1st century

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Millennium: 1st millennium
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Eastern Hemisphere in AD 50, in the middle of the first century
Eastern Hemisphere in AD 100, at the end of the first century

The 1st century was the century that lasted from AD 1 to AD 100 according to the Julian calendar. It is often written as the 1st century AD[1] or 1st century CE to distinguish it from the 1st century BC (or BCE) which preceded it. The 1st century is considered part of the Classical era, epoch, or historical period.

During this period, Europe, North Africa and the Near East fell under increasing domination by the Roman Empire, which continued expanding, most notably conquering Britain under the emperor Claudius (AD 43). The reforms introduced by Augustus during his long reign stabilized the empire after the turmoil of the previous century's civil wars. Later in the century the Julio-Claudian dynasty, which had been founded by Augustus, came to an end with the suicide of Nero in AD 68. There followed the famous Year of Four Emperors, a brief period of civil war and instability, which was finally brought to an end by Vespasian, ninth Roman emperor, and founder of the Flavian dynasty. The Roman Empire generally experienced a period of prosperity and dominance in this period and the First Century is remembered as part of the Empire's golden age.

The 1st century saw the appearance of Christianity.

China continued to be dominated by the Han Dynasty, despite a fourteen-year interruption by the Xin dynasty under Wang Mang. Han rule was restored in AD 23; Wang Mang's rule represents the watershed between the Western/Former Han and the Eastern/Later Han. The capital was also moved from Chang'an to Luoyang.

Regional events and politics[edit]


The skeleton called the "Ring Lady" unearthed in Herculaneum, one of the victims of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79

Significant people[edit]


Science and philosophy[edit]

Inventions, discoveries, introductions[edit]


  1. ^ in violation of the general rule that the abbreviation AD should precede the date in question.
  2. ^ J. Dwight Pentecost, The Words and Works of Jesus Christ: A Study of the Life of Christ (Zondervan, 1981) pages 577-578.
  3. ^ Andreas J. Köstenberger, John (Baker Academic, 2004), page 110.
  4. ^ Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible 2000 Amsterdam University Press ISBN 90-5356-503-5 page 249
  5. ^ Paul L. Maier "The Date of the Nativity and Chronology of Jesus" in Jerry Vardaman and Edwin M. Yamauchi, Chronos, kairos, Christos: nativity and chronological studies (1989) ISBN 0-931464-50-1, pp. 113-129
  7. ^ Herod the Great by Jerry Knoblet 2005 ISBN 0-7618-3087-1 page 183-184
  11. ^ Paul's early period: chronology, mission strategy, theology by Rainer Riesner 1997 ISBN 978-0-8028-4166-7 page 19-27 (page 27 has a table of various scholarly estimates)