20s BC

Millennium:	1st millennium BC
Centuries:	2nd century BC – 1st century BC – 1st century
Decades:	50s BC 40s BC 30s BC – 20s BC – 10s BC 0s BC 0s
Years:	29 BC 28 BC 27 BC 26 BC 25 BC 24 BC 23 BC 22 BC 21 BC 20 BC
Categories:	Births – Deaths – Architecture Establishments – Disestablishments

20s BC: events by year

Contents: 29 BC 28 BC 27 BC 26 BC 25 BC 24 BC 23 BC 22 BC 21 BC 20 BC

29 BC

By place

Roman Republic

Octavian Caesar becomes Roman Consul for the fifth time. His partner is Sextus Appuleius. He is granted the title of imperator, and for the third time in Roman history the doors of the Temple of Janus are closed, signaling peace.
Octavian celebrates in Rome three triumphs on consecutive days (August 13, August 14, and August 15) to commemorate his victories in Illyricum, Actium and Egypt.
Marcus Licinius Crassus campaigns successfully in the Balkans, killing the king of the Bastarnae with his own hand, but is denied the right to dedicate the spolia opima by Octavian.
Sofia, modern day capital of Bulgaria, is conquered by the Romans and becomes known as Ulpia Serdica.
Start of the Cantabrian Wars against Roman occupation in Hispania.

By topic

Literature

March 1 – Horace writes the ode Occidit Daci Cotisonis agmen.
Composition of Aeneid by Virgil begins.

28 BC

By place

Roman Republic

Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian becomes Roman Consul for the sixth time. His partner Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa becomes Consul for the second time.
The Roman Senate granted Octavian Caesar the title imperium maius (supreme commander) of the Roman armed forces (50 legions).

By topic

Astronomy

May 10 – The earliest dated record of a sunspot by Chinese astronomers.^[1]
The Emilius comet is said to have crashed into modern day Pakistan.

27 BC

By place

Roman Republic/Empire

Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian becomes Roman Consul for the seventh time. His partner Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa becomes Consul for the third time.
January 16 – Octavian formally returns full power to the Senate, they give him the titles of Princeps and Augustus. He accepts this honor, having declined the alternative title of Romulus.^[2]
Caesar Augustus starts a new military reform. He reduced the number of legions to 26 and creates the Praetorian Guard (1,000 men).
Augustus formed the Classis Misenensis, based in the harbour of Portus Julius at Misenum.
Agrippa divides Hispania Ulterior into Baetica and Lusitania, and enlarges Hispania Citerior.
Northern statue of the Colossi of Memnon is shattered by an earthquake in Egypt (according to Strabo).
Marcus Agrippa begins the construction of the old Pantheon.

26 BC

By place

Roman Empire

Imperator Caesar Augustus becomes Roman Consul for the eighth time. His partner Titus Statilius Taurus becomes Consul for the second time.
Cleopatra Selene marries Juba II of Numidia, and as a wedding present Augustus makes her queen of Mauretania in her own right.
Tiridates II invades Parthia and issues coins dated from March and May, 26 BC.
Gavius Silo, orator, is heard by Caesar Augustus, mentioned by Seneca.
Augustus starts campaign against the Cantabrians in northern Hispania, he leads an army (8 legions) and consolidate the north-eastern region.

Greece

Dioteimus Alaieus is one of the Archons of Athens.

Osroene

Abgar III of Osroene is succeeded by Abgar IV Sumaqa.

Asia

The Andhra dynasty replaces the Kanva dynasty, and rules over the eastern part of India.

By topic

Astronomy

August 29 – Christian Cross Asterism (astronomy) at Zenith of Lima, Peru.

25 BC

By place

Roman empire

Imperator Caesar Augustus becomes Consul for the ninth time. His partner is Marcus Junius Silanus.
The temple to Neptune on the Circus Flaminius is built.
Estimation: Rome, capital of the Roman Empire becomes the largest city of the world, taking the lead from Chang'an, capital of China.^[3]
King Amyntas dies, Galatia becomes a Roman province. The Roman troops based there are transferred to Egypt.

China

Government gives tributary states 20,000 rolls of silk cloth and about 20,000 pounds of silk floss.

24 BC

By place

Roman Empire

Caesar Augustus becomes Roman Consul for the tenth time. His partner is Gaius Norbanus Flaccus.
Augustus founds the city of Nicopolis in Egypt to commemorate his final victory over Mark Antony.

23 BC

By place

Roman Empire

Caesar Augustus becomes Roman Consul for the eleventh time. His partner is Aulus Terentius Varro Murena.
Augustus relinquishes the position of consul, retains that of tribune of Rome and assumes that of Princeps, or "First Citizen." (see Roman Empire).
Augustus gets seriously ill: he gives Agrippa his signet ring and grants him the title imperium pro consule.
The Nubians, led by queen Candace Amanirenas, take the initiative against the Roman Empire, and attack the Roman province of Egypt moving towards Elephantine.
Herod the Great builds a palace in Jerusalem and the fortress Herodian in Judaea. He also marries his third wife, named Mariamne, the daughter of high priest Simon.
Following coinage reform, the as was struck in reddish pure copper, instead of bronze. The denominations of sestertius and dupondius were introduced as large bronze coins.
In response to Meroe's incursions into Upper Egypt, the Roman legions move south and raze Napata. (Early history of Sudan).

Osroene

Ma'nu III Saphul becomes ruler of Osroene.

By topic

Architecture

The Roman writer, architect and engineer Vitruvius finishes writing De Architectura (known today as The Ten Books of Architecture), a treatise in Latin on architecture, and perhaps the first work about this discipline.

22 BC

By place

Roman Empire

Lucius Arruntius and Marcus Claudius Marcellus Aeserninus are Roman Consuls.
Aemilius Lepidus Paullus and Lucius Munatius Plancus are Censors.
The Roman governor of Egypt, Gaius Petronius, marches the Nile with legions XXII Deiotariana and III Cyrenaica, and destroys the Nubian capital of Napata.
King Artaxias II returns with support of the Parthians to Armenia and claims the throne. Artavasdes I escapes to Rome, where Caesar Augustus receives him friendly.

21 BC

By place

Roman Empire

Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa divorces Claudia Marcella, and marries Julia the Elder, daughter of Caesar Augustus.

20 BC

By place

Roman Empire

Peace treaty between Rome and Parthia, in which the captured eagles of Marcus Licinius Crassus and Mark Antony are returned.
Based on the scenes and the style of the work, the Portland Vase is believed to have been made in Alexandria some time between this year and AD 100.
King Herod the Great begins renovation of the Temple in Jerusalem.
Maison Carrée, Nîmes, France, is built (approximate date).
Marcus Verrius Flaccus' De verborum significatu is published. It is one of the first great dictionaries in history.

India

Shakas end to control northwest India.

Significant people

Caesar Augustus, Roman Emperor (27 BC–AD 14)

Births

Deaths

References

^ "The Observation of Sunspots". UNESCO Courier. 1988. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1310/is_1988_Oct/ai_6955852/. Retrieved 2010-07-14.
^ W.H. Gross, 'The Propaganda of an Unpopular Ideology,' in The Age of Augustus: Interdisciplinary Conference held at Brown University, April 30–May 2, 1982, edited by Rolf Winkes (Rhode Island: Centre for Old World Archaeology and Art, 1985), 35.
^ Geography at about.com