70s

The 70s was a decade that ran from January 1, AD 70, to December 31, AD 79.

19th-century painting depicting the siege of Jerusalem (70).

As the decade began, the First Jewish–Roman War continued: In AD 70, the Romans besieged and sacked Jerusalem and destroyed the Second Temple. After this major victory, the Romans continued to clear pockets of Jewish resistance, with the final stronghold taken being Masada (73). The Flavian dynasty, which included emperors Vespasian and Titus, ruled the empire during this decade. During their reign, the Romans faced military challenges from various sources, including clashes with British and Germanic tribes. However, the Romans were largely successful in defeating these tribes, expanding their territories and consolidating their power. Following the death of Vologases I in 78, Parthia saw internal conflict as Vologases II and Pacorus II competed for the throne. In China, the Han–Xiongnu War was re-invigorated, with the Han defeating the Northern Xiongnu in the Battle of Yiwulu (73). In 75, Emperor Ming of Han died, being succeeded by Emperor Zhang: the reign of these two emperors is considered to have been a golden age.

The destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple during the First Jewish–Roman War marked a major turning point in Jewish history. The loss of mother-city and temple necessitated a reshaping of Jewish culture to ensure its survival. Judaism's Temple-based sects, including the priesthood and the Sadducees, diminished in importance. A new form of Judaism that became known as Rabbinic Judaism developed out of Pharisaic school and, centuries later, eventually became the mainstream form of the religion. Many followers of Jesus of Nazareth also survived the city's destruction. They spread his teachings across the Roman Empire, giving rise to the new religion of Christianity.

In the autumn of 79, Mount Vesuvius violently spewed forth a deadly cloud of super-heated tephra and gases to a height of 33 km (21 mi), ejecting molten rock, pulverized pumice and hot ash. The event destroyed several towns and minor settlements in the area, at the time part of the Roman Empire. Pompeii and Herculaneum, obliterated and buried underneath massive pyroclastic surges and ashfall deposits, are the most famous examples. The total population of both cities was over 20,000. The remains of over 1,500 people have been found at Pompeii and Herculaneum so far, although the total death toll from the eruption remains unknown.

The period also saw significant architectural and engineering accomplishments, such as the construction of the Colosseum in Rome. In 75, Vespasian erected a colossal statue of Apollo, begun under Nero, and he dedicated a stage of the theatre of Marcellus. Valerius Flaccus wrote the Argonautica, an epic poem. Pliny the Elder composed the 10-volume Natural History, covering topics including astronomy, mathematics, geography, ethnography, anthropology, human physiology, zoology, botany, agriculture, horticulture, pharmacology, mining, mineralogy, sculpture, art, and precious stones.

Manning (2008) tentatively estimates the world population in AD 70 to have been 250 million.[1]

Events

By place

Roman Empire
Asia
  • India sees the end of the Hellenistic dynasties.
  • A flood in the yellow river returns the river north of Shandong, to essentially its present course[10]
Africa
  • Expedition by the Roman Septimius Flaccus to southern Egypt. He probably reaches Sudan.
  • Ze-Hakèlé (Zoskales in Greek) becomes king of Aksum.

By topic

Religion

By place

Roman Empire
Asia

By topic

Religion

By place

Roman Empire

By place

Roman Empire
Asia

By topic

Arts and sciences

By place

Roman Empire
Asia
  • The Chinese reestablish a protectorate of the Western Regions.
  • Chinese generals Dou Gu (Teou Kou) and Geng Bing (Keng Ping) take control of Turpan.

By topic

Arts and Science

By place

Roman Empire
Asia

By place

Roman Empire
China

By topic

Art and Science
  • Chinese historian Ban Gu develops a theory of the origins of the universe.
Religion

By place

Roman Empire
Asia

By topic

Arts and sciences

By place

Roman Empire
Asia

By topic

Philosophy
  • The Chinese philosopher Wang Chong (Wang-Ch'ung) claims all phenomena have material causes.

By place

Roman Empire
China
  • A commission of scholars canonizes the text of works of Confucius and his school.

Significant people

Births

AD 70

AD 71

AD 72

AD 73

AD 74

AD 75

AD 76

AD 78

AD 79

Deaths

AD 70

AD 71

AD 72

AD 74

AD 75

AD 76

AD 77

AD 78

AD 79

References

  1. Manning, Scott (2008-01-12). "Year-by-Year World Population Estimates: 10,000 B.C. to 2007 A.D." Historian on the Warpath. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  2. War of the Jews Book V, sect. 99 (Ch. 3, paragraph 1 in Whiston's translation)
  3. War of the Jews Book V, sect. 302 (Ch. 7, par. 2)
  4. War of the Jews Book V, sect. 466 (Ch. 11, par. 4)
  5. War of the Jews Book VI, sect. 296 (Ch. 5, par. 3). In Greek, "φάσμα τι δαιμόνιον ὤφθη μεῖζον πίστεως", a phrase that is often translated on UFO sites as "On the 21st of May a demonic phantom of incredible size...".
  6. War of the Jews Book VI, sect. 94 (Ch. 2, par. 1)
  7. War of the Jews Book VI, sect. 166 (Ch. 2, par. 9)
  8. War of the Jews Book VI, sect. 220 (Ch. 4, par. 1)
  9. War of the Jews Book VI, sect. 407 (Ch. 8, par. 5; Ch. 9, par. 2)
  10. Tregear, T. R. (1965) A Geography of China, pp. 218–219.
  11. Ring, Trudy; Watson, Noelle; Schellinger, Paul (28 October 2013). Northern Europe: International Dictionary of Historic Places. Routledge. p. 813. ISBN 978-1-136-63944-9.
  12. "Antiochus IV Epiphanes, Commagene". www.britishmuseum.org. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  13. Morgan, Gwyn (2006). 69 A.D : the year of four emperors. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 170–173. ISBN 1-4237-4559-0. OCLC 62868545.
  14. "List of Rulers of Korea". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
  15. "Gnaeus Julius Agricola".
  16. "Pompeii: Vesuvius eruption may have been later than thought". BBC News. 2018-10-16. Retrieved 2018-10-16.
  17. Dow, Joseph A. (2011). Ancient Coins Through the Bible. Tate Publishing. p. 133. ISBN 9781617771354.
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