120s
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The 120s was a decade that ran from January 1, AD 120, to December 31, AD 129.
During this decade, the Roman Empire was ruled by Emperor Hadrian (r. 117–138). In the prior decade, he had succeeded Emperor Trajan, who had expanded the empire to its greatest extent. Hadrian, in contrast, adopted a more defensive foreign policy, focusing on consolidating the empire's borders and improving its infrastructure, such as Hadrian's Wall in Britain. There was almost a renewed war with Parthia, but the threat was averted when Hadrian succeeded in negotiating a peace in 123 (according to the Historia Augusta, disputed).[1] Furthermore, Hadrian enacted, through the jurist Salvius Julianus, the first attempt to codify Roman law. This was the Perpetual Edict, according to which the legal actions of praetors became fixed statutes and, as such, could no longer be subjected to personal interpretation or change by any magistrate other than the Emperor.[2][3]
The Chinese
Eastern Han dynasty saw the death of regent Deng Sui in 121, after which Emperor An took on the reins of the imperial administration. In 121, there were again Qiang and Xianbei rebellions, which would continue to plague Emperor An for the rest of his reign. The only border where there were Han accomplishments during Emperor An's reign was on the northwestern front—the Xiyu (modern Xinjiang and former Soviet central Asia)—where Ban Chao's son Ban Yong (班勇) was able to reestablish Han dominance over a number of kingdoms. Emperor An was succeeded by Marquess of Beixiang in 125, who reigned for a short time before being succeeded by Emperor Shun of Han
that same year. At the start of Emperor Shun's reign, the people were hopeful that he would reform the political situation from the pervasive corruption under the Yans. However, the teenage emperor proved to be a kind but weak ruler. While he trusted certain honest officials, he also trusted many corrupt eunuchs, who quickly grabbed power.
Events
120
By place
Roman Empire
- Emperor Hadrian visits Britain.
- Foss Dyke is constructed in Britain.
- A Kushan ambassadorial contingent visits with Hadrian.
- Suetonius becomes Hadrian's secretary ab epistolis.
- Approximate date
- Legio IX Hispana last known to be in existence.
- The Antikensammlung).
Asia
- Change of era name from Yuanchu (7th year) to Yongning of the Chinese Eastern Han dynasty.
- The and a portion of central India.
121
By place
Roman Empire
- Roman settlement in present-day Wiesbaden, Germany, is first mentioned.
- Emperor Hadrian fixes the border between Roman Britain and Caledonia, on a line running from the River Tyne to the Solway Firth.
- Construction of the Temple of Venus and Roma begins in Rome.
Asia
- Era name changes from Yongning (2nd year) to Jianguang in the Chinese Eastern Han dynasty.
122
By place
Roman Empire
- Emperor Hadrian orders that a 73-mile (117-kilometer) wall be built to mark the northern Roman Empire while personally visiting the area. Hadrian's Wall, as it comes to be known, is intended to keep the Caledonians, Picts and other tribes at bay.
- .
- September 13 – The building of Hadrian's Wall begins.
- Hadrian gives up the territories conquered in Scotland.
Asia
- Change of era name from Jianguang (2nd year) to Yanguang of the Chinese Eastern Han dynasty.
123
By place
Roman Empire
- Emperor Osroes I (according to the Historia Augusta, disputed).[4]
- Housesteads Fort is constructed on Hadrian's Wall north of Bardon Mill.
- Tivoliis built.
- The Temple of Al-Lat in Palmyra is dedicated somewhere between this year and 164 AD.
Asia
- In China, Ban Yong, son of Ban Chao, reestablishes the Chinese control over the Tarim Basin.
- The Chinese government establishes Aide of the Western Regionsover the Tarim Basin.
Africa
- Hadrian leads a punitive campaign against Roman Mauretania.[5]
By topic
Arts and sciences
- Chinese scientist Zhang Heng corrects the calendar to bring it into line with the four seasons.
124
By place
Roman Empire
- Emperor Hadrian begins to rebuild the Olympeion in Athens.
- Antinous becomes Hadrian's beloved companion on his journeys through the Roman Empire.
- During a voyage to Greece, Hadrian is initiated in the ancient rites known as the Eleusinian Mysteries.
Asia
- In northern India, Nahapana, ruler of the Scythians, is defeated and dies in battle while fighting against King Gautamiputra Satakarni. This defeat destroys the Scythian dynasty of the Western Kshatrapas.
125
By place
Roman Empire
- The Pantheon is constructed (in Rome) as it stands today, by Hadrian.
- Emperor Hadrian establishes the Panhellenion.
- Hadrian distributes imperial lands to small farmers.
- Tivoli, Italy, starts to be built (approximate date).
Africa
- Plague sweeps North Africa in the wake of a locust invasion that destroys large areas of cropland. The plague kills as many as 500,000 in Numidia and possibly 150,000 on the coast before moving to Italy, where it takes so many lives that villages and towns are abandoned.
Asia
- Last (4th) year of the Yanguang era of the Chinese Han dynasty.
- Change of emperor of the Chinese Han dynasty from Han Shundi.
- Bombay. He then controls central Indiafrom coast to coast.
- hydraulic-powered armillary sphere.
- The epoch of the Javanese calendar begins.
By topic
Arts and sciences
- The Satires of Juvenal intimate that bread and circuses(panem et circenses) keep the Roman people happy.
Religion
- Pope Telesphorus succeeds Pope Sixtus I as the eighth pope according to Roman Catholic tradition.
126
By place
Roman Empire
- The old Pantheon is demolished by Emperor Hadrian, and the construction of a new one begins (its date is uncertain, because Hadrian chooses not to inscribe the temple).
Asia
- First year of the Yongjian era of the Chinese Han dynasty.
127
By place
Roman Empire
- Emperor Roman provinces.
- Hadrian, acting on the advice of his proconsul of Asia, Gaius Minicius Fundanus, determines that Christians shall not be put to death without a trial.
India
- Kanishka I starts to rule in the Kushan Empire (approximate date).
By topic
Religion
- The philosopher Carpocrates rejects ownership of private property as being un-Christian.
128
By place
Roman Empire
- Emperor legionnaires are located in the Aurès Mountains.
- legionaries digging ditches, quarrying rock and cutting stone, preventing idleness which led to unrest and rebellionsin the ranks.
- off the land.
- Roman bakeries produce dozens of bread varieties, and the Romans distribute free bread for the poor.
- Asia Minor and Egypt.
Asia
- King
By topic
Arts and sciences
- The fossils of large prehistoric animals are discovered in Dalmatia.
- The Pantheon in Rome is finished.
129
By place
Roman Empire
- A defense for Numidia is constructed at Lambaesis by Legio III Augusta.
- Emperor Hadrian continues his voyages, now inspecting Caria, Cappadocia and Syria.
By topic
Songs
- The song "Angel's Hymn" is made.
Religion
- Change of Patriarch of Constantinople, from Patriarch Diogenes to Eleutherius.
Significant people
Births
120
- February 8 – Vettius Valens, Greek astrologer (d. 175)
- Irenaeus, Greek bishop and apologist (approximate date)
- Lucian, Syrian rhetorician and satirist (approximate date)
- Tatian, Syrian Christian writer and theologian (d. 180)
121
- April 26 – Marcus Annius Verus, later Emperor Marcus Aurelius (d. 180)
123
- Annia Cornificia Faustina, sister of Marcus Aurelius (d. 158)
124
125
- Aulus Gellius, Roman author and grammarian (approximate date)
- Lucian, Syrian satirist and rhetorician (approximate date)
- Lucius Ferenius, Dutch potter in Heerlen (approximate date)
- Tiberius Claudius Pompeianus, Roman politician (d. 193)
126
127
- Zheng Xuan, Chinese politician, philosopher (d. 200)[9]
128
- Xun Shuang, Chinese politician and writer (d. 190)[10]
129
Deaths
120
- Ban Zhao, Chinese historian and philosopher (b. AD 49)
- Dio Chrysostom, Greek historian (approximate date)
- Faustinus and Jovita, Roman Christian martyrs
- Getulius, Roman officer and Christian martyr
- Hermes, Greek Christian martyr and saint
- Marcian of Tortona, Roman bishop (or 117)
- Matthias of Jerusalem, bishop of Jerusalem
- Nicomachus, Greek mathematician (b. AD 60)
- Plutarch, Greek philosopher (approximate date)
- Sextus Pedius, Roman jurist (b. AD 50)
- Tacitus, Roman historian[11]
121
- Cai Lun, Chinese inventor of paper and the papermaking process (b. AD 50)[12]
- Deng Sui, Chinese empress of the Han dynasty (b. AD 81)[13]
- Eleutherius and Antia, Roman Christian martyrs and saints
124
- Marcus Annius Verus, father of Marcus Aurelius
- Nahapana, ruler of the Scythians (approximate date)
- Sixtus I, bishop of Rome according to Roman Catholic tradition (possible date)[14]
125
- April 30 – An of Han, Chinese emperor (b. AD 94)
- December 10 – Shao (or Liu Yi), Chinese emperor
- Servius Sulpicius Similis, Roman governor
- Thamel, Roman Christian priest and martyr[15]
126
- 53 AD)
- Yan Ji (or Ansi), Chinese empress
127
- Juvenal, Roman poet (approximate year)[16]
- Plutarch, Greek historian and biographer (b. AD 46)[17]
- Publius Metilius Nepos, Roman politician (b. AD 45)
128
- Giru of Baekje, Korean ruler[6]
129
- June 19 – Justus of Alexandria, Egyptian patriarch
- King Osroes I of the Parthian Empire
References
- ISSN 2464-6830.
- ISBN 978-1-107-02436-6p. 66
- ISBN 978-1-61530-207-9p. 133
- ISSN 2464-6830.
- ISBN 978-1-315-51120-7.
- ^ a b "List of Rulers of Korea". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
- ^ "Lucius Apuleius | Roman Philosopher, Novelist & Poet | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
- ISBN 978-1-134-38405-1.
- ISBN 9789004103764.
- ISBN 978-9004183377.
- ^ MacDonald, Alexander Hugh. "Tacitus". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
- ^ "Cai Lun | Biography, Paper, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
- ISBN 978-1-317-46372-6.
- ^ "Pope St. Sixtus I". The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 14. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1912.
- ^ "St. Thamel & Companions". Catholic Online. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
- ^ Highet, Gilbert. "Juvenal". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
- ISBN 9780199745777.