The 2nd Century

100 - 149

100 Jewish Christians forced to leave the Jewish fold.

105 Chinese government servant named Ts'ai Lun invents paper, made from hemp waste, mulberry fibers, rags, and other materials. (It would take many centuries for this invention to travel west, reaching Samarkand, Central Asia, in 751 and Baghdad in 793, arriving in Europe in the 12th century.)

107 Persecution of Christians.

117 Hadrian rules Rome (till 138), establishes a postal system and codifies Roman law.

122 Emperor Hadrian begins construction on a 117 km (73 mile) long wall between England and Scotland. (Parts of the Hadrian wall still stands.)

125 Christians persecuted.

127 Alexandrian astronomer, cartographer, and mathematician Ptolemy (Claudius Ptolemaeus) publishes Almagest, in which he catalogued 1,022 stars - the previous known number of stars being 850. His work influenced astronomy studies for 14 centuries.

132 First seismoscope developed in China; it detected an earthquake 400 miles away.

136 Jewish revolt suppressed - dispersion of Jewish race.

140 Han Jing-di's son becomes Emperor Wu of China.

149 Chinese dictionary of 10,000 characters produced by Hu Shin. Rome begins third war against Carthage, a war that Carthaginians do not seek.

150 - 199

155 Iberian Lusitani nation rebels against Rome, who offer peace and land, trap them, killl 9,000 and enslave 20,000. To allow a longer campaign, the Roman Senate moves New Year from March 15 to January 1.

158 Claudius Galen writes that arteries carry blood, and explains the action of muscles and nerves.

166 Maccabaean rebellion against Seleucid rule begins in Judah.

167 Antiochus IV dedicates the temple in Jerusalem as a shrine to Zeus.

168 Rome divides Macedonia into four republics and forbids contact between the four.

171 Rome declares war against Perseus of Macedonia.

180 Greek physician Galen publishes Methodus Medendo, a system of medicine that will influence medical thinking for over a thousand years.

183 Hannibal commits suicide rather than be captured by the Romans.