2nd century

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Global territorial situation in the 2nd century

The 2nd century began on January 1, 101 and ended on December 31, 200 .

In the Mediterranean, it falls into the ancient era .

Age / Epoch

• The Roman Empire reached under the rule of Adoptive emperors Trajan , Hadrian , Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius the heyday of its development: Its extension ranges from the Persian Gulf to the Atlantic Ocean , the road network includes more than 75,000 kilometers almost twice the circumference of the earth . At the time it was home to around 100 million inhabitants, a number that was never reached again later.
• In the Empire of China (see Qin Dynasty and Han Dynasty ) the paper is invented. This is the prerequisite for putting down, passing on and storing thoughts and experiences in an uncomplicated way, in writing . This laid a decisive foundation stone for the further development of human culture .

Events / developments

Politics and social order

• Hadrian 's Wall , named after Emperor Hadrian , was completed in the first quarter of the 2nd century. It serves to secure the Roman possessions in Britain .
• The Chinese Han Dynasty loses the Yellow Turban Rebellion in 180 years, their de facto power over the land, while many provincial governors and generals to powerful warlords rise: Cao Cao , Dong Zhuo , Gongsun Zan , Liu Biao , Lu Bu , Sun Ce , Yuan Shao , Yuan Shu , Zhang Lu .

Wars and Revolutions

• two Dacian wars ( 101 to 106 )
• Marcomannic Wars ( 166 to 180 )
• the partisan prohibitions (166 to 184 )
• three Parthian Wars
• Yellow Turban Revolt (184 to 196 )

Culture, art, economy and social issues

• In the Roman Empire, midwives are treated as doctors (around 130)
• Roman-Chinese relations

Personalities

• Hadrian (76-138), Roman emperor ( 117 - 138 ) of Spanish origin. He secured the empire in a peaceful manner, gave up almost all of Trajan's conquests and was the first to introduce the beginnings of a general human right with the slave protection laws
• Soranos of Ephesus , Roman physician from Asia Minor . Founder of scientific gynecology and obstetrics
• Antoninus Pius , Roman Emperor from Gaul . Like Hadrian, he was an advocate for peacefully securing the empire. He banned the persecution of people for religious reasons and extended the rights of slaves.
• Mark Aurel , Roman Emperor . First emperor to share government power with his brother as co-emperor
• Galenos , Greek naturalist and personal physician to Marcus Aurelius
• Herodes Atticus , Greco-Roman orator, politician and patron .
• Marcus Cornelius Fronto , Roman grammarian, public speaker and lawyer.
• Claudius Ptolemy , Greek mathematician , astronomer and geographer from Egypt . He put the established by him regressive geocentric worldview by
• Septimius Severus , Roman emperor of African descent
• Ardaschir I , Persian king and founder of the Sassanid Empire , was born towards the end of the 2nd century
• Calixt I , former Roman slave and later bishop of Rome
• Caracalla , Roman emperor and fratricide is born
• Hua Tuo , the inventor of anesthesia , is born
• Kanishka , most important king of the kingdom of Kushana
• Vologaeses IV. (Ruled from 147 to 191), consolidation of the Parthian Empire

Some of the personalities listed were born towards the end of the last century and are still listed here; others were born in this century but will not appear until the next century. This is due to the fact that the criterion for inclusion was not whether the year of birth falls in this century, but whether the main work and activity of the person took place in this century. Of course, a clear delimitation of this type is not always possible.

Science, research, inventions and discoveries

• Ptolemy developed the Ptolemaic worldview with the earth as the sphere and center of the universe
• The Chinese Cai Lun invents paper
• In Rome, which is soap from fat , potassium carbonate and calcium oxide developed
• The Indians recognize sugar in the urine as signs of disease
• The scientific dentistry is by 114 of Archigenes justified
• At the end of the 2nd century, the alchemist Maria the Jewess in Alexandria allegedly invented the pressure cooker with the kerotakis
• Around 185 Cleomedes discovered that the earth 's atmosphere bends the sun's rays

Buildings

• 149 Beginning of the construction of the Barbarathermen in Trier

Web links

Commons : 2nd century  collection of pictures, videos and audio files