AD 60 to AD 300

Literature

Thyestes. Seneca. Roman. AD 60. Play. Thyestes, who had seduced Atresus' wife and stolen power before being defeated by Atreus, is exiled, but then urged by Atreus to return to Argos. Atreus gets his revenge by killing Thyestes' sons and feeding them to their father at a banquet. Most fiendish play in history. Senecan tragedy influenced Elizabethan and Jacobean revenge plays. The play embodies the tastes of the times in which it was written.

Society

AD 64. Persecution of Christians begins at Rome.

AD 70. The Romans sack Jerusalem and destroy most of the Third Temple.

AD. 79. Mount Vesuvius on the Bay of Naples erupts August 24. Tons of lava, mud and ash bury the cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii, killing thousands.

AD. 80. Three months of celebration mark the opening of the Coliseum. The Emperor Titus has 500 wild beasts and many gladiators slain to amuse the populace.

Literature

The Golden Ass. Apuleius, Lucius. Roman. AD 100. Romance; satire. Takes a magic potion expecting to be turned into an owl; becomes an ass instead and wanders through Greece. He passes through the hands of owners who mistreat him. Interspersed are stories of intrigue, witchcraft, love. Most famous story is that of Cupid and Psyche.

The Elegies of Ch'u. Ch'u Yuan. Chinese. AD 100 (?). Poetry. Sings of his misfortunes at court. Lush, ecstatic imagery; emotionalism. Shamanistic religious practices.

Society

AD 167. The first full-scale barbarian attack on Rome destroys aqueducts and irrigation conduits.

Literature

The Meditations. Marcus Aurelius. Roman. AD 171-180. Emperor of Rome from 161-180 AD. At 50, began composing notes for his own benefit. Aimed at moral improvement. Paganism's last moral pronouncements.

Society

AD 200. Roman public roads are so good that travelers can average 100 miles per day.

Literature

Raghuvamsa. Kalidasa. India. AD 200. Narrative poem. Life of Rama, hero of the Hindu epic Ramayana.

The Little Clay Cart. King Shudraka. India. AD 200-900. Play. Sanskrit. Villain smothers heroine, accuses hero. Heroine recovers to save hero from execution.

Society

AD 222. Gunpowder will be invented in the next half-century by Chinese alchemists.

Literature

Mahabharata. Anonymous. India. AD 300. Epic poem. Famous interpolation is the Bhagavadgita. Encyclopedia of Hindu life, legend and thought.

Ethiopica. Heliodoros. Greek. AD 300 (?). Romance. Love between Theagenes. Chariclea; earliest extant Greek romance. Ten volumes. Frequently borrowed from.

Daphnis and Chloe. Longus. Greek. AD 300-400 (?). Poetry. Pastoral. Love between the children of a goatherd and shepherd.