Roman Empire timeline (337-476 A.D.)

360-363: Julian the Apostate

350: Huns invade east/push Goths west

376: Huns arrive/Goths pushed into Empire

377-82: Gothic War

378: Battle of Adrianople

382: Goths settled, but not tamed

395-7: Alaric's Revolt

405: Huns push barbarians west again

410: Rome sacked

429: Vandals invade Africa

439: Vandals take Carthage

441-53: Attila the Hun

442: Constantinople pays off Attila

452: Attila in Italy

453: Attila dies

453: Aetius dies setting off final crisis

453-69: Hunnic Empire collapses/Barbarians splinter

455: Rome sacked

455: Barbarian proclaimed emperor

461: Majoran's fleet destroyed in Spain ending invasion of North Africa

468: Eastern invasion fleet defeated-bankruptcy-ends of any chance of restoring Roman Empire in west

474: Constantinople negotiates treaty with the Vandals

476: Western Emperor deposed

476: Odacer becomes king of Italy

Roman Empire timeline (31 B.C.-217 A.D.)

31 B.C.: Battle of Actium

30 B.C.: Cleopatra and Anthony commit suicide

27 B.C.: Octavian becomes Augustus

c. 4 B.C.: Christ is born

9 A.D.: Battle of Teutoburg Forrest

14: Augustus dies/Tiberius becomes emperor

c. 30: Christ is crucified

37: Tiberius dies/Caligula becomes emperor

41: Caligula assassinated/Claudius becomes emperor

43: Invasion of Britain

54: Claudius dies/Nero becomes emperor

61: Boudicca's rebellion

64: Great Fire of Rome

66-70: Jewish Revolt

68: Nero commits suicide

68-69: Year of Four Emperors

79: Mount Vesuvius Erupts

122: Hadrian's Wall

132-35: Second Jewish Revolt

117-180: The Good Emperors

192: Commodus murdered/Throne auctioned off

193: The Year of Five Emperors

217: Caracalla assassinated

History Shorts: Justinian's Plague (541-542)

Justinian reconquered the Western Roman Empire and Europe seemed assured of escaping the Dark Ages. In 541, a pandemic struck the globe unraveling Justinian’s conquests. The plague seems to have originated in China and moved westward killing 25 million. Constantinople was especially hard hit. The disease wiped out 40% of the populace. Research indicates the plague was not the same disease that ravaged Europe in the 14^th century. The plague might have been brought forth by cold, damp weather following a massive volcanic eruption. In the end, the disease decimated the Byzantine Empire and its ability to hold onto Western Europe. As a result, Europe entered the Dark Ages.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mzb5K5M8cgY

History Shorts: Rome Falls (476 A.D.)

The Book of Revelations prophesy about the end of the world came to pass in 476 A.D. That year, the Roman Empire ceased to exist. The empire teetered for a century before finally collapsing. The economy collapsed in the 3^rd century, but it sputtered on. Over time, a series of problems befell the empire. These included falling birthrates, crop failures, a shrinking tax base and military, which allowed barbarians to overrun the empire’s borders.  Barbarians sacked Rome in 410 and 455. Attila the Hun ravaged Italy in the 450s. The military could no longer defeat the invaders. In 476, barbarian leader Flavius Odoacer deposed Emperor Romulus Augustus and proclaimed himself King of Italy. The Western Roman Empire ceased to exist. However, the Eastern Empire continued for another 1000 years.

476 the movie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9g_Mt_xyVg

Overview:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcJPQSTuGQE

The Last Legion:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvXSz6Ssgik

History Shorts: Alaric Sacks Rome (410 A.D.)

The Roman Empire weakened considerably after Constantine moved the capitol to Constantinople in 325. In 378, a barbarian army wiped out the cream of a Roman generation at Adrianople leaving the west exposed to incursions. In 410, the unthinkable happened. The Visigoths sacked Rome. They simply wanted land and a place in Roman society. Arrogant politicians enslaved Visigoth children and fed the people meager rations. In response, Alaric led his people on a punitive expedition against the Romans. It culminated in the sack of the city. For Romans, it must have seemed like the end times.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzqvUnHLwSg

History Shorts: Adrianople (378 A.D.)

The Romans suffered a decisive defeat at Adrianople and never truly recovered. Emperor Valens battled Gothic rebels at Adrianople in Turkey. The Romans suffered 20,000 dead including the emperor.  The defeat left a large enemy force on Rome’s borders. The Eastern half of the empire entrenched and fended off the threat. However, the loss in manpower left the Western half open for the eventual collapse in 476.  

The following is a documentary using video game tech. The film clip I originally picked was removed from the web.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68R_7MoUJfE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR3ttTe5a0k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyi2UnUGhoc

History Shorts: Council of Nicea (325 A.D.)

The Trinitarian issue threatened to rip the early Catholic Church apart. At issue was god’s nature. Some believed in the trinity while others believed it smacked of polytheism.  The Emperor Constantine called a conference to settle the dispute. The Trinitarians won leading the emperor to enforce the decree. The council also created the first portion of the Nicean Creed, calculated Easter’s date, and settled some early canon.

This clip is a dramatization of events:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBszFV90ZSE

History Shorts: The Battle of Milvian Bridge (312 A.D.)

Diocletian’s tetrachy disintegrated after his death. Constantine and others vied for control of the Roman Empire. The Civil War raged until Constantine defeated his final rival at Milvian Bridge. Prior to the engagement, Constantine saw something in the sky, which he interpreted as a sign from the Christian God. He placed the Christian symbol on his men’s shields and went into combat. Following his victory, Constantine credited his victory to the Christian god and legalized the religion.

Here is a dramatization of events:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_P0FZfPlSA

History Shorts: Diocletian becomes emperor (284 A.D.)

The Roman Empire collapsed in the early 3^rd century. Fifty or more emperors claimed the throne over a 50-year period. Finally, in 284, Diocletian ended the civil wars and internal strife. Diocletian split the empire in two with four emperors as governors. However, Diocletian himself was the ultimate authority and the emperor initiated political, military, and economic reforms. He restored stability to the empire, but the economy never recovered.

The first link is a documentary:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apj1cVinudY

The second is a re-enactment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZZK408imak&feature=related

and some death metal:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqrzgNucYQA

History Shorts: The Fall of Parthian Empire (224 A.D.)

Rome and Parthia fought a series on wars and skirmishes for control of the Middle East. The Parthian Empire fell around 224 A.D. It wasn't Rome, but internal and external factors broke the empire apart. Parthia's decline and fall helped open the door for eastern tribes to later invade the Roman Empire. The Sassanid Empire formed in its wake and existed until the Muslim conquest.

The following is from a documentary:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJ_1bshHnD8

Star Trek Timeline: From the Big Bang to the Romans

16 billion years ago: The Big Bang (Some members of the Q hide out here)

5 billion years ago: Sol System forms

4.5 billion years ago: An ancient group of aliens seed the galaxy’s oceans with DNA codes leading to many humanoid races.

3.5 billion years ago: The first amino acids combine on Earth (Picard and Q visit)

1 billion years ago: The Slaver Empire rules the galaxy. All sentient species died in a war which led intelligent life to re-evolve.

65 million years ago: Dinosaurs wiped out. Some survived, evolved into the Voth, leave Earth, and end up in the Delta Quadrant.

600,000 years ago: Tkon Empire collapses

500,000 years ago: Sargon’s people become extinct

22,000 years ago: The Trill begin as a joined species

18,000 years ago: Orion slavery well established by this point.

10,000 years ago: Vaal is built

10,000 years ago: First orbs appear at Bajor

10,000 years ago: Founders found the Dominion

10,000 years ago: The First Grand Nagus writes the Fergengi Rules of Acquisition

4527 B.C.: The Borg come into being after survivors from the NX-02 Columbia are flung back in time and are absorbed by a malevolent Caeliar named Sedin.

4000 B.C.: Advanced aliens kidnap people from Earth and eugenically bred them to help humanity save itself later on. Gary Seven is a product of this program.

3834 B.C.: Flint is born

3733 B.C.: Landru preaches peace and love and creates a computer to help guide his people. It creates an oppressive society on Beta III.

2700 B.C.: Aliens visit Earth and become the Greek gods

2700 B.C.: Spock and McCoy temporarily stranded on Sarpeidon during an ice age.

2500 B.C.: Pyramids built in Egypt

850 B.C. P’Jem Built

800 B.C.: Homer

500 B.C.: Trakor writes prophesies about Bajor’s Prophets

400 B.C.: Sahndara System supernovas. The refugees revere Greek philosophers after apparently encountering them. They move to Platonius and form a civilization based on the Greeks.

323 B.C.: Alexander the Great dies

31 B.C.: Augustus wins at Actium and later forms the Roman Empire

History Shorts: Commodus assassinated (192 A.D.)

The movie, Gladiator, claims Commodus murdered his father, Marcus Aurelius, to take power. According to the plot, Aurelius looked to restore the republic, but this is Hollywood rubbish. In 177, Commodus became co-emperor and assumed the throne by himself after the plague killed his father.

Commodus ruled alone for 12 years. He did fight in the arena and did not appear to be a very good ruler. Details are sketchy, but he apparently ruled in a cruel fashion. An athlete, perhaps a wrestler, maybe a gladiator, assassinated him in a bath. His death is chronicled in the 1964 film The Fall of the Roman Empire and 2000’s Gladiator. In the latter, Maxiumus kills Commodus in the arena.

Following Commodus’ death, the Roman Empire faced nearly a century of political and economic upheaval. Constant civil wars plagued the west and the economy never recovered. In 284, Diocletian finally restored order.


The following is from the classic “The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9misNO8FOQ

History Shorts: The Year of Four Emperors (69 A.D.)

Romans had enough of the self absorbed emperor-cum-artist Nero. The Senate declared him an outlaw and Nero committed suicide rather than be executed in grisly fashion. What followed was a succession of coups. The end result was a year with four emperors. By July 69, Vespasian emerged from the bloodletting to settle the empire and reestablish good government. He reigned for a decade.

The first clip is a description of events. The second is a clip of Galba. The third is a clip of Nero acting a bit loopy. The last clip is Nero singing…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6toq1lYcO4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5Qz7b12344

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cETzMxRqDwY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBIswXv28GI

History Shorts: The Jewish Revolt (66-73 A.D.)

Greek-Jewish tensions over taxation led to a general revolt. Jewish rebels quickly overwhelmed Roman garrisons launching a general war. It took nearly a decade for the Romans to suppress the revolt. In 70, Titus broke resistance in Jerusalem and then moved steadily on other strongholds. The war ended with the fall of Masada.

In the aftermath, Christianity and Judaism split forever. The Christians did not wish to be associated with the unpopular Jewish religion and began playing up the differences between the two groups. At the same time, the Romans inadvertently wiped out Christian leadership in the Holy Land. As a result, Christians in Rome assumed leadership of the religion.

For the Jews, it led to a new Diaspora. Many died, fled, or sold into slavery. Judaism itself went through a reformation. For the first time, Rabbis did not inherit their positions. Lastly, it led to the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. To date, it has not been rebuilt.

The first two links are from a documentary. The final clip is of Massada.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3-jIjrQ1XM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cn9bP06KFs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKe3pXCjCy0

History Shorts: Paul's Conversion (36 A.D.)

Paul of Tarsus persecuted Christians for blasphemy. One day, on the road to Damascus, a vision of Christ blinded him. He converted on the spot and changed the course of history. There are a variety of theories as to what happened to Paul, but what matters is he believed he talked to Christ.

Paul enjoyed Roman citizenship and wealth. As a result, he could travel the empire unencumbered and used his connections to spread the word. Additionally, he reworked Christianity making it more palatable for pagans. For example, he eliminated the need to circumcise new converts. He also argued that salvation came from faith and not works. Paul was executed by the Emperor Nero who needed a scapegoat for the Great Fire of Rome. In 2009, the Vatican announced an excavation of Paul’s tomb, which included carbon dating confirming the remains date to the 1^st century A.D.

The first link is "Saint of Me" by the Rolling Stones. The song mentions St. Paul and tells his story. The second is a cartoon dramatization of Paul's conversion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ej0D0NHfMI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4ZJxb4uW-E

History Shorts: The Crucifixion (c 29 B.C.)

Christ’s crucifixion is a key moment in world history. The Romans used crucifixion to punish treason. Since Christ played the messiah role during Passover, and many believed the messiah would be a military figure like Spartacus, the Romans believed Christ planned a revolt. The key moment was Jesus’ attack on the moneychangers, which demonstrated his potential for violence.

After the execution, Christ’s followers claimed he rose from the dead. The belief in the resurrection is the key concept in Christianity. Whether the Apostles meant Christ physically rose from the dead or that his ideas lived on through them is debatable. Either way, it served as a resistance toward the Romans. To the early Jesus movement, the resurrection, whether physical or otherwise, meant Christ defeated the Romans.

There have been many on screen depictions of the crucifixion. The following is a bit over-the-top, but is probably the most famous.

From The Passion of the Christ:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LILfRem4Q4I

History Shorts: Teutoburg Forest (9 A.D.)

The Battle of Teutoburg Forest, also known as the Varian disaster, took place when a group of unified Germanic tribes ambushed and massacred three Roman legions. Former Roman ally Arminius set up the ambush and stabbed his former friends in the back. Up to 20,000 Romans, under the command of Varius, died. Afterward, the Germans removed Roman forces, forts, and cities east of the Rhine River. The defeat symbolically ended Roman expansion. After the defeat, Augustus wandered his palace wailing, “Quintilius Varus, give me back my legions!” Campaigns against the Germans began anew upon Augustus’ death. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwPvAWMGYsk

History Shorts: The Battle of Actium (31 B.C.)

After defeating Caesar’s assassins, Octavian and Mark Antony went to war for control of the Roman Republic. The final battle between the two occurred on the Ionian Sea near the city of Actium. Marcus Agrippa led Octavian’s navy against Antony and Cleopatra’s fleet. Agrippa secured a dramatic victory when Cleopatra fled the scene followed by Antony in close pursuit. The pair committed suicide rather than be captured by Octavian. Antony and Cleopatra’s death signaled the end of the civil war and over a century of strife within the Roman Republic. Octavian transformed the republic into an empire by allowing democratic institutions to die. No one seemed to care since he brought stability and peace. For his efforts, the people proclaimed him “Augustus.”

The Battle of Actium from Cleopatra:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55QGKfHOJW4

Antony’s death:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH3fQEwedU8

Cleopatra’s death (from another Cleopatra film):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqGmWjowqEs

Octavian’s Triumph (from HBO’s Rome):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duCYRgqxJvk

History Shorts: The Battle of Pharsalus (48 B.C.)

The Roman Senate feared Julius Caesar. His victories in Gaul increased his power and popularity. They already resented him for actions and policies he advocated during his consulship. The Senate moved to eliminate the threat by sending an ultimatum. Rather than submit, and possibly die, Caesar marched his army on Rome. His enemies fled and the republic fell into civil war. Caesar’s opponents, led by Pompey the Great, fled Rome to find a battlefield of their choosing.

Indeed, Caesar met Pompey the Great on the battlefield. Most believed Pompey held the advantage. However, his glory was decades past. Caesar was the future. At Pharsalus, Caesar decisively defeated his opponent. Pompey fled to Egypt. The Egyptians murdered him hoping to curry favor with Caesar. Meanwhile, Caesar attained absolute power in Rome.

The first clip is from the BBC. The second is Pompey’s death from HBO’s Rome.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNgDf5_pgBo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ubzo2TrguoY&feature=related

History Shorts: The Battle of Zama (202 B.C.)

Scipio Africanus studied Hannibal’s tactics and improved upon them. While Hannibal remained in Italy, the Roman general moved on Carthage. Hannibal was recalled to face the Roman invasion. At Zama, Scipio Africanus defeated Hannibal ending the Second Punic War in Rome’s favor. As a result, Rome became the Mediterranean’s preeminent superpower and was set on course for empire.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyIPrck7oXk