• ARISTOBULUS III (King HEROD's 17-year old brother-in-law) becomes High Priest in Jerusalem.

• HANANEL becomes Jewish High Priest in Jerusalem.

King HEROD defeats the Nabatean Arabs and annexes Esbus.

Earthquake shakes Jerusalem and destroys Qumran (Mesad Hasidim, 'Stronghold of the Pious').
September 2: Near Actium (off North Western Greece) – HEROD's Roman patron MARK ANTONY is defeated (with CLEOPATRA who escapes) by Admiral AGRIPPA for OCTAVIAN (AUGUSTUS) in a great naval battle. (AUGUSTUS later founds a city near this naval encounter named Nicopolis, 'city of victory').

OCTAVIAN adds Gaza, Gadara, Hippus, and some coastal cities, to HEROD's territory, after confirming his kingship.
• JESHUA (Aramaic version of Joshua, son of PHABES) becomes High Priest in Jerusalem.
In Palestine – A Sabbath year for the land.

In Rome – OCTAVIAN celebrates his victory at Actium (31BC/BCE) with a great triumphal procession.
In Dacia – MARCUS CRASSUS of Rome's great Licinian family leads a military campaign against the Dacians (north of the Danube).
In Palestine – HEROD executes his wife MARIAMNE in a fit of jealousy stoked by his sister SALOME.

January 16: In Rome – OCTAVIAN, at a meeting with the Roman Senate, shrewdly renounces all his powers and territories and hands control over them to the Senators and the Roman people.
In response, the Senate grants him the right to stand for the consulship, and allow a fellow consul to put forward his candidacy alongside him, giving the appearance that the Roman Republic had been restored.
The Senate also grants OCTAVIAN an 'extended' province of Gaul (France), Syria, Egypt, and Cyprus for ten years under his control (areas containing most of Rome's military legions).
In Egypt – An earthquake causes damage to a number of buildings,

In Eastern India – The Andhra dynasty replaces the Kanva dynasty, and rules.
In Rome – Imperator CAESAR AUGUSTUS becomes Consul for the eighth time and his partner TITUS STATILIUS TAURUS becomes Consul for the second time.
Politician and poet GAIUS CORNELIUS GALLUS dies (b.70 BC).
In Athens – DIOTEIMUS ALAIEUS is one of the city's Archons.

• SIMON (son of BOETHUS) becomes Jewish High Priest in Jerusalem.
A Sabbath Year of the land in Palestine.
In Rome – Unease of the increasing autocracy of OCTAVIAN is neutralised by him persuading the Senate to make him a tribune, a representative protector of the Roman Republic.

In Jerusalem – HEROD the Great (president of the Olympic Games) begins a complete remodeling of the Jewish Second Temple, including the fort Baris which he renames Antonia after MARK ANTONY.
King HEROD now takes control of the Jewish High Priest's vestments.
Cities of Panias and Gaulanitis are placed under his rule and he rebuilds Samaria (Shomron) and names it 'Sebaste' (Greek form of 'Augustus') after OCTAVIAN.

In Rome – OCTAVIAN formally takes the name AUGUSTUS ('revered'/'sacred'), and changes the fixed speaking order in the Senate to allow random discussion. He also imposes fines for non-attendance, and limits compulsory Senate meetings to twice a month. (Baker 2006:166).
AUGUSTUS negotiates a treaty with Parthia and the captured Roman military standards are returned. (See 55 BC/BCE). The standards are brought back to Rome as a victory, placed in the temple of Mars the Avenger, and a triumphal arch is dedicated.

May 30: In Rome – At the top of the Aventine hill (by arrangement of AUGUSTUS) priests receive the First Fruits from the citizens, for distribution during the Games, and in return distribute to them sulphur, tar and torches to be burnt by every citizen in a private cleansing ritual before the Games (reputedly held only every 110 years).
May 31 to June 3: In Rome – The 'Games of the Ages' is first celebrated in three days of visually impressive sacrifices at the city's temples – to Diana (goddess of fertility and childbirth), to Mother Earth (goddess of vegetation, regrowth and bountiful produce) by sacrifice of a pregnant sow, to Apollo (god of peace and art), and to Jupiter (Rome's patron god), rather than the gods of the underworld previously celebrated. (Baker 2006:179).
This is then followed by seven days of chariot races, Latin and Greek theatre tragedies and comedies, stunt riding, animal hunting and mock battles. On the last day a special song is presented to the citizens by two choirs dressed in white (representing victory); a choir of twenty-seven boys , and a choir of twenty-seven girls.

In Palestine – a Jewish Sabbath Year for the land.

An edict by Roman emperor AUGUSTUS confirms the right of Jews to send their shekel to the Jerusalem Temple.

AUGUSTUS sends his military legions across the Rhine to invade 'Germany' under his commander Drusus as far as the river Weser, and by 9BC/BCE they advance through the territory of the Cherusci and reach the Elbe.

The Germanic tribe Batavi are his ally.

In Palestine – a Jewish Sabbath Year for the land.

Some have speculated that a planetary conjunction of Jupiter (signifying 'king') and Saturn (signifying 'Palestine') was the "star" of Bethlehem seen by the Wisemen from the East, to move them to travel to Jerusalem (over more than a year, according to Herod's calculation for his mass infanticide) in search of Israel's new-born king, but this is unlikely for the following reason.

End June: In Jerusalem – ZACHARIAH the priest is visited in the Temple during his priestly service by the angel GABRIEL regarding the coming conception and birth of his son, JOHN (the Baptist).
c.December: The same GABRIEL informs MARY (virgin daughter of HELI, and the granddaughter of MATTHAT) that she will conceive by the power of God, and that her aged cousin ELIZABETH (wife of Zechariah the priest) is already six-months pregnant.

February: A massing of three planets occurs in the constellation Pisces, when Jupiter, Mars and Saturn come within 8 degrees of each other, which some suspect may have been the Magi's 'star'. (This event occurs only once every 800 years, approximately, and would have had great significance to the astronomers/astrologers of the time). (See: March, 5 BC).

March: Chinese records indicate a nova at this date, in southern Aquila, which some suspect may have been the star of the Magi but this does not explain the conclusion of the Magi about its meaning.

c.End March: JOHN THE BAPTIST's birth; his father ZECHARIAH is healed of his dumbness when he asserts the child's name as given by the angel of God, and he is filled with the Spirit and prophesies about his child.

c.April: JOSEPH, engaged to the young virgin MARY (Mariamne), finds that she is pregnant and being righteous decides to (privately) legally end their engagement to marry, but is then told in a dream by God's angel –

Late September: MARY, daughter of HELI of the tribe of Judah, gives birth to JESUS in a stable in a cave behind the Bethlehem inn.

Magi (probably Zoroastrian) react to an astrological sign of the birth of a Jewish king and set out for Jerusalem, the capital city of the Jews. (Catacomb depictions of these Magi show them in Persian clothing).

c.Year end: Magi from the East arrive at HEROD's court in Jerusalem to honour a new-born Jewish king, but are redirected through the Scripture prophecy in Micah 5:2 to Bethlehem.
They visit child JESUS in a Bethlehem house, leave gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh;
   Warned in a dream, the Magi return to their land without informing HEROD. (Matthew 2:12).
Warned in a dream, JOSEPH evacuates MARY and the child JESUS to Egypt (Matthew 2:13), probably financed by the Magi's gifts.

Jerusalem – To protect his dynasty, King HEROD orders the killing of all boy children under two-years-old in the Bethlehem district, according when the Magi's 'star' had appeared (Matthew 2:16; Jeremiah 31:15). This act of Herod is consistent with his brutal behaviour in March the following year a few weeks before his death.

March 13: King HEROD removes MATTHIAS as High Priest for possible complicity in the destruction of the great golden eagle which HEROD had placed over the main entrance to the Jerusalem temple.

Jericho, near King Herod's residence – The two rabbis, JUDAS and MATTHIAS, who incited destruction of the golden eagle, and at least 40 of their disciples who had carried it out, are burned alive. This night there is an eclipse of the moon (Josephus Ant.17.6).

c.End March or early April: King HEROD the Great dies, five days after executing his own son ANTIPATER (first child of his first wife, DORIS).

Jewish factions revolt, but order is restored by the Roman legate of Syria VARUS who takes command of Judea, Samaria and Galilee, crucifying thousands and selling many into slavery.
Rome re-establishes governance and divides HEROD's kingdom among his sons:

In Judaea – JOSEPH returns with MARY and child JESUS from Egypt, but after hearing that ARCHELAUS' rules in Judaea he is warned in a dream and settles in their hometown Nazareth in Galilee instead of Bethlehem (Matthew 2:19-22). (See March, 3 BC)

the Jordan Valley, near the Dead Sea – The Qumran settlement of dissident Judaism is rebuilt and occupied.
• ELEAZAR (son of BOETHUS) becomes High Priest in Jerusalem.

c.March: In Jerusalem – HEROD's son ARCHELAUS kills 3000 Jews in the Temple and surrounding area at Passover who resist his rule (Josephus Wars. 2.6.2). He travels to Rome to be formally awarded rule over Judaea.

Pentecost: Judaea is 'full of robberies'. This is probably the time referred to by Josephus when ATHRONGES, a false Jewish Messiah, and his four brothers cause much violence and take many lives (Josephus Ant. 17.278-284).

administrator VARUS of Syria re-establishes peace and crucifies 2000 of the worst offenders (Josephus Ant. 17.10; Wars 2,4,3), and confiscates about 400 talents from the Temple treasury (Josephus Wars. 2,3).

• JESHUA (son of SEE) becomes Jewish High Priest.

September 11: Date for the birth of JESUS according to ROY A. REINHOLD of the Messianic-Judaism sect, using the false equidistant-letter-skip method of abusing Holy Scripture for 'Bible Codes', and so placing the Christ's conception as 13 December 4 BC/BCE.

In Palestine – A Jewish Sabbath year for the land.

Caesar AUGUSTUS issues a decree permitting all Jews within the Roman Empire to follow their own customs: that is – meet in synagogues; send money to Jerusalem; be exempt from any civic activity that would violate their sabbath or their consciences. (Josephus Ant.16:162-5).
"Caesar Augustus, pontifex maximus, holding the tribunician power, proclaims:

On land, the famous Roman road network was primarily designed to speed the movement of couriers and armies
(trade was a secondary consideration).

But even a good road is only really usable by day; horses and riders tire out.
River communications were preferred where possible for the same reason sea travel was preferred.

One of the reasons Rome became politically less and less important in the later Empire was the impossibility of managing wars across the Rhine or the Danube with several weeks of inescapable communications lag:
forward headquarters like Trier, Milan, and Sirmium became the real 'capitals' of the empire since the emperors had to spend so much time there rather than in Rome.

Jews comprise about ten-percent of the population of the Roman Empire.
In Germania – Roman General TIBERIUS, under order of Emperor AUGUSTUS, quells revolts (1–5).
In Rome – GAIUS CAESAR and LUCIUS AEMILIUS PAULLUS are appointed as consuls.
In Athens – AREIUS PAIANEIUS becomes Archon.

In Germania – Five German tribes are unified by MARBOD, King of the Marcomanni. The unification of these tribes represents a direct threat to Rome in the area that will later become Silesia and Saxony.
In Rome – The rule of Emperor AUGUSTUS is renewed for a ten-year period.
LUCIUS AELIUS LAMIA and MARCUS VALERIUS MESSALLA MESSALLINUS are appointed as consuls
In Athens – MENNEAS becomes Archon.

In Rome – Emperor Caesar AUGUSTUS summons TIBERIUS to Rome, and names him as his heir and future emperor.

In Rome: A young senator, EGNATIUS RUFUS, insists on standing as an independent candidate for consulship, with popular support.
But he is tried and executed for 'conspiracy', because his candidacy was not approved by AUGUSTUS and he refused to withdraw his nomination. (Baker 2006:167).

The (politically hybrid) 'Fourth Beast' of Daniel 7:7 (Roman rule) has now fully arrived, with –

annual salary of a Roman soldier is now fixed at 900 sesterces, with the promise of a pension of 12,000 sesterces upon retirement from the army. (Minimum subsistence for a peasant family is estimated at 500 sesterces per annum about this time). The Roman army is estimated to now consume half the total annual budget of the Roman Empire.

• JOAZAR (son of BOETHUS) becomes High Priest in Jerusalem.
King ARCHELAUS antagonises his Jewish subjects and they appeal to Rome.
SIMON the Essene interprets ARCHELAUS' dream. ARCHELAUS is deposed accordingly, by Rome, and exiled to Gaul.

is annexed by Emperor AUGUSTUS and becomes part of the Roman province of Syria.

• ANNAS (son of SETH) is appointed high priest by Senator QUIRINIUS, Roman legate of Syria.
COPONIUS becomes the Roman governor (procurator) of Judaea.

JUDAS the Galilean (Judas of Gamala), with ZADOK the Pharisee, found the Zealots (a theocratic-nationalist sect) and revolt against the Roman tax census. (Many years later, after the birth of Christianity, GAMALIEL I makes reference to the end of this JUDAS' in his advice to the Jewish Sanhedrin regarding the Christian leaders whom they had arrested; Acts 5:37).

In Rome – Emperor AUGUSTUS banishes Rome's famous poet OVID to the frontier town of Tonis (now Constantia) on the Black Sea (at the time a miserable frontier post) for his licentious influence among the people expressed in his poem 'The Art of Love' (Baker 2006:180).

April 29, Passover: In Jerusalem – JESUS of Nazareth visits the Temple at age 12 (He turned 12 c.September 8AD/CE), questions the Jewish Bible teachers, and asserts to His parents the absolute priority of His relationship to God. (Luke 2:46-49).

In Rome – The Roman law Lex Papia Poppaea completes the Leges Juliae/Julian Laws, imposing penalties (under influence of AUGUSTUS) for celibacy and childlessness in an effort to increase the Roman population.

central Europe (Germany) – in the Teutoberg Forest, German forces under ARMINIUS (HERMAN), chief of the Cherusci people and most of the Chaici, Maroboduus, and Macromanni Teutonic tribes, to ambush and destroy three Roman legions (17th, 18th, and 19th).under PUBLIUS QUINTILIUS VARUS. About 30,000 Roman legionaires are massacred, but some of the senior Roman officers are taken captive to offer in human sacrifice to the German god Donar. VARUS commits suicide.

---

See: very useful digital map of the ancient Roman world

TO PREVIOUS PAGE

Israel's Right to Canaan/Palestine

TO TIME-LINE GUIDE

The Victim Mentality Cycle

TO NEXT PAGE

---

FOR A ROUGH TRANSLATION SIMPLY SELECT A LANGUAGE