon and Cypris of Arabia, was appointed by the Romans to be king of Judaea. At this time, just before the birth of Christ, the kingdom and high priesthood of Judaea, which had been passed from father to son, came to an end, in fulfilment of the prophecy which was spoken through Moses [Genesis, 49'10]: "The sceptre will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs". At this time also the Anointed-rule was completed, as prophesied in the book of Daniel, because the anointed ones, that is the priests, were the rulers of Judaea before Herodes. They ruled from the restoration of the temple in under Dareius, in the 65th Olympiad, up until Hyrcanus in the 185th Olympiad, for a total of 483 years. This is what Daniel referred to when he said [Daniel, 9'25]: "Know and understand this: from the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven 'sevens' and sixty-two 'sevens' ". 69 'sevens' make a total of 483 years, during which the anointed ones, that is the anointed priests, were the rulers. When the last of them, Hyrcanus, was captured by the Parthians, Herodes was appointed by Augustus and the senate to rule over Judaea, which he had no right to. And after Herodes his descendants were kings [of Judaea] up until the final capture of Jerusalem. The high priests were no longer chosen by succession from the priestly families, nor did they serve for the whole of their lives, as laid down in the law of Moses. But first some insignificant men, and then others, purchased the high priesthood from the Romans, for a year or sometimes for a little longer. The prophet Daniel foretold this too, when he said [Daniel, 9'26]: "After the seven and sixty-two 'sevens', the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood". And then he says [Daniel, 9'27]: "And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him".
[1984 in Ar. ] Herodes summoned a certain Ananelus from Babylon and set him up as high priest of the Jews. Shortly afterwards, he replaced him with Aristobulus, the brother of Herodes' wife and grandson [or "son" - Ar. ] of Hyrcanus. A year later Herodes killed Aristobulus and reinstated Ananelus as high priest.
[not in Ar. ] The Romans calculated the course of the moon.
186. 4 * [1984] The rule of the high priests came to an end, and Herodes, a foreigner, became king of the Jews for 37 years.
A treaty between Augustus and Antonius.
[1985 in Ar. ] The Romans founded some colonies.
[1986 in Ar. ] Augustus celebrated a triumph on foot.
[1987 in Ar. ] Antonius assigned Arabia to Cleopatra.
[not in Ar. ] The start of the third dispute between Augustus and Antonius, which arose when Antonius divorced {Octavia} the sister of Caesar and married Cleopatra.
[not in Ar. ] Nicetas, Hybraeas, Theodorus, and Plutio were considered the most eminent teachers of Greek rhetoric.
187th OLYMPIAD [=32-29 B. C. ]
187. 1 [1985] [1988 in Ar. ] Cleopatra and Antonius committed suicide, and Egypt became a Roman province. The first governor of the province was C. Cornelius Gallus, whom Vergilius mentions in the Bucolica [Eclogues].
[1988 in Ar. ] The dynasty called the Lagidae ruled in Egypt for a total of 295 years, up until Cleopatra.
187. 2 [1986] [not in Ar. ] Artorius, the doctor of Augustus, died in a shipwreck after the battle of Actium.
[1989 in Ar. ] Some count this as the first year of Augustus' reign.
187. 3 [1987] [1989 in Ar. ] Caesar was given the name Augustus, and because of this the month of Sextilis was called August.
187. 4 [1988] [1990 in Ar. ] Augustus returned to Rome and celebrated a magnificent triumph. The children of Cleopatra, Sol [Helius] and Luna [Selene], were led before his chariot.
[1989 in Ar. ] The city of Nicopolis was founded near Actium, and the Actian Games were established.
[1991 in Ar. ] Augustus created many laws for the Romans.
188th OLYMPIAD [=28-25 B. C. ]
188. 1 [1989] [1991 in Ar. ] A census was held at Rome, and 4,164,000 Roman citizens were listed.
[1991 in Ar. ] Colonies were founded.
[not in Ar. ] Anaxilaus of Larissa, a Pythagorean wise man, was banished from Rome and Italy by Augustus.
188. 2 [1990] [not in Ar. ] The philosopher M. Terentius Varro died, at the age of about 90 years.
[1992 in Ar. ] Thebes in Egypt was razed to the ground.
[not in Ar. ] The poet Cornelius Gallus of Forum Julii, who as we said above was the first governor of Egypt, committed suicide in the 43rd year of his life.
[1992 in Ar. ] Tralles was destroyed by an earthquake.
188. 3 [1991] [not in Ar. ] The Indians sent envoys to Augustus to ask for a treaty of friendship.
[not in Ar. ] Messala Corvinus was appointed to be the first prefect of the city, but he resigned on the sixth day of his tenure, declaring that such power was oppressive.
188. 4 [1992] [1993 in Ar. ] Augustus reduced Calabria and Gaul [ or "the Galatians" - Ar. ] to tributary status.
[not in Ar. ] Munatius Plancus, a follower of Cicero, was considered an outstanding orator. While he was governor of Gallia Comata, he founded the city of Lugdunum.
189th OLYMPIAD [=24-21 B. C. ]
189. 1 [1993] M. Lollius made Galatia a Roman province.
[1994 in Ar. ] Augustus was offered the title of king, but refused it.
189. 2 [1994] [not in Ar. ] Quintilius of Cremona, the friend of Vergilius and Horatius, died.
189. 3 [1995] Augustus took away the liberty of the citizens of Cyzicus.
[not in Ar. ] Pylades of Cilicia, a performer of mimes, was the first to have a chorus and piper to perform for him, when his predecessor had sung and danced for themselves.
189. 4 [1996] [1995 in Ar. ] Tiberius was sent by Augustus to seize Armenia [ or "the Jews" - Ar. ].
[not in Ar. ] Atratinus, who prosecuted Caelius when he was seventeen years old, was considered an outstanding orator. In the end, he became weary of illness and killed himself in the bath, leaving Augustus as his heir.
190th OLYMPIAD [=20-17 B. C. ]
190. 1 [1997] [not in Ar. ] A revolt of the Cantabri was suppressed.
190. 2 [1998] [1996 in Ar. ] Herodes constructed many great buildings in Jerusalem.
190. 3 [1999] [not in Ar. ] Vergilius died at Brundisium, in the consulship of Sentius Saturninus and Lucretius Cinna. His bones were taken to Neapolis and buried two miles from the city, with the following inscription above them, which he had dictated as he died:
"Mantua gave me birth; the Calabrians took me away; Parthenope
now holds me. I sang of pastures, countryside and leaders. "
190. 4 [2000] [1996 in Ar. ] Herodes completely rebuilt Samaria, which was lying in ashes, and in honour of Augustus he called it Augusta, that is Sebaste. He also built the so-called Panium at Paneas.
[1997 in Ar. ] Augustus granted freedom to the Samians [ or "the Samaritans" - Ar. ].
[1998 in Ar. ] Many parts of the cities in Cyprus were destroyed by an earthquake.
[1998 in Ar. ] The Germans began an armed uprising, but were defeated by M. Lollius.
[not in Ar. ] Varius and Tucca, the associates of Vergilius and Horatius, were considered outstanding poets. They afterwards edited the books of the Aeneid, on the principle that they should add nothing to it.
[only in Ar. ] Tiberius was given the title of Caesar.
191st OLYMPIAD [=16-13 B. C. ]
191.
