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Millennium: 1st millennium BC
Centuries: 2nd century BC – 1st century BC – 1st century
Decades: 60s BC 50s BC 40s BC – 30s BC – 20s BC 10s BC 0s BC
Years: 34 BC 33 BC 32 BC – 31 BC – 30 BC 29 BC 28 BC
31 BC by topic
Politics
State leaders – Sovereign states
Birth and death categories
Births – Deaths
Establishments and disestablishments categories
Establishments – Disestablishments
Ab urbe condita 723
Armenian calendar N/A
Bahá'í calendar -1874 – -1873
Bengali calendar -623
Berber calendar 920
Buddhist calendar 514
Burmese calendar -668
Byzantine calendar 5478 – 5479
Chinese calendar 己丑年
(2606/2666)
— to —
庚寅年(2607/2667)
Coptic calendar -314 – -313
Ethiopian calendar -38 – -37
Hebrew calendar 3730 – 3731
Hindu calendars
- Vikram Samvat 25 – 26
- Shaka Samvat N/A
- Kali Yuga 3071 – 3072
Holocene calendar 9970
Iranian calendar 652 BP – 651 BP
Islamic calendar 672 BH – 671 BH
Japanese calendar
Korean calendar 2303
Thai solar calendar 513
Year 31 BC was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Antony and Octavian (or, less frequently, year 723 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 31 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.
Events
By place
Rome
- Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian becomes Roman Consul for the third time. His partner is Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus, replacing Mark Antony
- Octavian crosses the Strait of Otranto and lands with a army (15 legions) at Panormus in Dalmatia. He marched to Toryne in the south, and established a bridgehead at the Gulf of Ambracia.
- Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa sailed with 300 war galleys to the western Peloponnese, and occupied strategic positions around the Gulf of Corinth to cut off Antony's line of communication.
- Antony alerted by Octavian's presence, sets up camp on the southern shore, at the promontory of Actium. He dispatches a force to isolate the camp of Octavian in the valley of Louros.
- Agrippa stormed Leucas, given Octavian a anchorage and a second depot for his land supplies. He seized the garrison at Patrae, and taking Antony's headquarters.
- Amyntas, king of Galatia, deserted with 2,000 cavalry to Octavian. One-third of Antony's oarsmen is lost to malnutrition, disease and desertion.
- September 2—Roman Civil War: Battle of Actium—Off the western coast of Greece, Octavian Caesar defeats the naval forces under Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII.
- The Egyptian fleet (60 warships), including Cleopatra's treasure ship retreats to Taenarus, Antony transferred his flag to a smaller vessel and breaks through Octavian's line.
- Winter—Octavian (thirty-two years old) takes court at Samos; like Alexander the Great before him he rules the world, and controles the Roman state and the Mediterranean.
Palestine
- In the Judean Desert on an isolated rock plateau, fortress Masada is completed. Herod the Great builts an armory, barracks, storehouses and a palace.
By topic
Art
- Hellenistic period ends (or 14 AD by some scholars).