5 Years that Changed Rome?

In the history of a city that spanned fourteen centuries of time, culture and geography, how do you pick five years that changed the city of Rome. Surely for every year picked there are twelve different solar cycles that could be highlighted as being a more significant step change for the Romans?

This list is of course subjective. How could five years out of twelve hundred be anything but? However, the years listed here had a significant enough affect on the history of Rome to be highlighted.

Cincinnatus Quits - 458 BC

Statue of Cincinnatus in Cincinnati

In 458 BC the Romans were expanding outwards from the immediate surroundings of their city, which brought them into contact with their neighbours, in particular the Aequi and the Sabines. When Roman troops were caught in a trap, the Senate agreed to name a Dictator to save their troops.

As the apocryphal tale goes, the members of the Senate came across Cincinnatus plowing his fields, hailing him dictator, Cincinnatus assembled an army defeated the Aequi. Forcing them to march under the yoke. Cincinnatus,

"resigned on the sixteenth day of the dictatorship which had been conferred upon him for six months"

Livy History of Rome Book 3 Chapter 29

The year is important to the Romans not for the events that took place in it, but for the precedent that it set. During the troubled years of the first century BC, the precedent of Cincinnatus as the dictator, the man who gave up ultimate power when it was in grasp, was one that rang loud. 

Battle of Cannae - 216 BC

In 216 BC, Hannibal the great general of Carthage and scourge of the Romans, crushed a larger Roman army at the Battle of Cannae. The Romans confidently having amassed a third army after defeats at Trebia and Lake Trasimene.

Hannibal's tactics were simple in hindsight. Putting his weaker forces in the middle of the line and his Carthaginian fighters on the wings, the middle of his forces slowly fell back. The Roman army pressing forwards was soon enveloped on the flanks by the stronger Carthaginian forces and crushed in a pincer move.

The year is significant as perhaps Rome's lowest point. Heavily defeated by the Carthaginians in Italy for the third time, several allies defected, to the point where

"The Carthaginians by this action became at once masters of almost all the rest of the coast"

Polybuis Book 3 Chapter 117

This could of been the end of Rome, Hannibal had defeated eight consular armies, which is sixteen legions. However it was also the point were Rome turned the tide. Raising smaller armies the Romans took the fight back to the Carthaginians, until ultimately they defeated them and were free of their major rival.

Macedonian War - 168 BC

Rome had been dabbling in Greece for several years. First moving east against Greece during the second Punic War, when Philip V allied himself with the Carthaginians and again during the events of the Second Macedonian War.

However after the Battle of Pydna, when the Romans decisively beat the Macedonian forces, Rome established a permanent presence in Greece.  Every step East that the Roman legions took east throughout their history, were only possible because of this first step in 168 BC.

Battle of Actium -31 BC

31 BC saw the final battle take place between the forces of Augustus and Mark Anthony, off the coast of Greece. Set up to be a huge naval fight, the battle wasn't quite the decisive battle is should of been, due to Cleaopatra and Mark Anthony fleeing.

"At Actium his fleet held out for a long time against Caesar, and only after it had been most severely damaged by the high sea, which rose against it did it reluctantly, and at the tenth hour give up the struggle"

Plutarch Life Of Anthony Chapter 68

This year is traditionally seen as the fall of the Roman Republic, and the start of Augustus as the sole "ruler" of an empire that would last four hundred years.

Adoption of Trajan by Nerva - AD 97

Emperor Nerva

After being risen to power by the Senate after the assassination of the final Flavian Emperor Domitian in AD 96, it is the following year of AD 97 that was the significant year. An old man and with no clear successor in place, the Roman fear of civil war was always a possibility.

In AD 97 the Praetorian Guard stormed the Imperial Palace,

"incited the soldier to mutiny against him, 

after having induced them to demand certain persons for execution"

Cassius Dio Book 68 Chapter 4

Submitting to their demands Nerva's position as Emperor was weak, and so he took the action of adopting the popular general Trajan as his successor.

This year is remarkable for two reasons, one the Praetorians mutinied against the Emperor, not with the aim of killing him but merely with the aim of getting what they wanted. Secondly it marked the start of the period of adopted Emperors. Men chosen by merit,
who led the Empire to its zenith.

Five important years for the history of Rome, out of twelve hundred.


Thanks for Reading
James