Eastern Hemisphere at the beginning of the 4th century AD.
Eastern Hemisphere at the end of the 4th century AD.
As a means of recording the passage of
time, the
4th century (per the
Julian calendar and
Anno Domini/
Common era) was that
century which lasted from
301 to
400.
Overview
In the West, the early part of the century was shaped by
Constantine I, who became the first Roman emperor to convert to
Christianity. Gaining sole reign of the empire, he is also noted for re-establishing a single imperial capital, choosing the site of ancient
Byzantium in 330 (over of the current capitals, which had effectively been changed by
Diocletian's reforms to
Milan in the West, and
Nicomedia in the East) to build the city soon called Nova Roma (New Rome); it was later renamed
Constantinople in his honor.
The last emperor to control both the eastern and western halves of the empire was
Theodosius I. As the century progressed after his death it became increasingly apparent that the empire had changed in many ways since the time of
Augustus. The two emperor system originally established by Diocletian in the previous century fell into regular practice, and the east continued to grow in importance as a centre of trade and imperial power, while
Rome itself diminished greatly in importance due to its location far from potential trouble spots, like Central Europe and the East. Late in the century Christianity became the official state religion, and the empire's old pagan culture began to disappear. General prosperity was felt throughout this period, but recurring invasions by
Germanic tribes plagued the empire from AD
376 onward. These early invasions marked the beginning of the end for the
Western Roman Empire.
According to archaeologists, sufficient archaeological correlates of state-level societies coalesced in the 4th century to show the existence of the
Three Kingdoms (AD 300/400–668) of
Baekje,
Goguryeo, and
Silla.
Events
- Early 4th century – Former audience hall now known as the Basilica, Trier, Germany, is built.
- 376: Visigoths appear on the Danube and are allowed entry into the Roman Empire in their flight from the Huns.
- 378 – 395: Theodosius I, Roman emperor, bans pagan worship, Christianity is made the official religion of the Empire.
Inventions, discoveries, introductions
