The Marcomannic Wars were fought by the Roman Empire under Marcus Aurelius against Germanic and Sarmatian peoples north of the Danube, among them the Marcomanni, the Quadi and the Iazyges. Large groups crossed the river and even entered Italy, reaching as far as Aquileia, at a time when the empire was weakened by the Antonine Plague and by war in the east. Marcus spent much of the last years of his life at the frontier, and is said to have written parts of his Meditations in the field. The Roman armies pushed back the invaders and apparently planned new provinces beyond the Danube, but the emperor died in 180 and his son Commodus made peace.
Before and after
- 150 CEBirth of Nagarjuna
- c. 150sPtolemy writes the Almagest
- 161 CEOrigins of Odeon of Herodes Atticus
- from 165 CE to 180 CEAntonine Plague
- from 166 CE to 180 CEMarcomannic Wars
- 170 CEDeath of Ptolemy
- 17 March 180 CEDeath of Marcus Aurelius
- from 184 CE to 205 CEYellow Turban Rebellion
- 185 CEChinese astronomers record the supernova of 185
More in Wars, politics & history
- c. 3,101 BCENarmer unifies Egypt
- from c. 1,258 BCE to 1,180 BCETrojan War
- c. 510 BCEThe Roman Republic is founded
- 147 BCERome destroys Carthage
- from 74 BCE to 72 BCEThe slave revolt of Spartacus
- 24 August 410 CEAlaric and the Visigoths sack Rome
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 2nd century.