• 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, signalling 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 by 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 .
• Though started under the triumvirate with Mark Anthony and Marcus Lepidus, Octavian completes three projects in the Forum Romanum : Temple of the Deified Julius , the Curia , and the Chalcidicum . ^[1]

• March 1 ? Horace writes the ode Occidit Daci Cotisonis agmen .
• Virgil probably completes the Georgics and begins composition of the Aeneid .

• 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 grants Octavian Caesar imperium maius (supreme command) of the Roman armed forces (Around 28 legions ).
• Augustus initiates a census of the Roman Republic for the first time since 69 BC. ^[2]

• May 10 ? The earliest dated record of a sunspot by Chinese astronomers. ^[3]

• 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 , ^[4] thus becoming first Roman emperor .
• Caesar Augustus starts a new military reform. He reduces the number of legions to 26 and creates the Praetorian Guard (1,000 men).
• Augustus forms the Classis Misenensis , based in the harbor 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, Rome .
• Augustus ' first census of the Roman Empire (formerly the Roman Republic ) reports a total of 4,063,000 citizens . ^[5]

• Imperator Caesar Augustus becomes Roman Consul for the eighth time. His partner Titus Statilius Taurus becomes Consul for the second time and refounds the old Contestanian Iberian capital of Ilici ( Elche ), known since then as "Colonia Iulia Ilici Augusta".
• Cleopatra Selene marries Juba II of Numidia , and as a wedding present Augustus makes her the queen of Mauretania in her own right.
• Disastrous campaign of Aelius Gallus in the Arabian Peninsula , then known as "Arabia Felix".
• 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 a campaign against the Cantabrians in northern Hispania . He leads an army (8 legions ) and consolidates the north-eastern region.

• Dioteimus Alaieus is one of the Archons of Athens .

• Abgar III of Osroene is succeeded by Abgar IV Sumaqa .

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

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

• 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 in the world , taking the lead from Chang'an , capital of China . ^[6]
• Galatia becomes a Roman province after the death of its king. The Roman troops stationed there are relocated to Egypt .
• The Roman colony of Emerita Augusta is founded (present-day Merida ).

• The government gives its tributary states 20,000 rolls of silk cloth and about 20,000 pounds of silk floss.

• 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 .
• Herod the Great marries for a third time, to Mariamne II , after a 4-year hiatus from family life (after putting to death his 2nd wife Mariamne I ).

• Caesar Augustus becomes Roman consul for the eleventh time. His co-consul 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 .
• Marcus Claudius Marcellus (nephew of Augustus) falls ill from a fever shortly after his uncle recovers and dies at the age of nineteen while serving as an aedile .
• The Nubians , led by queen Kandake Amanirenas , take the initiative against the Roman Empire , and attack the Roman province of Egypt moving towards Elephantine .
• In response to Meroe 's incursions into Upper Egypt , the Roman legions move south and raze Napata . ( History of Sudan ).
• 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 is struck in reddish pure copper , instead of bronze . The denominations of sestertius and dupondius are introduced as large bronze coins.

• Ma'nu III Saphul becomes ruler of Osroene .

• The Roman writer, architect and engineer Marcus Vitruvius Pollio 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.

• The Roman poet Horace publishes the first three books of Odes.

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

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

• May 12 ? Emperor Augustus Caesar negotiates a peace with Parthia , making Armenia a buffer zone between the two major powers. 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 Carree , Nimes , France , is built (approximate date).

• The Shakas , a nomadic Iranian tribe, no longer control northwest India (approximate date).

• Marcus Verrius Flaccus ' De verborum significatu is published. It is one of the first great dictionaries in history.

• Caesar Augustus , Roman Emperor ( 27 BC ? AD 14 )

27?BC

• Ai of Han , Chinese emperor of the Han Dynasty (d. 1 BC )

25?BC

• Aulus Cornelius Celsus , author of De Medicina (d. c. AD 50 )

   

23?BC

• Dong Xian , Chinese politician and general (d. 1 BC )
• Herod Archelaus , ethnarch of Samaria ( Judea ) (d. AD 18 )

21?BC

• Naevius Sutorius Macro , Roman prefect and politician (d. AD 38 )

20?BC

• June 3 ? Lucius Aelius Sejanus , advisor of Tiberius (d. AD 31 )
• Gaius Caesar , grandson of Augustus Caesar (d. AD 4 )
• Lucius Antonius , grandson of Mark Antony d. AD 25 )
• Philo of Alexandria , Jewish philosopher (d. AD 50 )

29?BC

• Antiochus II , Armenian prince of Commagene (executed)
• Mariamne I , wife of Herod the Great (executed) (or 28 BC )
• Ptolemy Philadelphus , Ptolemaic prince of Egypt (b. 36 BC )

28?BC

• Alexandra the Maccabee , Hasmonean princess (approximate date)
• Mariamne I , Hasmonean princess and wife Herod the Great (or 29 BC )

27?BC

• Marcus Terentius Varro , Roman scholar and writer (b. 116 BC ) ^[7]

26?BC

• Gaius Cornelius Gallus , Roman politician and poet (b. 70 BC )

• Marcus Valerius Messalla Rufus , Roman politician

• Aaron, brother of Moses , Levite and First High Priest of God

25?BC

• Amyntas of Galatia , King of Galatia

24?BC

• Aulus Terentius Varro Murena , Roman general and politician

23?BC

• Marcus Claudius Marcellus , son of Octavia and nephew of Augustus (b. 42 BC )

22?BC

• Lucius Licinius Varro Murena , Roman politician

20?BC

• Artavasdes I , king of Media Atropatene (approximate date)
• Artaxias II , king of Armenia ( Artaxiad dynasty )
• Fuzhulei Ruodi , ruler of the Xiongnu Empire
• Mirian II (or Mirvan ), king of Iberia ( Georgia )
• Mithridates II , king of Commagene ( Armenia )