Ancient World
Pompey's War Against the Pirates (67 BC): Clearing the Seas
Roman victory; piracy in the Mediterranean was broken within months and Pompey gained the prestige that won him the war against Mithridates.
Region
Middle East
Ancient World
Mount Nemrut: Antiochus I's Tomb-Sanctuary in Commagene
A royal tomb-mound and terraces of colossal statues were built on the summit; the site became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
Ancient World
Battle of Carrhae (53 BC): Parthia Destroys Crassus's Army
Decisive Parthian victory; Crassus was killed, most of his army destroyed or captured, and Rome's eastward expansion was halted at the Euphrates.
Ancient World
Herod the Great: Client King of Judea and Master Builder
Herod ruled Judea as a Roman client king for over three decades, transforming it with monumental buildings; after his death his kingdom was divided among three sons.
Ancient World
Pax Romana (27 BC-AD 180): Two Centuries of Roman Peace
About two centuries of internal stability, trade and urban growth across the Mediterranean world, ending with the frontier wars, plague and political crises of the late second and third centuries.
Ancient World
Caesarea Maritima: Herod's Harbour City on the Coast of Judea
Herod created a major port city that became the capital of the Roman province of Judaea and flourished for centuries.
Ancient World
Crucifixion of Jesus: The Historical Event in Roman Judea
Jesus was executed by crucifixion on the orders of the Roman prefect Pontius Pilate; his followers' belief in his resurrection gave rise to Christianity.
Ancient World
Siege of Jerusalem (AD 70): Destruction of the Second Temple
Roman victory; Jerusalem was captured and largely destroyed, and the Second Temple was burned.
Ancient World
Siege of Masada (AD 73-74): Last Stand of the Jewish Revolt
Roman victory; the fortress fell and, according to Josephus, most of its 960 defenders and their families died by their own hands.
Ancient World
Bar Kokhba Revolt (132-136): The Last Jewish War with Rome
Roman victory; Judaea was devastated, Jews were barred from Jerusalem and the province was renamed Syria Palaestina.
Ancient World
Antonine Plague (AD 165-180): The Epidemic That Shook Rome
A pandemic, probably smallpox, killed millions across the Roman Empire and strained its army, finances and frontiers.
Ancient World
Constitutio Antoniniana (AD 212): Citizenship for All Free Men
Nearly all free inhabitants of the empire became Roman citizens, ending the old divide between citizens and provincials.