istoryworld
Events relating to greece
The Thessalonians receive the first of Paul's epistles - the earliest text in the New Testament, written in Greek
A working week of seven days is adopted in Rome, based on the seven known planets (whose names provide the days)
St Peter, believed to have come to Rome as leader of the Christian community, is subsequently considered the first pope
St Paul arrives in Rome a prisoner, but then spends two years freely preaching Christianity
A great fire in Rome is popularly believed to have been started by Nero, whom legend also accuses of fiddling while the city burns
Early Christian tradition states that both Peter and Paul meet death in Rome as martyrs, possibly as a result of the fire of AD 64
Nero comes to Athens to give some of his officially celebrated performances at the Greek games
A sudden eruption of Vesuvius buries the town of Pompeii in volcanic ash, in places twelve feet deep
The Colosseum is inaugurated by the emperor Titus with games lasting 100 days, in which some 9000 large animals are killed
Tacitus begins his career with two specialized but influential works of history, one on Britain and the other on Germany
The Pantheon, roofed with the most spectacular dome of antiquity, is built in Rome by Hadrian
Suetonius, librarian to Trajan and personal secretary to Hadrian, is well placed to research his racy Lives of the Caesars
The Christians of Rome use the catacombs as tomb chambers, and decorate the walls with murals on New Testament themes
The emperor Aurelian, grateful for the apparent assistance of a Syrian sun god, establishes the cult of the Unconquered Sun - whose birthday is December 25
Constantine, preparing for battle against a rival at the Milvian Bridge, orders his men to wear a Christian symbol, the Chi-Rho, on their shields
After winning the battle at Milvian Bridge, Constantine marches into Rome and is formally acknowledged by the Senate as Augustus of the west
Constantine founds several churches in Rome, among them the first St Peter's
Constantine executes Licinius in Thessalonica on a charge of attempted rebellion, a year after defeating him in battle
Greece begins to find a new and influential role in a Christian context, through the Byzantine empire
The ancient games at Olympia, with an unbroken tradition of more than 1000 years, are brought to an abrupt end by the emperor Theodosius
Justinian closes down the schools of Athens, famous for their tradition of pagan philosophy
Venice takes the useful islands of Corfu and Crete as part of the spoils of the fourth crusade
The Knights of St John capture the island of Rhodes, which they rule as their own sovereign state for more than two centuries
The Turks complete the occupation of Greece, which remains within the Ottoman empire until the nineteenth century
Galleys are rowed into battle for the last time at Lepanto, ending a fighting career of some 2500 years
