First Millennium Timeline: Roman, Byzantine, and Early Islamic Egypt
Compiled by Heike Behlmer |
This timeline is provided as an orientation for the history of Egypt in the first millennium. The links lead to websites giving more in-depth information, especially De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors |
Roman Period
30 BCE |
Conquest of Egypt by Augustus; Egypt becomes a Roman Province; administrative language: Greek |
30 BCE - 14 CE |
Octavian (Augustus) emperor |
14-37 CE. |
|
19 |
Germanicus (adoptive son of Tiberius travels to Egypt) |
37-41 |
|
41-54 |
|
~ 50 CE |
St Mark the Evangelist missionizes in Alexandria (various dates given by church historians) |
54-68 |
|
69 |
Year of four emperors; Vespasian acclaimed by the legions stationed in Egypt and visits the temple of Serapis in Alexandria |
70 CE |
Destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, numerous Jewish refugees come to Alexandria |
79-81 |
|
81-96 |
|
96-98 |
|
115-117 |
Jewish rebellions in Egypt; the important community is virtually destroyed under Trajan and Hadrian |
117-138 |
|
ca. 120 |
Christians in Egypt documented by papyrus finds |
130 |
Travel of Hadrian to Egypt; Antinoos drowns in the Nile and is deified; foundation of Antinoopolis |
138-161 |
|
172-173 |
Rebellion in the delta under the leadership of a priest Isidorus |
178-188 |
Julian first visible archbishop in Egypt |
180-192 |
Commodus |
193-211 |
|
~ 200 |
Flowering of Alexandrian theology (Origen, Clement) |
201 |
First major persecution of Christians |
211 |
Caracalla becomes emperor (after murdering his brother Geta) |
212 |
Roman citizenship given to all free inhabitants of the empire (constitutio Antoniniana) |
215 |
Massacre in Alexandria (reason: Alexandrians producing ironic verses on the murder of Geta) |
241 |
Shapur I ascends to the throne of Sassanian Persia |
242 |
Mani (216-276) founds the religion of Manichaeism, Manichaean missionaries diffuse his teaching in Egypt in the second half of the 3rd cent. |
249-51 |
Further persecutions under Decius (249-251) and Valerian (253-260; captured by the Persians in 260 ) |
ca. 251-356 |
St Anthony, model for the eremitic lifestyle |
260 |
Tolerance edict of Gallienus, the following 40 years of peace enable Christianity to spread rapidly |
270-272 |
Egypt under the control of Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra, defeated by Aurelian |
283/4 |
Diocletian becomes emperor, important administrative reforms with far-reaching impact on Egypt |
288-346/7 |
Pachomius, model of the cenobitic lifestyle, abbot of a congregation of male and female monasteries |
293 |
Tetrarchy established (with Diocletian and Maximian as Augusti, Galerius and Constantius Chlorus as Caesars ) |
296 |
Revolt in Egypt led by Domitius Domitianus and Aurelius Achilles |
298 |
Alexandria reconquered by Diocletian |
303-311 |
Major persecutions of Christians (Edicts) |
305 |
Diocletian and Maximian abdicate (Diocletian dies in 311/2), Constantius and Galerius become Augusti |
306 |
Constantius dies |
311 |
Galerius issues decree of tolerance; dies |
312 |
|
313 |
Tolerance edict (Edict of Milan) of Constantine (324-337 sole ruler) |
from 318 |
Debate on Arianism (the Alexandrian presbyter Arius underlines the subordinate role and different nature of the Son as compared to the Father) |
325 |
Ecumenical Council of Nicea, Arius' teaching condemned, Arianism continues to exist in the 4 th century as the creed of several emperors and some Germanic peoples |
328-373 |
Athanasius, leading representative of Antiarianism, exiled several times by Arian emperors |
330 |
Constantinople (work started in 324) becomes capital of the Roman Empire |
after 348-465 |
Shenoute of Atripe abbot of a congregation of male and female monastic houses in Upper Egypt, important theologian and Coptic language author |
361-363 |
Julian, last pagan emperor, killed in battle against the Persians, succeeded by Jovian |
364 |
Valentinian (West) and Valens (East) |
379-395 |
|
381 |
Proscription of Arianism |
385-412 |
Theophilus Patriarch of Alexandria |
391/392 |
Closure of pagan temples and prohibition of sacrifices by Theodosius I, destruction of the temple of Serapis at Alexandria |
Byzantine Period
395 |
Division of the Roman Empire between the sons of Theodosius, Egypt becomes part of the Eastern Empire (Constantinople) under Arcadius |
412-444 |
Cyril Patriarch of Alexandria; Egypt's influence in the church at its summit |
415 |
Murder of the famous neo-platonist philosopher Hypatia by Alexandrian Christians, synagogues converted into churches |
431 |
|
451 |
Council of Chalcedon; in the wake of the council centered around the question of the nature of Christ, large parts of the Egyptian church separate in a century-long process from the church in Constantinople, leading to a coexistence of Chalcedonian and non-Chalcedonian (Coptic) patriarch in Egypt |
474-491 |
Zeno, emperor in the East (with two interruptions to his rule), attempts to reunite the divided church |
491 |
Anastasius (supports the non-Chalcedonian party) |
527-565 |
Justinian; attempts to reunite the churches (from a Chalcedonian viewpoint) by political and military means; his wife Theodora (dies in 548) supports the non-Chalcedonian party |
535-537 |
Last pagan temple on the island of Philae closed |
~ 570 |
Mohammed born |
603 onwards |
Persian (Sassanian) invasions of eastern provinces |
610-641 |
|
614 |
Persians besiege and capture Jerusalem; the True Cross is taken |
619-29 |
Occupation of Egypt by the Persian Sassanians |
630 |
After the defeat of the Persians in 628, Heraclius restores True Cross to Jerusalem, returns in triumph to Constantinople |
632 |
Mohammed dies |
635 |
Arabs conquer Damascus |
636 |
Battle of the River Yarmuk: Byzantine army defeated |
638 |
Jerusalem surrendered to the Arabs |
641-68 |
|
Early Islamic Period
640-42 |
Conquest of Egypt by an Arab force under the general cAmr ibn al-cAs; the lower and medium echelons of the administration still in the hands of local Christian dignitaries |
706 |
Use of Greek as administrative language abolished; flowering of Coptic as administrative language in the 7 th and 8 th centuries |
8 th -9 th cent. |
Increasing arabization (government edicts redacted in Arabic starting in 706); first wave of conversions in the wake of failed rebellions and fiscal pressure in the first half of the 9 th cent., culminating in the ultimately unsuccessful Bashmuric revolts with the deportation or conversion of many Christians |
8 th -11 th cent. |
Production of the majority of Coptic manuscripts known today, copying, redacting and collecting activity in Coptic monasteries |