1st century BC

Millennium: 1st millennium BC
Centuries: 2nd century BC · 1st century BC · 1st century AD
Decades: 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC
40s BC 30s BC 20s BC 10s BC 0s BC
Categories: Births – Deaths
Establishments – Disestablishments
Eastern Hemisphere at the beginning of the 1st century BC.
Eastern Hemisphere at the end of the 1st century BC.

The 1st century BC, also known as the last century BC or 1st century BCE started on the first day of 100 BC and ended on the last day of 1 BC.

The AD/BC notation does not use a year zero; however, astronomical year numbering does use a minus sign, so "2 BC" is equal to "year -1".

This is the 99th century in the Holocene calendar; it spans the years 9,901 to 10,000.

Contents

Overview

In the course of the century all the remaining independent lands surrounding the Mediterranean were steadily brought under Roman control, being ruled either directly under governors or through puppet kings appointed by Rome. The Roman state itself was plunged into civil war several times, finally resulting in the marginalization of its 500 year old republic, and the embodiment of total state power in a single man—the emperor.

The internal turbulence that plagued Rome at this time can be seen as the last death throes of the Roman Republic, as it finally gave way to the autocratic ambitions of powerful men like Julius Caesar, Mark Antony and Octavian. Octavian's ascension to total power as the emperor Augustus is considered to mark the point in history where the Roman Republic ends and the Roman Empire begins. Some scholars refer to this event as the Roman Revolution. It is generally concluded that the birth of Jesus, the central figure of Christianity took place at the close of this century.

Events

Significant people

Cicero Denouncing Catiline by Cesare Maccari.One of several political conflicts in the Roman Republic during this century

Inventions, discoveries, introductions

Decades and years

Decades and years

1st century BC
3rd century BC←2nd century BC← ↔ →1st century→2nd century

109–100 BC 109 BC 108 BC 107 BC 106 BC 105 BC 104 BC 103 BC 102 BC 101 BC 100 BC
90s BC 99 BC 98 BC 97 BC 96 BC 95 BC 94 BC 93 BC 92 BC 91 BC 90 BC
80s BC 89 BC 88 BC 87 BC 86 BC 85 BC 84 BC 83 BC 82 BC 81 BC 80 BC
70s BC 79 BC 78 BC 77 BC 76 BC 75 BC 74 BC 73 BC 72 BC 71 BC 70 BC
60s BC 69 BC 68 BC 67 BC 66 BC 65 BC 64 BC 63 BC 62 BC 61 BC 60 BC
50s BC 59 BC 58 BC 57 BC 56 BC 55 BC 54 BC 53 BC 52 BC 51 BC 50 BC
40s BC 49 BC 48 BC 47 BC 46 BC 45 BC 44 BC 43 BC 42 BC 41 BC 40 BC
30s BC 39 BC 38 BC 37 BC 36 BC 35 BC 34 BC 33 BC 32 BC 31 BC 30 BC
20s BC 29 BC 28 BC 27 BC 26 BC 25 BC 24 BC 23 BC 22 BC 21 BC 20 BC
10s BC 19 BC 18 BC 17 BC 16 BC 15 BC 14 BC 13 BC 12 BC 11 BC 10 BC
9–0 BC 9 BC 8 BC 7 BC 6 BC 5 BC 4 BC 3 BC 2 BC 1 BC
0–9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Centuries and millennia
Millennium Century
BCE (BC)
4th 40th 39th 38th 37th 36th 35th 34th 33rd 32nd 31st
3rd 30th 29th 28th 27th 26th 25th 24th 23rd 22nd 21st
2nd 20th 19th 18th 17th 16th 15th 14th 13th 12th 11th
1st 10th 9th 8th 7th 6th 5th 4th 3rd 2nd 1st
CE (AD)
1st 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th
2nd 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th 19th 20th
3rd 21st 22nd 23rd 24th 25th 26th 27th 28th 29th 30th
4th 31st 32nd 33rd 34th 35th 36th 37th 38th 39th 40th