The 60s decade ran from January 1, AD 60, to December 31, AD 69.
In the Roman Empire, the early part of the decade saw the beginning of the
Boudican Revolt in
Britannia, where several tribes (chiefly the
Iceni), led by
Boudica, rebelled against the Roman occupation. The revolt led to the sacking of several Roman cities, but was ultimately quelled by governor
Gaius Suetonius Paulinus. In 63, the
Roman–Parthian War came to an end with the
Treaty of Rhandeia. In 66, the
First Jewish-Roman War began, as Jewish rebels fought against Roman rule. Near the end of the decade in 69, the
Year of the Four Emperors saw a period of civil war and political instability in the Roman Empire, as four different men (
Galba,
Otho,
Vitellius, and
Vespasian) claimed the title of Emperor within the span of a year. Ultimately, the year ended with the ascension of Vespasian to the throne and the beginning of the
Flavian Dynasty. In East Asia, the state of
Funan was established, while China
continued its golden age.
In 62,
an earthquake of an estimated magnitude of between 5 and 6 and a maximum intensity of IX or X on the
Mercalli scale struck the towns of
Pompeii and
Herculaneum, severely damaging them. The towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum both suffered major damage, with damage to some buildings also reported from
Naples and
Nuceria. Seneca reported the death of a flock of 600 sheep that he attributed to the effects of poisonous gases. Later, in 64, the
Great Fire of Rome began in the merchant shops around Rome's chariot stadium,
Circus Maximus. After six days, the fire was brought under control, but before the damage could be assessed, the fire reignited and burned for another three days. In the aftermath of the fire, two-thirds of
Rome had been destroyed. According to
Tacitus and later
Christian tradition,
Emperor Nero blamed the devastation on the Christian community in the city, initiating the empire's first
persecution against the Christians.
In the Roman Empire,
Christianity continued to spread, despite a
campaign of persecution being initiated under Emperor Nero in 64. According to tradition, the apostles Peter and Paul were both martyred during this period: Traditionally,
Roman authorities allegedly sentenced Peter to death by
crucifixion at
Vatican Hill. In accordance with the
apocryphalActs of Peter, he was crucified head down. As for Paul, the
Second Epistle to Timothy states that he was arrested in
Troad and brought back to Rome, where he was imprisoned and put on trial before being executed. The
White Horse Temple, the first
Buddhist temple in China, was traditionally constructed in 68, though it is not recorded in contemporary sources before 289.
Prasutagus, king of the
Iceni (modern
East Anglia), dies leaving a
will which passes his kingdom to his two daughters and the
Roman Empire. The Roman army, however, annexes the kingdom as if conquered, depriving the nobles of their hereditary lands and plundering the land. The king's widow,
Boudica, is
flogged and forced to watch their daughters publicly raped.[3] Roman financiers, including
Seneca the Younger, call in their loans.[4]
Prasutagus, king of the
Iceni (modern
East Anglia), dies leaving a
will which passes his kingdom to his two daughters and the
Roman Empire. The Roman army however annexes the kingdom as if conquered, depriving the nobles of their hereditary lands and plundering the land. The king's widow,
Boudica, is
flogged and forced to watch their daughters publicly raped.[9] Roman financiers, including
Seneca the Younger, call in their loans.[10]
After the death of
Burrus and the disgrace of
Seneca, Nero is free from their influence and becomes a megalomaniacal artist fascinated by
Hellenism and the
Orient.
Tigellinus becomes Nero's counselor. His rule is highly abusive.
The Parthians invade
Armenia and lay siege to
Tigranocerta. The city is well-fortified and garrisoned by the Romans. The assault fails and king
Vologases I retreats. Instead, he makes preparations to invade
Syria.
Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo strengthens the fortifications on the
Euphrates frontier. He builds a strong flotilla of ships equipped with
catapults and a wooden bridge across the river, which allows him to establish a foothold on the Parthian shore.
Lucius Caesennius Paetus advances towards Tigranocerta, but due to lack of supplies he makes
camp for the winter in the fortress at Rhandeia in northwestern Armenia.
Vologases I leads the Parthian army in a full-scale assault on the Euphrates.
Legio X Fretensis and men of the other two legions (
Legio III Gallica and
Legio VI Ferrata) defend the eastern bank of the river, fighting off a desperate attack.
Nero proposes a new urban planning program based on the creation of buildings decorated with ornate porticos, the widening of the streets and the use of open spaces. This plan will not be applied until after his death in
AD 68.
Lyon sends a large sum of money to Rome to aid in the reconstruction. However, during the winter of AD 64–
65, Lyon suffers a catastrophic fire itself, and Nero reciprocates by sending money to Lyon.
After a stage performance in which he appears and shocks the senatorial class considerably, Nero engages in a series of reprisals against
Seneca the Younger and
Tigellinus, pro-republican senators, and anyone else he distrusts.
Nero's pregnant wife,
Poppea Sabina, dies from Nero kicking her stomach or while having a miscarriage.
Gallus leads his main force down the coast from
Caesarea via
Antipatris to
Lydda, detaching other units, by land and sea, to neutralize the rebel strongholds at
Joppa,
Narbata and the Tower of
Aphek. With
Galilee and the entire Judean coast in his hands, Gallus assumes his campaign before the winter
rains render the roads impassable. He turns inland and marches on Jerusalem, taking the road via the plain at
Emmaus. Gallus succeeds in conquering
Beit She'arim (the "New City") on the
Bezetha Hill.[21]
November –
Battle of Beth-Horon: Gallus abandons the
siege of Jerusalem and chooses, for uncertain reasons, to withdraw west to winter quarters, where he is
ambushed and defeated by Judean rebels. Some 5,300 Roman troops are killed, as well as all their
pack animals, their artillery (which is to serve the Jews of Jerusalem during
Titus's siege operations four years later), and the greatest disgrace of all, the
eagle standard of Legio XII Fulminata. Gallus abandons his troops in disarray, fleeing to
Syria.[22]
Jewish leaders at
Jerusalem are divided through a power struggle, and a brutal civil war erupts. The
Zealots and the
Sicarii execute anyone who tries to leave the city.
Siege of Yodfat: Its 40,000
Jewish inhabitants are massacred. The historian
Josephus, leader of the rebels in
Galilee, is captured by the Romans. Vespasian is wounded in the foot by an arrow fired from the city wall.
The Jewish fortress of
Gamla in the
Golan falls to the Romans, and its inhabitants are massacred.
Nero travels to
Greece, where he participates in the
Olympic Games and other festivals.
Nero, jealous of the success of
Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo in
Armenia, orders that he be put to death. Corbulo literally "falls on his sword".
By topic
Religion
Apostles
Peter and
Paul are martyred in
Rome (possible date).
Kingdom of
Funan is established in the
Mekong Delta comprising present-day Cambodia, Southern Vietnam, Southern Thailand and Eastern Thailand, the first known civilization in
Southeast Asia. The capital city is
Vyadhapura or modern-day
Ba Phnum District in
Cambodia.
Due to lack of reliable demographic data, estimates of the world population in the 1st century vary wildly, with estimates for AD 1 varying from 150[38] to 300[39] million. Demographers typically do not attempt to estimate most specific years in antiquity, instead giving approximate numbers for round years such as AD 1 or AD 200. However, attempts at reconstructing the world population in more specific years have been made, with Manning (2008) tentatively estimating the world population in AD 60 as 249 million.[40]
October 13 —
Peter the Apostle (
Margherita Guarducci, who led the research leading to the rediscovery of Peter's reputed tomb in 1963, concluded that Peter died on that date, shortly after the
Great Fire of Rome and during the festivities to mark "dies imperii" of Emperor
Nero, and that Peter and other Christians were crucified in honor of the decennial of Nero's October 13,
AD 54 ascension to the imperial throne.) [47](b.
1 BC)
^Guidoboni, E.; Ferrari, G.; Tarabusi, G.; Comatri, A.; Mariotti, D.; Sgattoni, G.; Valensise, G. (2018).
"62 02 05, - Pompei (NA) (Italy)". CFTI5Med, Catalogo dei Forti Terremoti in Italia (461 a.C.-1997) e nell’area Mediterranea (760 a.C.-1500) (in Italian). Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV).
doi:
10.6092/ingv.it-cfti5.
^Chilver, Guy Edward Farquhar (January 20, 2024).
"Vespasian". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
^Poehler, Eric E. (2017). The Traffic Systems of Pompeii. Oxford University Press. pp. 49–50.
ISBN9780190614676.
^MacDonald, William L. (1982). The Architecture of the Roman Empire: An Introductory Study (Revised ed.). New Haven: Yale University Press. p. 25.
ISBN0-300-02819-9.
^Ronald Syme, Some Arval brethren (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1980), pp. 20, 24
^Haub (1995): "By 1 A.D., the world may have held about 300 million people. One estimate of the population of the Roman Empire, from Spain to Asia Minor, in 14 A.D. is 45 million. However, other historians set the figure twice as high, suggesting how imprecise population estimates of early historical periods can be."
The 60s decade ran from January 1, AD 60, to December 31, AD 69.
In the Roman Empire, the early part of the decade saw the beginning of the
Boudican Revolt in
Britannia, where several tribes (chiefly the
Iceni), led by
Boudica, rebelled against the Roman occupation. The revolt led to the sacking of several Roman cities, but was ultimately quelled by governor
Gaius Suetonius Paulinus. In 63, the
Roman–Parthian War came to an end with the
Treaty of Rhandeia. In 66, the
First Jewish-Roman War began, as Jewish rebels fought against Roman rule. Near the end of the decade in 69, the
Year of the Four Emperors saw a period of civil war and political instability in the Roman Empire, as four different men (
Galba,
Otho,
Vitellius, and
Vespasian) claimed the title of Emperor within the span of a year. Ultimately, the year ended with the ascension of Vespasian to the throne and the beginning of the
Flavian Dynasty. In East Asia, the state of
Funan was established, while China
continued its golden age.
In 62,
an earthquake of an estimated magnitude of between 5 and 6 and a maximum intensity of IX or X on the
Mercalli scale struck the towns of
Pompeii and
Herculaneum, severely damaging them. The towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum both suffered major damage, with damage to some buildings also reported from
Naples and
Nuceria. Seneca reported the death of a flock of 600 sheep that he attributed to the effects of poisonous gases. Later, in 64, the
Great Fire of Rome began in the merchant shops around Rome's chariot stadium,
Circus Maximus. After six days, the fire was brought under control, but before the damage could be assessed, the fire reignited and burned for another three days. In the aftermath of the fire, two-thirds of
Rome had been destroyed. According to
Tacitus and later
Christian tradition,
Emperor Nero blamed the devastation on the Christian community in the city, initiating the empire's first
persecution against the Christians.
In the Roman Empire,
Christianity continued to spread, despite a
campaign of persecution being initiated under Emperor Nero in 64. According to tradition, the apostles Peter and Paul were both martyred during this period: Traditionally,
Roman authorities allegedly sentenced Peter to death by
crucifixion at
Vatican Hill. In accordance with the
apocryphalActs of Peter, he was crucified head down. As for Paul, the
Second Epistle to Timothy states that he was arrested in
Troad and brought back to Rome, where he was imprisoned and put on trial before being executed. The
White Horse Temple, the first
Buddhist temple in China, was traditionally constructed in 68, though it is not recorded in contemporary sources before 289.
Prasutagus, king of the
Iceni (modern
East Anglia), dies leaving a
will which passes his kingdom to his two daughters and the
Roman Empire. The Roman army, however, annexes the kingdom as if conquered, depriving the nobles of their hereditary lands and plundering the land. The king's widow,
Boudica, is
flogged and forced to watch their daughters publicly raped.[3] Roman financiers, including
Seneca the Younger, call in their loans.[4]
Prasutagus, king of the
Iceni (modern
East Anglia), dies leaving a
will which passes his kingdom to his two daughters and the
Roman Empire. The Roman army however annexes the kingdom as if conquered, depriving the nobles of their hereditary lands and plundering the land. The king's widow,
Boudica, is
flogged and forced to watch their daughters publicly raped.[9] Roman financiers, including
Seneca the Younger, call in their loans.[10]
After the death of
Burrus and the disgrace of
Seneca, Nero is free from their influence and becomes a megalomaniacal artist fascinated by
Hellenism and the
Orient.
Tigellinus becomes Nero's counselor. His rule is highly abusive.
The Parthians invade
Armenia and lay siege to
Tigranocerta. The city is well-fortified and garrisoned by the Romans. The assault fails and king
Vologases I retreats. Instead, he makes preparations to invade
Syria.
Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo strengthens the fortifications on the
Euphrates frontier. He builds a strong flotilla of ships equipped with
catapults and a wooden bridge across the river, which allows him to establish a foothold on the Parthian shore.
Lucius Caesennius Paetus advances towards Tigranocerta, but due to lack of supplies he makes
camp for the winter in the fortress at Rhandeia in northwestern Armenia.
Vologases I leads the Parthian army in a full-scale assault on the Euphrates.
Legio X Fretensis and men of the other two legions (
Legio III Gallica and
Legio VI Ferrata) defend the eastern bank of the river, fighting off a desperate attack.
Nero proposes a new urban planning program based on the creation of buildings decorated with ornate porticos, the widening of the streets and the use of open spaces. This plan will not be applied until after his death in
AD 68.
Lyon sends a large sum of money to Rome to aid in the reconstruction. However, during the winter of AD 64–
65, Lyon suffers a catastrophic fire itself, and Nero reciprocates by sending money to Lyon.
After a stage performance in which he appears and shocks the senatorial class considerably, Nero engages in a series of reprisals against
Seneca the Younger and
Tigellinus, pro-republican senators, and anyone else he distrusts.
Nero's pregnant wife,
Poppea Sabina, dies from Nero kicking her stomach or while having a miscarriage.
Gallus leads his main force down the coast from
Caesarea via
Antipatris to
Lydda, detaching other units, by land and sea, to neutralize the rebel strongholds at
Joppa,
Narbata and the Tower of
Aphek. With
Galilee and the entire Judean coast in his hands, Gallus assumes his campaign before the winter
rains render the roads impassable. He turns inland and marches on Jerusalem, taking the road via the plain at
Emmaus. Gallus succeeds in conquering
Beit She'arim (the "New City") on the
Bezetha Hill.[21]
November –
Battle of Beth-Horon: Gallus abandons the
siege of Jerusalem and chooses, for uncertain reasons, to withdraw west to winter quarters, where he is
ambushed and defeated by Judean rebels. Some 5,300 Roman troops are killed, as well as all their
pack animals, their artillery (which is to serve the Jews of Jerusalem during
Titus's siege operations four years later), and the greatest disgrace of all, the
eagle standard of Legio XII Fulminata. Gallus abandons his troops in disarray, fleeing to
Syria.[22]
Jewish leaders at
Jerusalem are divided through a power struggle, and a brutal civil war erupts. The
Zealots and the
Sicarii execute anyone who tries to leave the city.
Siege of Yodfat: Its 40,000
Jewish inhabitants are massacred. The historian
Josephus, leader of the rebels in
Galilee, is captured by the Romans. Vespasian is wounded in the foot by an arrow fired from the city wall.
The Jewish fortress of
Gamla in the
Golan falls to the Romans, and its inhabitants are massacred.
Nero travels to
Greece, where he participates in the
Olympic Games and other festivals.
Nero, jealous of the success of
Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo in
Armenia, orders that he be put to death. Corbulo literally "falls on his sword".
By topic
Religion
Apostles
Peter and
Paul are martyred in
Rome (possible date).
Kingdom of
Funan is established in the
Mekong Delta comprising present-day Cambodia, Southern Vietnam, Southern Thailand and Eastern Thailand, the first known civilization in
Southeast Asia. The capital city is
Vyadhapura or modern-day
Ba Phnum District in
Cambodia.
Due to lack of reliable demographic data, estimates of the world population in the 1st century vary wildly, with estimates for AD 1 varying from 150[38] to 300[39] million. Demographers typically do not attempt to estimate most specific years in antiquity, instead giving approximate numbers for round years such as AD 1 or AD 200. However, attempts at reconstructing the world population in more specific years have been made, with Manning (2008) tentatively estimating the world population in AD 60 as 249 million.[40]
October 13 —
Peter the Apostle (
Margherita Guarducci, who led the research leading to the rediscovery of Peter's reputed tomb in 1963, concluded that Peter died on that date, shortly after the
Great Fire of Rome and during the festivities to mark "dies imperii" of Emperor
Nero, and that Peter and other Christians were crucified in honor of the decennial of Nero's October 13,
AD 54 ascension to the imperial throne.) [47](b.
1 BC)
^Guidoboni, E.; Ferrari, G.; Tarabusi, G.; Comatri, A.; Mariotti, D.; Sgattoni, G.; Valensise, G. (2018).
"62 02 05, - Pompei (NA) (Italy)". CFTI5Med, Catalogo dei Forti Terremoti in Italia (461 a.C.-1997) e nell’area Mediterranea (760 a.C.-1500) (in Italian). Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV).
doi:
10.6092/ingv.it-cfti5.
^Chilver, Guy Edward Farquhar (January 20, 2024).
"Vespasian". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
^Poehler, Eric E. (2017). The Traffic Systems of Pompeii. Oxford University Press. pp. 49–50.
ISBN9780190614676.
^MacDonald, William L. (1982). The Architecture of the Roman Empire: An Introductory Study (Revised ed.). New Haven: Yale University Press. p. 25.
ISBN0-300-02819-9.
^Ronald Syme, Some Arval brethren (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1980), pp. 20, 24
^Haub (1995): "By 1 A.D., the world may have held about 300 million people. One estimate of the population of the Roman Empire, from Spain to Asia Minor, in 14 A.D. is 45 million. However, other historians set the figure twice as high, suggesting how imprecise population estimates of early historical periods can be."