300s (decade)

Events

Contents: 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309

300

By place

Roman Empire

• The Franks penetrate into what is now northern Belgium (approximate date).
• The city of Split is built.
• The Camp of Diocletian is built in Palmyra.
• A Romano-Celtic temple-mausoleum complex is constructed in what is now Lullingstone, and also in Anderitum (approximate date).

Asia

• The lion becomes extinct from Armenia (approximate date).
• The Yayoi period ends in Ancient Japan (approximate date).
• Wootz steel is developed in India (approximate date).
• The Kama Sutra, an Indian handbook on the art of sexual love, is probably produced around this time by the sage Vatsyayana.

Africa

• The elephant becomes extinct in North Africa (approximate date).
• The Atlas wild ass becomes extinct (approximate date).

America

• The Formative/Preclassic period in Mesoamerica comes to an end (around this year).
• The Mayan civilization reaches its most prolific period, the classic period, in what is now Guatemala, Belize and parts of southern Mexico adjacent to the former two. During most of this period, Tikal dominates the Mayan world.

By topic

Arts and sciences

• The magnetic compass for navigation is invented in China (approximate date).
• The Panchatantra, a Sanskrit collection of fables and fairy tales, is written in India.
• The Tetrarchs are probably made in Egypt. After 330 they are moved to Constantinople and in 1204 they are installed at the corner of the facade of the St Mark's Basilica, Venice (approximate date).
• Diocletian's Palace, Split, Croatia, is built. Its model is nowadays kept at the Museo della Civilta Romana, Rome.

Religion

• Peter of Alexandria becomes Patriarch of Alexandria.
• Possible date of the Codex Vaticanus Graecus 1209 and Codex Sinaiticus, manuscripts of the Bible written in Greek.
• Tiridates III makes his kingdom of Armenia the first state to adopt Christianity as its official religion.
• Approximate date of the Synod of Elvira in Elvira, Spain, which prohibits interaction with Jews, pagans, and heretics.

301

By place

Roman Empire

• Emperor Diocletian issues his Edict on Maximum Prices, which, rather than halting rampant inflation and stabilizing the economy, adds to inflationary pressures by flooding the economy with new coinage and by setting price limits too low.
• Diocletian begins the construction of new roads in the Roman Empire. The Strata Diocletiana is built and lined with a series of forts (quadriburgia); it runs from the Gulf of Aqaba (Arabia) to the Euphrates.

Armenia

• King Tiridates III proclaims Christianity as the official state religion. Armenia becomes the first nation to adopt Christianity. ^{[1][2][3][4][5]} Construction of the original Etchmiadzin Cathedral by Gregory the Illuminator begins.

Europe

• September 3 – The republic of San Marino is established (traditional date).

Asia

• King Narseh of Persia abdicates, in favor of his son, Hormizd II.
• Sima Lun briefly usurps the Jin Dynasty.

302

By place

Roman Empire

• Emperor Diocletian begins passing laws against Christians and a policy of religious oppression in Antioch.

Persia

• King Narseh, Shah of the Persian Empire, dies after a 9-year reign. He is succeeded by his son Hormizd II.

By topic

Arts and sciences

• Iamblichus of Chalcis writes a treatise on magic and the occult.

Religion

• Gregory the Illuminator is consecrated as Patriarch of Armenia by Leontius of Caesarea.

303

By place

Roman Empire

• Great Persecution: Emperor Diocletian launches the last major persecution of Christians in the Empire. Hierocles is said to have been the instigator of the fierce persecution of the Christians under Galerius. They are forbidden to worship in groups, and thousands of them are killed in the next 10 years.
• February 24 – Galerius publishes his edict that begins the persecution of Christians in his portion of the Empire.
• September 25 – On a voyage preaching the gospel, Saint Fermin of Pamplona is beheaded in Amiens, France.
• November 20 – Diocletian makes a visit to Rome. The Augusti and the Caesars are united for the first time to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Diocletian's accession.
• Arch of Galerius dedicated in Thessaloniki.

Armenia

• Etchmiadzin Cathedral is completed by Gregory the Illuminator and Tiridates III king of Armenia.

Asia

• Sassanid Shah Hormizd II succeeds Narseh.

America

• In Mexico the civilization of Teotihuacan flourishes.

By topic

Religion

• March 4 – Martyrdom of Saint Adrian of Nicomedia.

304

By place

Roman Empire

• Emperor Diocletian issues four edicts aimed at destroying Christianity; churches are to be dismantled, clergymen arrested, and their followers forced to sacrifice to pagan gods on pain of death. Those put to death include Agnes of Rome, a 12-year-old Christian girl who has refused marriage and consecrated her virginity to God. Hailed as a martyr, she will be honored as the patron saint of chastity, gardeners, rape victims and virgins.
• Constantius Chlorus defeats the Alemanni and fortifies the town of Konstanz (Germany).
• Diocletian fights a campaign against the Carpi on the Danube and becomes seriously ill.
• A Triumphal Arch is built for Diocletian in Rome.

China

• Sixteen Kingdoms: The Wu Hu uprising establish under Liu Yuan the Han Kingdom.
• Sichuan earns its independence from China.

By topic

Religion

• October 25 – Pope Marcellinus dies at Rome after an 8-year reign. The papal throne will remain vacant until 308.

305

By place

Roman Empire

• May 1 – Emperor Diocletian abdicates at age 60, and retires to his palace at Salona (modern Split) on the Adriatic coast, after a reign of nearly 21 years in which the last vestiges of republican government have disappeared.
• Maximian retires from office and leaves for Campania (southern Italy), to live a life of ease in his luxury villas.
• Constantius Chlorus and Galerius are declared Augusti; Flavius Valerius Severus and Maximinus II Daia are appointed Caesars.
• In the Western Empire, the capital is moved from Rome to Milan. Constantius Chlorus requests leave for his son Constantine I, who remains at Galerius's court in Nicomedia as a virtual hostage.
• Summer – Constantine I joins his father in Gaul, from Bononia (Boulogne); they cross the Channel to Britain and make their way to Eboracum (York), capital of Britannia Secunda and home to a large military base, in order to deal with a rebellion by the Picts.
• Maximinus II (305–313) persecutes the Christians of Egypt, many of whom take refuge in the desert. In time, this refuge leads to the monastic life. In these monasteries Coptic writing develops, supporting the propagation of Christian texts.
• Patron of Pozzuoli, Saint Proculus, and patron of Naples, Saint Januarius are thrown to wild beasts in Pozzuoli's Flavian Amphitheater, then beheaded at Solfatara.

Asia

• The Daysan River floods Edessa.

By topic

Commerce

• Landowners dominate the Roman Empire and enjoy the title of senator, which exempts them from the crushing taxes imposed on the rest of the population. The Senate has lost all its power and the landowners almost never attend Senate sessions. Members of municipal senates (curiales or decuriones) are charged with the responsibility of collecting taxes and paying arrears; smaller landowners are held responsible for providing recruits for the Roman army and with keeping wastelands under cultivation.

Religion

• Catherine makes a public confession of the Christian gospel at a sacrificial feast ordered by Maximinus II at Alexandria. A virgin of royal descent, she is tortured on a spiked wheel (later called "Catherine Wheel") and beheaded; her remains are spirited to Mount Sinai.
• The Council of Illiberis decrees that priests must be celibate. Additionally, it condemns visiting the homes of Jews and prohibits Christian women from marrying Jews, unless they have converted.

306

By place

Roman Empire

• Constantius Chlorus undertakes a punitive expedition against the Picts beyond the repaired Hadrian's Wall. His son Constantine joins him on campaign and they win a brilliant victory.
• July 25 – Constantius Chlorus dies outside Eboracum (modern-day York). Constantine, age 26, is declared Augustus (emperor) by his troops. Eventually Emperor Galerius grants Constantine the title Caesar and elevates Flavius Valerius Severus (Severus II) to co-emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
• October 28 – Maxentius, son of the former Western Emperor Maximian, joins a revolt by the Praetorian Guard in Rome, and is proclaimed Emperor.
• Southern Italy, bitter over the subjection to taxation, supports Maxentius, as do Africa, Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily.
• Galerius sends Severus to suppress the rebellion in Rome. The soldiers desert him and Severus flees to Ravenna.
• The Franks cross the Rhine, but are repulsed by Constantine.
• The Baths of Diocletian are dedicated; the thermae become the largest imperial baths in Rome.
• Galerus has the Rotunda of Galerius built in Thessaloniki (Macedonia).

Asia

• The War of the Eight Princes ends in China.

By topic

Religion

• Probable date – The Synod of Elvira concludes with the issue of various canons, including one declaring that killing through a magic spell is a sin and the work of the devil.
• Metrophanes becomes bishop of Byzantium.
• The Patriarchate of Lisbon is established.
• Christianity is established in Roman Britain. British bishops participate in the councils of Arles (314), Nicaea (325) and Arminum (349).

307

By place

Roman Empire

• Constantine is made a Caesar by Galerius and returns to Britain.
• March 31 – After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine the Great marries Fausta Flavia Maxima, the daughter of the retired co-emperor Maximian.
• Constantine I establishes his capital in Augusta Treverorum (Trier). He begins a major expansion of the city, strengthening the walls with fortified gates, and building a palace complex and the Imperial Baths.
• September 16 – Severus II is captured and imprisoned at Tres Tabernae. After Emperor Galerius unsuccessfully invades Italy to suppress Maxentius, he is executed (or forced to commit suicide).

China

• January 8 – Emperor Jin Huidi dies after a 16-year reign, in which eight dukes of the imperial family have conducted a civil war (War of the Eight Princes) against each other in a struggle for power. Jin Huaidi, age 23, succeeds his father and becomes third emperor of the Jin Dynasty.

308

By place

Roman Empire

• April – History of Trier: Roman usurper Maxentius banishes his father, Maximian, who flees to the court of Constantine the Great in modern Trier.
• November 11 – The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare Maxentius a public enemy and Licinius is proclaimed Augustus, while rival contender Constantine I is declared Caesar of Britain and Gaul.
• Under Constantine I, the Romans defeat the Germans along the Rhine frontier.
• Domitius Alexander is acclaimed emperor (against Maxentius) in Carthage; the African provinces come under his rule. This is a dangerous situation, because Rome depends on the African grain supply.
• Construction of the Basilica of Maxentius (Basilica Nova), the largest building in the Roman Forum, is begun.

Asia

• The Han Zhao Dynasty is established in northern China, marking the official inception of the long lasting Uprising of the Five Barbarians.

By topic

Religion

• May 27 or June 26 – Pope Marcellus I succeeds Pope Marcellinus as the 30th pope.

309

By place

Roman Empire

• The Spanish provinces revolt from the control of Maxentius, acknowledging Constantine the Great as their Emperor.
• A plague that may be related to anthrax spreads across the Roman Empire, causing a drastic decline in the population.

Persia

• King Hormizd II, Shah of the Persian Empire, dies after a 7-year reign and a power struggle for the succession ensues. He is succeeded by his son Shapur II.

North America

• The limber pine called Twister begins growing.

By topic

Religion

• Pope Marcellus I is banished from Rome by the Emperor Maxentius.
• April 18 – Pope Eusebius succeeds Marcellus as the 31st pope, but is himself banished on August 17 to Sicily (These events may have taken place in 310).

East Asia

In Yamato (Japan), the Kofun period doinated during this decade. It was an animistic culture which existed prior the introduction of Buddhism. A legend of the 4th century Prince Yamato Takeru alludes to the borders of the Yamato and battlegrounds in the area. A frontier was obviously somewhere close to the later Izumo province (the eastern part of today's Shimane prefecture). Another frontier, in Kyūshū, was apparently somewhere north of today's Kumamoto prefecture. The legend specifically states that there was an eastern land in Honshū "whose people disobeyed the imperial court", against whom Yamato Takeru was sent to fight. That rivalling country may have been located rather close to the Yamato nucleus area itself, or relatively far away. The today Kai province is mentioned as one of the locations where prince Yamato Takeru sojourned in his said military expedition.

Northern frontier of this age was also explained in Kojiki as the legend of Shido Shogun's (四道将軍: Shoguns to four ways) expedition. Out of four shoguns, Ōbiko set northward to Koshi and his son Take Nunakawawake set to eastern states. The father moved east from northern Koshi while the son moved north on his way, and they finally met at Aizu (current western Fukushima). Although the legend itself is not likely to be a historical fact, Aizu is rather close to southern Tōhoku, where the north end of keyhole kofun culture as of late 4th century is located.

Deaths

• Constantius Chlorus, Roman emperor. Died in 306.
• Flavius Valerius Severus, Roman emperor. Died in 307.

References