# 40 BC

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/40_BC
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/40_BC.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/40_BC
> Source revision: 1267076849
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Calendar year

Years Millennium 1st millennium BC Centuries 2nd century BC 1st century BC 1st century Decades 60s BC 50s BC 40s BC 30s BC 20s BC Years 43 BC 42 BC 41 BC 40 BC 39 BC 38 BC 37 BC v t e

40 BC by topic Politics State leaders Political entities Categories Births Deaths v t e

40 BC in various calendars Gregorian calendar 40 BC XL BC Ab urbe condita 714 Ancient Egypt era XXXIII dynasty, 284 - Pharaoh Cleopatra VII, 12 Ancient Greek Olympiad (summer) 185th Olympiad (victor)¹ Assyrian calendar 4711 Balinese saka calendar N/A Bengali calendar −633 – −632 Berber calendar 911 Buddhist calendar 505 Burmese calendar −677 Byzantine calendar 5469–5470 Chinese calendar 庚辰年 (Metal Dragon) 2658 or 2451 — to — 辛巳年 (Metal Snake) 2659 or 2452 Coptic calendar −323 – −322 Discordian calendar 1127 Ethiopian calendar −47 – −46 Hebrew calendar 3721–3722 Hindu calendars - Vikram Samvat 17–18 - Shaka Samvat N/A - Kali Yuga 3061–3062 Holocene calendar 9961 Iranian calendar 661 BP – 660 BP Islamic calendar 681 BH – 680 BH Javanese calendar N/A Julian calendar 40 BC XL BC Korean calendar 2294 Minguo calendar 1951 before ROC 民前1951年 Nanakshahi calendar −1507 Seleucid era 272/273 AG Thai solar calendar 503–504 Tibetan calendar ལྕགས་ཕོ་འབྲུག་ལོ་ (male Iron-Dragon) 87 or −294 or −1066 — to — ལྕགས་མོ་སྦྲུལ་ལོ་ (female Iron-Snake) 88 or −293 or −1065

Year **40 BC** was either a [common year starting on Thursday](/source/Common_year_starting_on_Thursday), [Friday](/source/Common_year_starting_on_Friday) or [Saturday](/source/Common_year_starting_on_Saturday) or a [leap year starting on Thursday](/source/Leap_year_starting_on_Thursday) or [Friday](/source/Leap_year_starting_on_Friday) of the [Julian calendar](/source/Julian_calendar) (the sources differ, see [leap year error](/source/Julian_calendar#Leap_year_error) for further information) and a [common year starting on Friday](/source/Common_year_starting_on_Friday) of the [Proleptic Julian calendar](/source/Proleptic_Julian_calendar). At the time, it was known as the **Year of the Consulship of Calvinus and Pollio** (or, less frequently, **year 714 *[Ab urbe condita](/source/Ab_urbe_condita)***). The denomination 40 BC for this year has been used since the early [medieval period](/source/Middle_Ages), when the [Anno Domini](/source/Anno_Domini) [calendar era](/source/Calendar_era) became the prevalent method in [Europe](/source/Europe) for naming years.

## Events

### By place

#### Roman Republic

- [Consuls](/source/Consul): [Gnaeus Domitius Calvinus](/source/Gnaeus_Domitius_Calvinus) and [Gaius Asinius Pollio](/source/Gaius_Asinius_Pollio_(consul_40_BC)).

- [Siege](/source/Siege) of [Perusia](/source/Perusia): trying a last attempt to break the siege, which fails; [Lucius Antonius](/source/Lucius_Antonius_(brother_of_Mark_Antony)) surrenders to [Octavian](/source/Augustus). His life is spared, but the [citizens](/source/Citizens) are [executed](/source/Capital_punishment) or sold into [slavery](/source/Slavery). [Fulvia](/source/Fulvia) flees with her children and is exiled to [Sicyon](/source/Sicyon), where she dies of a sudden [illness](/source/Illness).

- Spring – [Quintus Salvidienus Rufus](/source/Quintus_Salvidienus_Rufus) marches to [Transalpine Gaul](/source/Transalpine_Gaul) to take command of the eleven [legions](/source/Roman_legion), after the death of [Quintus Fufius Calenus](/source/Quintus_Fufius_Calenus). Octavian divorces [Claudia](/source/Claudia_(wife_of_Octavian)) and marries [Scribonia](/source/Scribonia_(wife_of_Octavian)), a sister of [Lucius Scribonius Libo](/source/Lucius_Scribonius_Libo) and a follower of [Sextus](/source/Sextus).

- May – [Gaius Claudius Marcellus](/source/Gaius_Claudius_Marcellus_(consul_50_BC)), a distinguished member of the [Claudii](/source/Claudia_gens), dies. He leaves [Octavia the Younger](/source/Octavia_the_Younger) (the elder sister of Octavian) widowed. She will later marry [Mark Antony](/source/Mark_Antony).

- [Sextus Pompey](/source/Sextus_Pompey) dispatches [Menas](/source/Menas_(freedman)) with four legions and captures [Sardinia](/source/Sardinia), driving out Octavian's governor [Marcus Lurius](/source/Marcus_Lurius). He seizes the capital, [Caralis](/source/Caralis) and occupies [Corsica](/source/Corsica). Sextus besieges [Cosenza](/source/Cosenza) in [Bruttium](/source/Bruttium) and [Thurii](/source/Thurii) in [Lucania](/source/Lucania), ravaging the territory with his cavalry.

- Sextus' fleet raids the ports of [Puteoli](/source/Puteoli) and [Ostia](/source/Ostia_Antica). The populace hold the Triumvirs responsible for prolonging the war, provoking a riot on the [Forum](/source/Roman_Forum). Octavian, with the [Praetorian Guard](/source/Praetorian_Guard), goes to intercept the riot, and only escapes with his life because Antony summons troops to rescue his junior colleague.

- [Treaty of Brundisium](/source/Treaty_of_Brundisium): The [Triumvirs](/source/Triumvirate) agrees to divide the [Roman Republic](/source/Roman_Republic) into [spheres of influence](/source/Sphere_of_influence). [Gaius Octavian](/source/Augustus) styles himself "[Imperator Caesar](/source/Imperator)" and takes control of the Western provinces. Mark Antony is given the Eastern provinces; the River [Drin](/source/Drin_(river)), the [boundary](/source/Border) between the provinces [Illyricum](/source/Illyricum_(Roman_province)) and [Macedonia](/source/Macedonia_(Roman_province)), is to serve as their frontier. [Marcus Aemilius Lepidus](/source/Marcus_Aemilius_Lepidus_(triumvir)) controls [Hispania](/source/Hispania) and [Africa](/source/Africa_Province). The treaty is cemented by the marriage of Antony and Octavia the Younger.

### Asia minor

- [Quintus Labienus](/source/Quintus_Labienus) occupies [Cilicia](/source/Cilicia) and marches, with an [army](/source/Army), into [Anatolia](/source/Anatolia). Most cities [surrender](/source/Surrendered) without [resistance](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Resistance_(military)&action=edit&redlink=1), except for [Alabanda](/source/Alabanda) and [Mylasa](/source/Mylasa). The Parthians restore their territory to nearly the limits of the old [Achaemenid Empire](/source/Achaemenid_Empire). Labienus proclaims himself "Parthian Emperor" of [Asia Minor](/source/Asia_Minor).

#### Egypt

- Mark Antony leaves [Alexandria](/source/Alexandria). After receiving news of the outcome at Perusia while en route to [Phoenicia](/source/Phoenicia), he sets sail for [Italy](/source/Italy) meeting the [ambassadors](/source/Ambassador) of Sextus Pompey in [Athens](/source/Athens).

#### Igodomigodo Kingdom

- Ogiso Igodo dissolves the Ik’edionwere Council (western Africa). establishes the Royal Council with members of the disbanded Ik’edionwere Council and the Odibo-Ogiso group. He names his combined territories, [Igodomigodo](/source/Igodomigodo) with its capital at Ugbekun.[1]

#### Greece

- [Athenodorus](/source/Athenodorus_Cananites), a philosopher, encounters a [ghost](/source/Ghosts_in_European_culture) in Athens. This popular story is one of the first [poltergeist](/source/Poltergeist) stories in history.

#### Parthia

- [Pacorus](/source/Pacorus_I_of_Parthia) crosses, with the help of [Quintus Labienus](/source/Quintus_Labienus), the [Euphrates](/source/Euphrates) and invades [Syria](/source/Syria). The capital [Antioch](/source/Antioch) surrenders, and the Parthians take Phoenicia and Judea. However, they cannot besiege the fortified city of [Tyre](/source/Tyre%2C_Lebanon), because they have no fleet.

- [Parthians](/source/Parthian_Empire) conquer [Jerusalem](/source/Jerusalem). [Hyrcanus II](/source/Hyrcanus_II) is removed from power, while [Antigonus the Hasmonean](/source/Antigonus_the_Hasmonean) becomes king of Judea under Parthian rule. [Herod the Great](/source/Herod_the_Great) flees [Jerusalem](/source/Jerusalem) to [Rome](/source/Rome). There he is titled king of [Judea](/source/Judea) by Mark Antony.

#### China

- The *Ji Jiu Pian* dictionary, published about this year during the [Han dynasty](/source/Han_dynasty), is the earliest known reference to the [hydraulic](/source/Hydraulic)-powered [trip hammer](/source/Trip_hammer) device.

## Births

- [Ariobarzanes II](/source/Ariobarzanes_II_of_Atropatene), Roman client king of [Armenia](/source/Kingdom_of_Armenia_(antiquity)) (d. [4 AD](/source/4_AD))

- [Cleopatra Selene](/source/Cleopatra_Selene_II) (d. [AD 6](/source/AD_6)) and [Alexander Helios](/source/Alexander_Helios) (d. between [29](/source/29_BC) and [25 BC](/source/25_BC)), twins of [Cleopatra VII](/source/Cleopatra_VII_of_Egypt) and [Mark Antony](/source/Mark_Antony)

## Deaths

- [Fulvia](/source/Fulvia), wife of [Publius Clodius Pulcher](/source/Publius_Clodius_Pulcher) and Mark Antony (b. [77 BC](/source/77_BC))

- [Gaius Claudius Marcellus](/source/Gaius_Claudius_Marcellus_(consul_50_BC)), Roman consul (b. [88 BC](/source/88_BC))

- [Lucius Decidius Saxa](/source/Lucius_Decidius_Saxa), Roman general and governor

- [Phasael](/source/Phasael), prince of the [Herodian dynasty](/source/Herodian_dynasty) of [Judea](/source/Judea)

- [Quintus Fufius Calenus](/source/Quintus_Fufius_Calenus), Roman general and consul

- [Quintus Salvidienus Rufus](/source/Quintus_Salvidienus_Rufus), Roman general and advisor

- [Simeon ben Shetach](/source/Simeon_ben_Shetach), Pharisee scholar and prince (*[Nasi](/source/Nasi_(Hebrew_title))*)

- [Tigellius](/source/Tigellius), Sardinian [lyric poet](/source/Lyric_poetry) (close friend of [Julius Caesar](/source/Julius_Caesar))

## References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [40 BC](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:40_BC).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["IGODOMIGODO: Meaning and Story Behind Igodomigodo"](https://www.edoaffairs.com/igodomigodo-meaning-story). August 26, 2019.

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [40 BC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/40_BC) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/40_BC?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.