Roman Timeline of the 2nd Century AD

Year	Event
101 AD	Start of Emperor Trajan's Dacian Wars against King Decebalus. Battle of Tibiscum.
101 AD	Death of the historian Flavius Josephus.
106 AD	Trajan captures the city of Petra.
106 AD	Annexation of the province of Arabia Petraea by Trajan.
107 AD	The kingdom of Dacia is annexed by Trajan.
109 AD	The Roman writer Tacitus completes The Annals of Imperial Rome and The Histories.
113 AD	Annexation of Armenia as a province by Trajan. Trajan's column is built in Rome. Death of the Roman historian Pliny the Younger, in Bithynia.
114 AD	The Arch of Trajan is completed in Beneventum.
114 - 118 AD	Revolt of the Jews in Cyrenaica, Egypt and Cyprus.
116 AD	Conquest of much of Parthia by Trajan. The Roman Empire reaches its greatest size, 3.5 million square miles, and an estimated 60 million people.
117 AD	Battle of Hatra, Trajan fails in the siege attempt and retires from the eastern campaign.
117 AD	Death of Trajan, accession of Hadrian.
118 AD	Hadrian cancels public debt withdraws from Trajan's eastern conquests and partial withdrawal from Dacia.
120 AD	Death of the great Roman historian Tacitus.
121 AD	Beginning of Hadrian's travels throughout the empire.
121 AD	Birth of the future Emperor Marcus Aurelius in Rome.
122 AD	Death of the Roman historian Suetonius.
122 AD	The construction of Hadrian's Wall is started .
123 AD	The Roman Pantheon is rebuilt by Hadrian. A Moorish revolt takes place in the province of Mauretania.
125 AD	Hadrian returns to Rome.
126 AD	Birth of the Emperor Publius Helvius Pertinax, in the town of Alba Pompeia Liguria.
128 AD	Completion of the original stretch of Hadrian's Wall.
132 AD	The Jewish revolt of Simeon Bar-Kochba takes places.
133 AD	Birth of the Emperor Julianus.
135 AD	Birth of the Emperor Pescennius Niger, in Italy.
135 AD	The Bar-Kochba revolt is suppressed.
138 AD	Death of Hadrian, Accession of Antoninus Pius as the new emperor.
139 AD	The British Brigantes tribe are defeated by Lollius Urbicus.
140 AD	The emperor Antoninus Pius institutes the Puellae Faustinianae, a charity foundation for daughters of the poorer people of Rome.
142 AD	Construction of the Antonine Wall is completed in Caledonia.
145 AD	Birth of the Emperor Albinus, in the town of Hadrumentum.
146 AD	Birth of the future emperor L. Septimius Severus near Leptis Magna, in Africa.
152 AD	Revolts in the province of Egypt.
154 AD	Revolt of the Brigantes.
155 AD	Birth of the historian Dio Cassius, in the city of Nicaea, in Bithynia.
158 AD	Birth of the Emperor Gordian I.
161 AD	Death of the Emperor Antonius Pius. Accession of Marcus Aurelius and co-emperor Lucius Verus. Birth of the Emperor Commodus.
162 AD	The Parthians invade the Roman province of Armenia.
164 AD	Birth of the Emperor Macrinus, in the city of Caesarea.
165 - 166 AD	Avidius Cassius invades Parthia.
165 - 167 AD	An outbreak of the plague (Antonine) throughout the Roman Empire.
167 - 180 AD	Beginning of the Marcomannic and Quadi wars under Marcus Aurelius
167 AD	The plague devastates Rome, killing an estimated tenth of the population.
168 AD	Marcus Aurelius defeats the Marcomanni.
169 AD	Death of L. Verus.
172 AD	An Egyptian revolt is put down by Avidius Cassius.
173 AD	The Marcomanni are again defeated and devastated in the Germanic Wars
174 AD	Marcus Aurelius defeats another Germanic tribe, the Quadi.
175 - 180 AD	Marcus Aurelius writes/completes Meditations.
175 AD	Marcus Aurelius defeats the last of the major tribes in the Germanic war, the Iazyges.
175 AD	A revolt by noted general G. Avidius Cassius against Marcus Aurelius takes place but is quickly suppressed by his own legionaries.
177 AD	Commodus is made joint emperor with Marcus Aurelius.
177 AD	Revolts in Mauretania.
180 AD	Death of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius at Sirmium in Pannonia. Accession of Commodus and end of the era now known as the "5 Good Emperors"
180 AD	Commodus makes peace with the various Germanic and Sarmatian tribes.
183 AD	A plot against Commodus is foiled.
184 AD	In Britannia, the Roman forces led by Ulpius Marcellus lost the Antonine Wall to raiding Caledonians and Picts.
186 AD	A military revolt in Britain is put down by future emperor P. Helvius Pertinax.
188 AD	Birth of the Emperor Caracalla.
188 AD	More military revolts in Germania.
189 AD	Birth of the Emperor Geta in Rome.
190 AD	Birth of the Emperor Decius, who was born near the city of Sirmium.
190 AD	Death of Praetorian Prefect M. Aurelius Cleander.
190 AD	Revolts in Africa are suppressed by P. Helvius Pertinax.
192 AD	Assassination of the Emperor Commodus. Birth of the Emperor Gordian II.
192 AD	Imperial archives in Rome are destroyed by fire.
193 AD	P. Helvius Pertinax is hailed as the new emperor of Rome. Later killed by the Praetorian Guard after ruling for only 87 days.
193 AD	Emperor Julianus buys the position of emperor from the praetorians sparking civil war. Later executed after a 66 day rule.
193 AD	Septimus Severus is proclaimed as emperor of Rome, as is Pescennius Niger and Clodius Albinus.
193 AD	Completion of the Column of Marcus Aurelius, in honor of his victories over the Marcomanni.
194 AD	Battles between the forces of Pescennius Niger and Septimus Severus near the city of Cyzicus and Nicea. Severus victorious at Issus.
195 AD	Birth of the Emperor Valerian. Death of the Emperor Pescennius Niger, who was captured and killed by troops of Septimus Severus.
195 AD	The new Emperor Septimus Severus brings the Parthians and Adiabenians under Roman authority.
196 AD	The city of Byzantium is sacked by Emperor Septimus Severus after a long siege.
197 AD	Clodius Albinus meets Severus in battle at Lugdunum and Albinus is defeated and killed. Severus stands as the lone emperor.
198 AD	Capture of the Parthian capital of Ctesiphon by Emperor Septimus Severus, who re-annexed the province of Mesopotamia which had previously been lost.

Roman Timeline of Events - Table of Contents

Did you know...
The series of five emperors of the Roman Empire who ruled in the 2nd century A.D is commonly refered to as "The five good Emperors". The five emperors were known for their moderation and their reign corresponds to the period known as the Pax Romana. Lasting from AD 96 to 180, these emperors were Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius.