70 BC

NOTOC

Year 70 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Pompeius and Crassus (or, less frequently, year 684 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 70 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

During this year, the consulship of Pompeius and Crassus marked a turning point in Roman politics, as they reversed several of Sulla’s constitutional reforms. Powers of the tribunate were restored, and equestrians were once again permitted to serve as jurors, reshaping the balance of authority between the Senate and the people.

Notable births in 70 BC include the Roman poet Virgil (Publius Vergilius Maro), born on October 15 in Andes near Mantua. Virgil would later author the Aeneid, a cornerstone of Latin literature that profoundly influenced Western literary tradition. Other figures born around this time include Crinagoras of Mytilene, a Greek epigrammatist and diplomat, and Gaius Maecenas, a Roman political advisor and patron of the arts.

In various calendar systems, 70 BC corresponds approximately to:

• Roman calendar: Year of the Consulship of Pompeius and Crassus, or year 684 Ab urbe condita
• Gregorian calendar (proleptic): 70 BC
• Hebrew calendar: 3691 AM
• Chinese calendar: Han Dynasty, reign of Emperor Xuan
• Egyptian calendar: XXXIII dynasty, under Pharaoh Ptolemy XII Auletes
• Zoroastrian calendar: approximately 800–900 years after Zoroaster