4th Century Timeline: Events, People and History

Events in the 4th Century 16

753 BC – 476 The Roman Civilisation The Roman civilisation — kingdom, republic and empire — shaped Western law, language, architecture, religion and governance more profoundly than any other ancient civilisation. From the legendary founding of Rome by Romulus in 753 BC to the deposition of the last western emperor Romulus Augustulus in 476 AD, Rome endured for over twelve centuries, governing at its peak an empire of 70 million people stretching from Scotland to Mesopotamia.
300 BC – 1279 Chola dynasty (South India) A great maritime and temple-building power The Cholas of the Tamil south were one of the longest-ruling dynasties in history, rising from the Sangam age to a medieval maritime empire that projected naval power across the Bay of Bengal to Southeast Asia. They built magnificent temples such as the Brihadeeswarar at Thanjavur and patronised bronze sculpture and Tamil literature.
300 BC – 300 Yayoi period Rice farming, bronze and iron arrive from the mainland The Yayoi period brought wet-rice cultivation, bronze and iron metallurgy, and the potter's wheel to Japan from Korea and China. These innovations drove population growth and the emergence of stratified society and local chieftaincies — the foundations of the Japanese state.
224 – 651 Sasanian Empire — last pre-Islamic empire The longest-lived Persian imperial dynasty Founded by Ardashir I, the Sasanian Empire revived Persian power, made Zoroastrianism the state religion, and ruled as a superpower rivalling Rome and Byzantium for over four centuries. It was a golden age of Persian art, architecture and administration before falling to the Arab Muslim conquest.
284 – 305 Diocletian — the great reorganiser Diocletian ends the crisis of the third century by systematically reorganising the empire. He creates the Tetrarchy — four co-emperors (two Augusti and two Caesars) ruling different regions simultaneously. He doubles the size of the army, triples the bureaucracy, reforms taxation and the currency, and fixes prices in the Edict on Maximum Prices (301 AD) — the most ambitious price control in history. He conducts the Great Persecution of Christians (303–311 AD) — the last and worst. He retires voluntarily in 305 AD — the only emperor to do so.
300 – 538 Kofun period Giant keyhole tombs and the rise of Yamato The Kofun period is named for the massive keyhole-shaped burial mounds (kofun) built for powerful rulers. During this era the Yamato court in the Nara plain rose to dominance over rival polities, laying the basis for a unified Japanese state under the imperial line.
306 – 337 Constantine the Great Constantine I reunites the empire after defeating his rivals — culminating in the defeat of Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge (312 AD), where Constantine reportedly sees a cross in the sky with the words "In this sign, conquer." Whether genuine vision or political calculation, Constantine legalises Christianity with the Edict of Milan (313 AD), convenes the Council of Nicaea (325 AD) and founds Constantinople (330 AD) as the empire's new capital on the Bosphorus. His conversion transforms Western history.
312 Battle of Milvian Bridge On 28 October 312 AD, Constantine defeats his rival Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge over the Tiber north of Rome. Maxentius drowns in the river when the pontoon bridge collapses. Constantine reportedly attributes his victory to the Christian God, having ordered his soldiers to mark their shields with the Chi-Rho symbol. The battle ends the last civil war of the Tetrarchy and gives Constantine control of the western empire. Its consequences — the Christianisation of Rome — rank among the most significant in world history.
313 Edict of Milan — Christianity legalised In 313 AD, Constantine and his co-emperor Licinius issue the Edict of Milan, granting religious toleration throughout the empire and specifically restoring confiscated property to Christians. Christianity moves from a persecuted sect to a tolerated — and soon favoured — religion. Within decades it becomes the state religion. The Edict marks the beginning of the end of classical paganism and the beginning of Christendom. Its effects will shape the next 1,700 years of Western civilisation.
320 – 550 Gupta Empire — India's Golden Age Peak of science, mathematics, art and literature The Gupta Empire presided over a golden age of Indian civilisation. Scholars made landmark advances in mathematics and astronomy — including the concept of zero and the decimal place-value system — while Sanskrit literature, sculpture and temple architecture reached classical heights.
325 Council of Nicaea In 325 AD, Constantine convenes the first ecumenical council of the Christian church at Nicaea (modern Iznik, Turkey). Some 300 bishops attend. The council condemns Arianism — the belief that Christ is subordinate to God the Father — and produces the Nicene Creed, the foundational statement of Christian orthodoxy still recited in churches today. Constantine chairs sessions personally, wearing purple and gold, presiding over a theological dispute he barely understands. Church and state are now inextricably linked.
330 Constantinople founded On 11 May 330 AD, Constantine dedicates his new capital — Constantinople — on the site of the Greek city Byzantium, at the strategic junction of Europe and Asia. The city is designed as a new Rome: it has seven hills, a Forum, a Senate, a hippodrome and grain doles. Its position on the Bosphorus makes it almost impregnable by land and sea. Constantinople will serve as the capital of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire for 1,123 years — until its fall to the Ottomans in 1453.
360 – 363 Julian the Apostate — the last pagan emperor Julian II, nephew of Constantine, is the last Roman emperor to attempt to reverse the Christianisation of the empire. A gifted soldier and intellectual, he is raised a Christian but privately converts to Neoplatonism. On becoming emperor in 360 AD he restores pagan temples, removes Christian privileges and attempts to revive the old religion. He dies on campaign against Persia in 363 AD — pierced by a spear, possibly thrown by one of his own men. "Thou hast conquered, O Galilean" — his reported dying words, probably apocryphal.
376 – 382 Visigoths cross the Danube In 376 AD, the Visigoths — fleeing the Hunnic invasion from the east — are permitted by Emperor Valens to cross the Danube into Roman territory. They are promised land and food; instead Roman officials exploit and abuse them. They revolt. At the Battle of Adrianople (378 AD), the Visigoths annihilate the Roman eastern army and kill Emperor Valens — the worst Roman military defeat since Cannae. For the first time a major barbarian group settles permanently inside the empire's borders with their own leadership intact.
380 Edict of Thessalonica — Christianity becomes state religion In 380 AD, Emperor Theodosius I issues the Edict of Thessalonica, declaring Nicene Christianity the only legitimate religion of the Roman Empire. All subjects must profess the faith of the bishops of Rome and Alexandria. Heretics lose civil rights; pagan sacrifice is banned. In 391 AD Theodosius closes all pagan temples and outlaws pagan worship entirely. The Olympic Games — held every four years since 776 BC — are abolished in 393 AD as a pagan festival. Rome's millennium of gods is over.
395 Division of the Empire On the death of Theodosius I in 395 AD, the Roman Empire is permanently divided between his two sons: Arcadius takes the east (capital Constantinople), Honorius takes the west (capital Ravenna, later). This is not the first division — Diocletian and others had divided administration before — but it is the last. The two halves will never reunite. The Eastern Empire (Byzantine) will survive for another 1,058 years; the Western Empire has 81 years left.