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Mark, a disciple of Peter, wrote his Gospel in Rome; the Gospel that has come down to us is actually an anonymous work, probably written posthumously.

Martyrdom of Peter in Rome

China. World’s first iron suspension bridge.

Passage of a bright comet. The Romans linked it to the death of Seneca, forced to commit suicide by Nero. In fact, while everyone else interpreted comets astrologically, Seneca himself said that comets couldn’t care less about what happens to us on Earth. Bravo, Seneca!

Matthew the apostle wrote his gospel in Aramaic (which was later lost)

Fire of Rome. On July 18, 64 AD, a fire broke out in Rome, quickly spreading from the market area to the city center. When the flames were finally extinguished, over a week later, nearly two-thirds of Rome was destroyed. Emperor Nero took advantage of

Britain. The region under Roman control is pacified by the new governor Quintus Veranius Nepos, through the construction of a network of forts, roads, and military camps.

Nero is Roman Emperor

Britain. Caratacus, leader of the rebels against the Romans, takes refuge in Wales and leads the revolt. Defeated by the Romans under governor Publius Ostorius Scapula, he flees to the territory of the Brigantes, whose queen Cartimandua is allied with the Romans, but whose husband

The Romans subjugate Wales

The Romans conquer southern England and the Midlands

Africa. Roman exploratory mission (Paulinus) through Morocco and Mauretania.

Pontius Pilate, procurator of Roman Judea, appointed prefect by Emperor Tiberius. In addition to the famous historical case of the Teacher of Nazareth, he had to deal with several cases of revolts and riots.

In Mauritania the rebel Tacfarinas is defeated by the Romans

Africa. Roman exploratory mission (Balbus) through Algeria and Mali.

The Roman commander Germanicus, nephew of Tiberius, undertakes a campaign against the Cherusci of Arminius, to avenge the defeat in the Teutoburg Forest; crops and pagan temples are burned, thousands of people are killed, including women and children, and the remains of comrades-in-arms are found;

The entire human race weighs only two-thirds of all the bison in North America, and less than one-eighth of all the elephants in Africa. After 20 centuries, the human race will weigh 350 times all the world’s bison and elephants combined, and more than ten

There are 250 million people in the world

(the year 0 AD or 0 BC does not exist)

Conjunction in the sky of Venus and Jupiter in the constellation of Leo: the two planets are prospectively very close (very few arc minutes) looking towards WNW after sunset; they could represent the famous “star” (“aster” in the original Greek) of the Magi kings in

Birth of Jesus Christ (Yeoshua ben Yosef) in Bethlehem, according to the Gospel of Matthew (which describes Herod as alive and in office); this date, however, contradicts the Gospel of Luke.

Herod the Great, the last king of Palestine, dies. His kingdom is divided by Octavian, who had meanwhile become Emperor Augustus, among three of his sons. The Herodian dynasty remains a faithful collaborator of Rome for three generations in the Near East.

Augustus reorganized the territory of the Roman Empire in the Italian peninsula, dividing it into 11 regions: Lazio, Apulia and Calabria, Lucania and Bruzio, Sannio, Piceno, Umbria, Etruria, Emilia, Liguria, Venice and Istria, Transpadania

Drusus, after reaching the river Lippe, beyond the Rhine, dies during the military campaign and is replaced by his brother Tiberius.

A military operation begins, led by Drusus, stepson of Augustus, to extend the borders of the Roman Empire beyond the Rhine River

Tiberius and Drusus extend the borders of the Roman Empire to the banks of the Danube.

Augustus is Roman Emperor

The Senate grants Octavian the title of Augustus, Emperor of Rome

Virgil writes the Aeneid

During the Roman occupation of Egypt, the cult of Isis (or Queen of Heaven, or Star of the Sea), wife of Osiris and mother of Horus, spread.

Cleopatra takes her own life after her forces are defeated by Octavian’s forces

Battle of Actium: Antony, along with his ally and lover Cleopatra VII of Egypt, suffers a total defeat at the hands of the Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus (Octavian); Cleopatra commits suicide by biting an asp.

Mark Antony defeats the army of the rebel Sextus Pompeius at Miletus

Mark Antony marries Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, and thus begins the conflict with Octavian.

Sextus Pompeius, son of Pompey the Great, was granted Corsica, Sardinia, and Sicily.

The alliance between Octavian and Mark Antony is renewed, with Mark Antony marrying Octavia, Octavian’s sister.

Israel. Hyrcanus II is overthrown by Antigonus, son of Aristobulus, with the help of the Parthians. The Roman partisan front disbands. Herod flees to Rome.

Syria. The legions of the Roman Ventidius confront the Parthians. Now, after the disaster at Carrhae, the Romans have, in addition to their infantry, strong contingents of cavalry and new contingents of slingers, who hurl lead acorn missiles to pierce enemy armor. The Parthian retreat

Mark Antony goes to Egypt and forms an alliance with Cleopatra

Antony and Octavian defeat the army of conspirators led by Brutus and Cassius at Philippi (Thrace) who commit suicide

The Battle of Modena: it took place during the so-called War of Modena, between the troops loyal to the Senate of the consuls Gaius Vibius Pansa and Aulus Hirtius, supported by the legions of Caesar Octavian, and the Caesarian legions of Mark Antony, who had

The War of Modena. Octavian, 18, great-nephew of Julius Caesar, defeats Decimus Brutus, who had locked himself within the city walls. Near the bridge of Sant’Ambrogio sul Panaro (but at the time, Sant’Ambrogio had not yet been built… so the bridge, I imagine, had another

Modena. Cicero delivers a speech to dissuade the Senate and Antony from besieging the city.

Modena. Brutus is barricaded in the city, defended by solid perimeter walls. Outside is Antony with his army, and on the Via Emilia, Octavian, a great-nephew of Julius Caesar, approaches.

Brutus’ letter, written from Modena, arrives in Rome, from which he intends to govern Roman Gaul on behalf of the Senate.

Modena. Piazza Grande. Brutus delivers a speech that ends with: “You, dearest Modena, will preserve the greatness of Rome for centuries.” Brutus intends to govern Roman Gaul from Modena on behalf of the Senate.

Passage of a bright comet. It is sighted and noted in Europe by the Romans (who link it to the death of Caesar) and in China.

Caesar defeats an army of Pompeians at Thapsus, Cato commits suicide

Israel. By Caesar’s will, the Idumean Antipater, junior to Hyrcanus II, is appointed viceroy of Judea. A nationalist movement led by the Galilean Hezekiah ignites against him. Herod, Antipater’s son, crushes the revolt.

Caesar leaves Alexandria and arrives in Pontus, where King Pharnaces had attempted to occupy it; he quickly defeats his rival and communicates the news to the Senate with the famous phrase: “I came, I saw, I conquered.”

Caesar reaches Pompey in Greece and defeats him at Pharsalus; Pompey flees to Egypt but is killed by King Ptolemy; Caesar does not approve of this fact and dethrones Ptolemy in favor of his sister, Cleopatra.

Caesar, disobeying the Senate’s orders, crosses the Rubicon with his army and Pompey, who was following the Senate’s order, takes refuge in Greece; the Senate confers the title of dictator on Caesar.

At Carrhae, in Mesopotamia, Parthian horse archers (hippotoxotai) defeat the Roman legions of Marcus Crassus, part of the triumvirate with Julius Caesar and Pompey the Great. The Parthians are led by Surena, a member of the highest Parthian nobility. The outcome of the battle is

Crassus dies in battle

Caesar conquers Gaul (Aquitaine, Celtica, Belgica) and Numidia (Algeria) and attempts a landing in Britain but immediately retreats

Julius Caesar, having arrived on the left bank of the Rhine, has his engineers build a bridge over the river which is completed in just ten days; as soon as he crosses the river with 40,000 soldiers, the Germans, superior in strength by a factor

The First Triumvirate: Pompey, Caesar, Crassus

Israel. Pompey the Great intervenes to settle the dispute between Aristobulus II and Hyrcanus II: he besieges the Temple of Jerusalem and, after occupying it, violates its holy of holies. Thus ends the Jewish independence won by the Maccabees, and Roman power is established.

Rome’s intervention in Syria

Palace of Nimrud, Mesopotamia, now Iraq. Someone used a crystal lens for magnifying. It was discovered centuries later and is now preserved at the British Museum in London. Seneca also mentioned this instrument. But it would be another 14 centuries before we had eyeglasses as

After the defeat of Spartacus, the Romans crucified 6,000 captured rebels, lining them up along the Appian Way from Capua to Rome (160 km). Their rotting bodies were left on the crosses for several years to come.

The city of Teotihuacan was founded and prospered for seven centuries, until 600 AD. During these centuries, it was a magnificent and sophisticated city, easily comparable to Rome. The population was approximately 100,000, while the surrounding areas were inhabited by a million. After an initial

First document mentioning the church of San Pietro in Modena, built as a temple to Jupiter. Prèmm docummeint ch’al descàr ed la Cèsa ed San Pèder, costruzionida sover ed un teimp ed Giove.

Hipparchus: planetary motion with deferent circle and epicycle and precession of the equinoxes

First diplomatic relations between China and Mithridates II, King of the Parthians.

Hipparchus of Nicaea discovers the phenomenon of the precession of the equinoxes

Theodosius of Bithynia investigates the geometry of the sphere

The Romans founded the colony of Mutina (later Modena); The historian Livy recounts the founding of Mutina (Modena). It was 183 BC (571 AD after the founding of Rome) when three magistrates (the triumvirs) were tasked by the Roman Senate with founding two cities in

The Romans built the Via Emilia thanks to the consul Aemilius Lepidus, the region formerly called Cisalpine Gaul took the name of “Emilia” (the Regio VIII Aemilia, with Augustus); the Via Emilia must have been traced on an ancient trade route due to the Umbrians

In India, the crucible technique was invented to produce stainless steel called Wootz steel: it is made in closed and sealed crucibles in which iron, carbon and glass are placed which, by melting, absorbs the impurities and then floats on the molten steel.

First detailed leprosy epidemic.

China. First porcelains. Made during the Han Dynasty. The recipe was kept secret for 19 centuries, until 1704, when it was replicated in Europe. It involves a particular form of kaolin and several other ingredients, such as quartz and feldspar, which creates a type of

Second Punic War (Hannibal crosses the Alps and descends into Italy as far as Crotone and returns to Africa)

Modena. The Romans begin construction of the city walls. The work will last 35 years and will be completed in 183 BC.

Tuscan Apennines. The Roman general Claudius Martellus defeats the Gauls at Talamone and then pursues them along the Apennine valleys, taking the war into Cisalpine Gaul (present-day Po Valley), finally triumphing at Casteggio, near the Po River.

Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India. The Pillar of Ashoka is a fragment of a column, with carvings that tell of the reign of Ashoka the Great, a pluralistic and nonviolent government that held the happiness of the people, respect, and consideration for all, in high regard.

Eratosthenes (director of the library of Alexandria) computed the terrestrial meridian at 25,000 stadia (46,250 km) based on the distance Alexandria-Syene and on the shadow of a pole in Alexandria at the summer solstice when the sun is at its zenith in Syene.

First “Indian” numbers from 1 to 10: Northern India

Apollonius Pergeus studies conic sections

Eratosthenes of Cyrene (now Shahat in Libya)