1st century BC

◍ Open on the globe

100 BC – 1 BC · 10 events

What happened around the world

Europe

73 BC–71 BC Spartacus' revolt — A gladiator leads Italy's slaves against Rome
58 BC–50 BC Caesar's conquest of Gaul — Alesia wins Caesar the loyal army he turns on Rome
44 BC Assassination of Julius Caesar — Senators kill the dictator and doom the Republic instead
31 BC Battle of Actium — Octavian beats Antony and Cleopatra and takes Egypt
27 BC Octavian becomes Augustus — The Republic keeps its facade as the Roman Empire is born

Middle East

53 BC Battle of Carrhae — Parthian archers destroy Crassus and halt Rome's eastward push
c. 4 BC Nativity of Jesus — The Gospel story behind the Anno Domini calendar

Africa

30 BC Death of Cleopatra — Egypt falls to Rome and the Ptolemaic line ends

Asia

c. 91 BC Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian — Sima Qian sets the model for all of China's official histories

Americas

36 BC Earliest Long Count date — First record of the calendar the Maya would later use

Who ruled

China: dynasties: Han 202 BC – 220
Rome and Byzantium: Roman Republic 509 BC – 27 BC, Augustus 27 BC – 68

Largest states