The Historical Background
APPENDIX
THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
All dates are B. C. I 06 Birth of Pompey and Cicero. 100 Sixth consulate of Marius. Birth of Julius Caesar. Ca. 100: publication of Meleager's Garland. ca. 97 Birth of Lucretius. 91-89 Social or Marsic War: Rome v. Italian Allies. 89-85 First Mithridatic War. 88 Sulla's march on Rome. Flight of Marius. 88-83 Sulla in the east. 86 Seventh consulate and death of Marius. Athens sacked by Sulla. Mithridates defeated. ca. 84 Birth of Catullus. 83-82 Civil War. 82-79 Dictatorship of Sulla. 73-71 Slave-revolt of Spartacus. Crushed by Crassus and Pompey. 70 First consulate of Pompey and Crassus. Birth of Virgil (Oct. 15) at Andes near Mantua. Ca. 70: arrival at Rome of the Callimachean Parthenius of Nicaea. ca. 69 Birth of Gallus. 67 Defeat of pirates by Pompey. 66 Lex Manilia confers on Pompey the command against Mithridates. 66-63 Pompey in the east. 65 Birth of Horace at Venusia. 63 Consulate of Cicero. Catilinarian conspiracy. Pompey's settlement of the east. Birth of Octavian, later Augustus (63 B.C.-A.D. 14). 60 Formation of first triumvirate: Caesar, Pompey, Crassus. 59 First consulate of Caesar. Birth of Livy at Padua. 58-49 Caesar in Gaul. 56 Conference at Luca: triumvirate renewed. 55 Second consulate of Pompey and Crassus. Ca. 55: birth of Tibullus. 54 Crassus sets out for Parthia. Death of Julia, Caesar's daughter and Pompey's wife. Ca. 54: deaths of Catullus and Lucretius; publication of De Rerum Natura. Birth of Livy. 53 Crassus killed at Carrhae in Parthia. Loss of legionary standards. 52 Third consulate of Pompey. 52-50 Tension between Pompey and Caesar moves Rome to brink of civil war. Publication of Caesar's Gallic Wars. ca. 50 Birth of Propertius. 49 Caesar crosses the Rubicon (Jan. 11) and drives Pompey out of Italy. 49-45 Civil War. 48 Second consulate of Caesar. Battle of Pharsalus (Thessaly). Pompey killed in Egypt. 47 Caesar declared dictator in absentia. 178 APPENDIX
46 Third consulate of Caesar. Defeat of Pompeians in Africa. Suicide of Cato at Utica. 46-44 Dictatorship of Caesar. Publication of Caesar's Civil Wars. 44 Fifth consulate and assassination (March 15) of Caesar. By his will Octavian adopted. First consulate of Antony. 43 First consulate of Octavian. Formation of second triumvirate: Antony, Octavian, Lepidus. Proscriptions: death of Cicero. Birth of Ovid at Sulmona. 42 Consulate of Lepidus (2nd) and Plancus. Deification of Julius Caesar (Jan. I). Battle of Philippi: Brutus and Cassius defeated by Antony and Octavian. 42-38 Composition of Virgil's Eclogues; also Gallus Amores (ca. 40), Sallust Catiline and Jugurtha. 41 Land-confiscations in Italy (including land around Cremona) for I 00,000 veterans of Antony's and Octavian's disbanded legions. 41-40 Perusine War. Antony's wife, Fulvia, and his brother, Lucius Antonius, v. Octavian. 40 Consulate of Asinius Pollio. Treaty of Brundisium, negotiated by Pollio and Maecenas. Reconciliation of Antony and Octavian. Antony marries Octavia. 39 Pollio victorious in Illyricum. 39-36 War with Sextus Pompey. 37 First consulate of Agrippa. Treaty of Tarentum: triumvirate renewed. 37-29 Composition of Virgil's Georgics; also Varro Res Rusticae (37), Horace Epodes and Satires 1 and 2, Sallust Histories, Nepos De Viris lllustribus. 36 Defeat of Sextus Pompey. Victories to Agrippa at Mylae and Naulochus. Lepidus deposed. 36-32 Antony in the east. Marries Cleopatra. Divorces Octavia (32). 34 Second consulate of Antony. 33 Second consulate of Octavian. 32 Plancus deserts Antony for Octavian. Italian oath of allegiance to Octavian. War declared on Cleopatra. Pollio neutral. 31 Third consulate of Octavian. Battle of Actium (Sept. 2): Antony and Cleopatra defeated by Octavian's fleet under Agrippa. 30 Fourth consulate of Octavian. Deaths of Antony and Cleopatra. Annexation of Egypt. Gallus made first imperial prefect of Egypt. Conspiracy of Lepidus, son of triumvir, to assassinate Octavian, detected by Maecenas. 29 Fifth consulate of Octavian. Temple of Janus closed. Octavian celebrates triple triumph (Aug. 13-15) for victories in Illyricum, at Actium and Alexandria. Georgics (dedicated to Maecenas: G. 1.2, 2.41, 3.41, 4.2) read to Octavian at Atella (Suetonius-Donatus Vita 27). Inauguration of temple of Diuus Julius. 29-19 Composition of Virgil's Aeneid; also Varius Thyestes, Propertius Elegies 1-3, Tibullus Elegies I and 2, Horace Odes 1-3 and Epistles I, Ovid Amores, Livy Ab Urbe Condita 1-5. 28 Sixth consulate of Octavian and second consulate of Agrippa. Ca. 28: Gallus recalled in disfavour to Rome. 27 Seventh consulate of Octavian and third consulate of Agrippa. First 'Augustan Settlement': Octavian 'transfers' Republic to Senate (Jan. 13); given pro consular power over Spain, Gaul and Syria (plus continuing consulships). Receives (Jan. 16) title of Augustus (on motion of Plancus); laurel wreath placed over his doorway; golden shield presented to him in recognition of his uirtus, dementia, iustitia and pietas. Death of Varro. 27-24 Augustus in Spain.