Contextual Knowledge - Timeline - Anno Domini

The growth of first the Roman Repubic and then the Roman Empire from 509BC until 476AD not only changed the politics, geography and economy of Europe, it also facilitated the spread of Christianity. Though it was the Roman government under Pontius Pilate that crucified Jesus, and early converts to Christianity were fed to the lions in the coliseum of Rome, by the 4th Century AD the Roman Empire had officially adopted the religion and introduced it to the various peoples under its rule. As the Roman Empire fell, it left in its wake a number of countries united by a common religion, an area which in the middle ages was often known as ‘Christendom’. To this day the Catholic church is known as the Roman Catholic Church and is governed by the papacy from the Vatican in Rome. The Catholic Church also gave us the Gregorian calendar which we use today; this calendar begins in AD 1, AD stands for the Latin Anno Domini, year of our lord and refers to the birth of Christ. For this reason, dates before this time are called BC, before Christ.

 

backward to classical antiquity

forward to Roman Britain

The Life of Christ

Life of Brian

Passion of the Christ

Miracle Maker

Ben Hur

Contemporary literature from the period

Modern literature set in the period

Film set in the period