100 BC Julius Caesar is born
Julius Caesar is born into a patrician Roman family

88 BC Sulla marches on Rome
The Roman general Sulla takes the unprecedented step of marching upon Rome with a Roman army, to restore his own faction to power

86 BC Marius massacres supporters of Sulla
Gaius Marius, uncle of Julius Caesar, marches on Rome and massacres many of the supporters of Sulla

85 BC Julius Caesar becomes head of his family
Julius Caesar's father dies, and in his teens he becomes head of the family

-84 BC Caesar marries Cornelia Cinna
Julius Caesar marries Cornelia Cinna, whose family, like Caesar's own, are in the faction opposed to Sulla

82 BC Sulla marches on Rome again
Sulla takes Rome for the second time, after a battle at the Colline Gate, and then publishes his lethal 'proscriptions'

82 BC Sulla massacres opponents
Sulla launches a massacre of his opponents and Julius Caesar is lucky to escape with his life, but his inheritance is confiscated

82 BC Caesar joins the army and serves in Asia
To escape from Italy Caesar joins the army, and serves in Asia with distinction (winning the Civic Crown for courage in action)

80 BC Pompey is Great
The 26-year-old Pompey conducts such a successful campaign in Africa that his soldiers hail him as Pompey the Great

78 BC Caesar returns to Rome
Sulla dies and Caesar returns to Rome, taking up a legal career as an advocate

75 BC Caesar studies oratory
To improve his skills as an orator, Julius Caesar travels to Rhodes to study with Cicero's teacher, Apollonius Molon

75 BC Caesar captured by pirates
Julius Caesar, captured by pirates on his way to Rhodes, warns them that he will crucify them - and later keeps his word

69 BC Cleopatra is born
Cleopatra, destined to become the last ruling pharaoh as Cleopatra VII, is born in Egypt – the daughter of Ptolemy XII

69 BC Caesar's wife, Cornelia, dies
Julius Caesar's wife, Cornelia Cinna, dies

67 BC Caesar marries Pompeia
Julius Caesar marries Pompeia, a granddaughter of Sulla and a distant relative of Pompey

64 BC Pompey annexes Syria
Pompey takes Antioch and brings Syria under control as a Roman province

63 BC Caesar becomes Pontifex Maximus
Caesar is elected Pontifex Maximus, the chief priest of the Roman state religion

62 BC Caesar divorces Pompeia
An unproven rumour about Pompeia causes Caesar to divorce her on the grounds that 'Caesar's wife must be above suspicion'

61 BC Crassus stands bail for debt-ridden Caesar
Caesar's numerous creditors prevent him leaving Rome until the immensely wealthy Marcus Licinius Crassus stands bail for some of his debts

61 BC Caesar governs southern Spain
Caesar sets off to take up a post as governor of southern Spain, where a series of profitable raids improve his finances

60 BC Caesar is elected consul
Back in Rome, Caesar stands in the election to become one of the two consuls for the year 59, and wins

60 BC Caesar, Pompey, Crassus form trio
Julius Caesar persuades Pompey and Crassus to join him in a political alliance to their mutual advantage, known now as the first triumvirate

59 BC Pompey marries Caesar's daughter Julia
The alliance between Pompey and Caesar is sealed when Pompey marries Caesar's only daughter, Julia

59 BC Caesar and Pompey force bill through senate
Caesar and Pompey use violence and intimidation to force through the senate a bill giving public land to retired soldiers (with Pompey's men at the head of the queue)

58 BC Caesar in Gaul
At the end of his year as consul, Caesar travels north to become governor of northern Italy and southern France

58 BC Caesar makes advances in Gaul
Julius Caesar begins the long slow process of pushing Roman occupation steadily northwards in France (or Gaul)

55 BC Britain invaded by Caesar
Julius Caesar makes the first of his two invasions of Celtic Britain

54 BC Caesar invades Britain again
Julius Caesar returns to Britain for a second visit, this time reaching north of the Thames into the kingdom of Cassivellaunus

53 BC Parthian victory at Carrhae
Crasssus is killed at Carrhae, in Turkey, when the Parthians defeat his army, largely thanks to their brilliance as mounted archers

53 BC End of first triumvirate
The death of Crassus at Carrhae brings to an end the first triumvirate

52 BC Vercingetorix defeats Caesar
The Celtic leader Vercingetorix inflicts an unaccustomed defeat on Julius Caesar, at Gergovia, but is captured later in the year

52 BC Caesar writes Gallic War
In his winter quarters Julius Caesar writes The Gallic War, an account of his own achievements in suppressing the Gauls

51 BC Cleopatra rules
In the Ptolemaic tradition, Cleopatra marries her brother Ptolemy XIII and at the age of eighteen is joint ruler of Egypt

50 BC Senate orders Caesar to return to Rome
The senate, controlled by Pompey and his faction, orders Caesar to disband his army and return to Rome

49 BC Caesar crosses Rubicon
Julius Caesar crosses the river Rubicon (the southern boundary of Gaul) with his army – and in doing so launches a civil war

49 BC Pompey flees at approach of Caesar
Pompey flees from Rome at the approach of Caesar, and boards a ship at Brindisi to sail eastwards

49 BC Caesar drives Pompey's supporters from Italy
Julius Caesar moves fast to drive Pompey's supporters from Italy and to crush forces loyal to him in Spain

48 BC Caesar defeats Pompey
Julius Caesar defeats his rival Pompey at Pharsalus, in Greece, and makes himself master of the Roman world

48 BC Caesar given Pompey's severed head
Caesar, reaching Egypt, is not pleased when sent by Ptolemy XIII the gift of Pompey's severed head, already embalmed

48 BC Pompey murdered in Egypt
Pompey, seeking in Egypt refuge from Caesar, is first welcomed and then murdered by the faction of Ptolemy XIII

48 BC Caesar dallies with Cleopatra
Julius Caesar, now fifty-two, meets the 21-year-old Cleopatra in Alexandria and they become lovers

47 BC Cleopatra says her child is Caesar's
Cleopatra gives birth to a son and calls him Ptolemy XV Caesar (later known by the nickname Caesarion)

47 BC Caesar helps Cleopatra win civil war
The combined forces of Caesar and Cleopatra defeat Ptolemy XIII in a battle fought in the Nile delta

47 BC Caesar returns to Italy by land
Julius Caesar leaves Alexandria to travel with his army by the land route back to Italy, through Turkey

47 BC Veni, vidi, vici
Julius Caesar concludes a campaign in Asia Minor so speedily that he declares, succinctly, Veni, vidi, vici ('I came, I saw, I conquered')

46 BC Vercingetorix in Caesar's Roman show
Vercingetorix is a prize exhibit in Caesar's great triumph in Rome, but the Celtic chieftain is strangled once the procession is over

46 BC Caesar wins victory at Thapsus
Julius Caesar goes to Africa to confront the remainder of Pompey's forces, and defeats them at Thapsus – but two of Pompey's sons escape to Spain

46 BC Cleopatra takes Caesarion to Rome
Cleopatra travels to Rome with Caesarion, whom Caesar now officially recognizes as his son

46 BC Caesar founds town at Carthage
A town is founded by Julius Caesar on the ruined site of Carthage, and eventually flourishes as Colonia Julia Carthago

45 BC Caesar wins victory at Munda
In the final act of his long struggle with supporters of Pompey, Julius Caesar defeats their last survivors at Munda in Spain

45 BC Caesar introduces new calendar
Julius Caesar's new calendar is introduced, at a time when its predecessor has become out of step with the seasons by three months

44 BC Shock on Ides of March
On March 15, the Ides of March, Julius Caesar is stabbed to death during a meeting of the senate

44 BC Mark Antony praises Caesar
Mark Antony gives a dramatic speech in praise of Caesar, calming the crowd but also positioning himself for the next stage in an ongoing power struggle

44 BC Octavian is Caesar's heir
Octavian, an 18-year-old student in Apollonia, hears that he has been named by his uncle, Julius Caesar, as his successor and heir

44 BC Cleopatra returns to Egypt
Soon after the assassination of Caesar, Cleopatra and Caesarion return to Egypt