The world in 1 CE

In 1 CE, the timeline shows 69 states, empires and colonies and 122 peoples across 12 regions. The most significant include Teotihuacan, Parthian Empire, Roman Empire, Xiongnu Empire, Western Han, Anuradhapura Kingdom, Zapotec state (Monte Albán) and Kingdom of Khotan.

See 1 CE on the interactive chart

What was happening around 1 CE

9 Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, Europe. Arminius of the Cherusci destroys three Roman legions under Varus, and Rome gives up the conquest of Germany beyond the Rhine.

Central and Southern Africa

Eastern Bantu-speaking farmers c. 1000 BCE to 1300 CE
Western Bantu-speaking farmers c. 500 BCE to 1400 CE
Central African forest foragers c. 3200 BCE to the present
San hunter-gatherers c. 3200 BCE to the present
Khoisan hunter-gatherers c. 3200 BCE to 1100 CE
Pastoral Neolithic herders c. 3000 BCE to 700 CE
Khoekhoe herders c. 100 BCE to 1904 CE
Bantu farmers of the Congo basin c. 500 BCE to 1500 CE
Urewe culture c. 500 BCE to 600 CE
East African hunter-gatherers c. 3200 BCE to the present
Lower Congo hunter-gatherers c. 3200 BCE to 500 CE
Great Lakes hunter-gatherers c. 3200 BCE to 500 CE
Pre-settlement Madagascar c. 3200 BCE to 400 CE

North and West Africa

Nok culture c. 1500 BCE to 1 CE
Kingdom of Kush (Meroitic period) c. 270 BCE to 350 CE
Roman Africa 146 BCE to 439 CE
Roman Egypt 30 BCE to 395 CE
Medjay, Blemmyes and Beja nomads c. 2300 BCE to the present
Cushitic-speaking peoples c. 2000 BCE to the present
Sahelian cereal farmers c. 1500 BCE to the present
West African yam and oil palm farmers c. 1500 BCE to the present
Amazigh (Berber) tribes c. 1400 BCE to the present
Sao culture c. 500 BCE to 1600 CE
Jenne-Jeno (Middle Niger towns) c. 250 BCE to 1400 CE
Garamantes c. 500 BCE to 700 CE
Mauretania c. 300 BCE to 44 CE

Europe

Roman Empire 27 BCE to 395 CE
Gaelic Ireland c. 500 BCE to 1607 CE
Iron Age Britons c. 800 BCE to 43 CE
Roman Hispania 218 BCE to 472 CE
Sarmatians c. 300 BCE to 375 CE
Germanic tribes of Germania c. 100 BCE to 500 CE
Roman Gaul 50 BCE to 486 CE
Dacian Kingdom c. 82 BCE to 106 CE
Sami people c. 1000 BCE to the present
Basques c. 500 BCE to the present
Baltic Finnic tribes c. 500 BCE to 1250 CE
Thracians c. 1200 BCE to 46 CE
Illyrians c. 1000 BCE to 9 CE
Bosporan Kingdom c. 480 BCE to 527 CE
Przeworsk culture c. 300 BCE to 450 CE
Getae and Dacians c. 500 BCE to 106 CE
Roman Macedonia and Achaea 146 BCE to 395 CE
Odrysian Kingdom c. 480 BCE to 46 CE
Pre-Roman Iron Age (Scandinavia) c. 500 BCE to 1 CE
Roman Iron Age (Scandinavia) c. 1 to 400 CE
Wielbark culture c. 1 to 400 CE

Middle East

Parthian Empire 247 BCE to 224 CE
Kingdom of Saba c. 1000 BCE to 275 CE
Kingdom of Iberia (Kartli) c. 302 BCE to 580 CE
Himyarite Kingdom c. 110 BCE to 525 CE
Roman Anatolia 133 BCE to 395 CE
Roman Syria and Judaea 64 BCE to 395 CE
Palmyra c. 50 BCE to 273 CE
Nabataean Kingdom c. 168 BCE to 106 CE
Artaxiad Armenia 189 BCE to 12 CE
Arab Bedouin tribes c. 900 BCE to the present
Aramaic-speaking Mesopotamians c. 1100 BCE to 700 CE
Kingdom of Hadramawt c. 800 BCE to 290 CE
Kingdom of Qataban c. 800 BCE to 200 CE
Caucasian Albania c. 150 BCE to 822 CE
Kingdom of Ma'in c. 800 BCE to 50 CE
Gerrha c. 300 BCE to 300 CE
Atropatene c. 323 BCE to 226 CE
Kingdom of Persis c. 280 BCE to 224 CE
Osroene c. 132 BCE to 244 CE
Elymais c. 147 BCE to 221 CE
Characene c. 141 BCE to 222 CE
Kingdom of Cappadocia c. 331 BCE to 17 CE
Commagene 163 BCE to 72 CE
Lycian League c. 168 BCE to 43 CE
Herodian Judea 37 BCE to 44 CE

South Asia

Anuradhapura Kingdom c. 377 BCE to 1017 CE
Satavahana dynasty c. 120 BCE to 220 CE
Indo-Greek Kingdom c. 200 BCE to 10 CE
Munda-speaking peoples c. 1500 BCE to the present
Tibeto-Burman hill peoples c. 1000 BCE to the present
Vedda people c. 900 BCE to the present
Eastern Iranian peoples c. 1500 BCE to 1000 CE
Yaudheya confederacy c. 450 BCE to 350 CE
Early Cholas c. 300 BCE to 300 CE
Early Cheras c. 300 BCE to 300 CE
Early Pandyas c. 300 BCE to 250 CE
Kuninda Kingdom c. 200 BCE to 300 CE
Malava Republic c. 150 BCE to 350 CE
Yuezhi in Bactria c. 130 BCE to 30 CE
Indo-Scythians c. 90 BCE to 30 CE

Central and North Asia

Xiongnu Empire c. 209 BCE to 93 CE
Kingdom of Khotan c. 300 BCE to 1006 CE
Sogdiana c. 545 BCE to 722 CE
Saka c. 800 BCE to 100 CE
Hunter-fishers of western Siberia before 3200 BCE to 1000 CE
Yukaghir peoples c. 1000 BCE to the present
Chukchi, Koryak and Itelmen peoples c. 1000 BCE to the present
Kingdom of Kucha c. 200 BCE to 648 CE
Ancient Chorasmia c. 520 BCE to 305 CE
Old Bering Sea culture c. 200 BCE to 500 CE
Kangju c. 200 BCE to 450 CE
Jushi kingdom c. 200 BCE to 450 CE
Loulan (Shanshan) c. 176 BCE to 445 CE
Wusun c. 160 BCE to 450 CE
Tashtyk culture c. 1 to 400 CE
Han Protectorate of the Western Regions c. 60 BCE to 107 CE

East Asia

Western Han 202 BCE to 9 CE
Silla c. 57 BCE to 668 CE
Goguryeo c. 37 BCE to 668 CE
Baekje c. 18 BCE to 660 CE
Yayoi period c. 300 BCE to 250 CE
Formosan Austronesian peoples before 3200 BCE to the present
Qiang peoples c. 1250 BCE to the present
Baiyue peoples c. 1000 BCE to 200 CE
Sushen and Yilou c. 600 BCE to 550 CE
Zhangzhung c. 500 BCE to 645 CE
Epi-Jomon culture c. 300 BCE to 700 CE
Buyeo c. 200 BCE to 494 CE
Samhan confederacies c. 100 BCE to 350 CE
Lelang Commandery 108 BCE to 313 CE

Southeast Asia

Austronesian peoples c. 2200 BCE to 900 CE
Neolithic to Iron Age farmers of Thailand c. 2300 BCE to 500 CE
Ban Chiang culture c. 2000 BCE to 200 CE
Neolithic and Iron Age farmers of Cambodia c. 2000 BCE to 100 CE
Austronesian peoples of Sumatra and Malaya c. 1500 BCE to 500 CE
Austronesian farmers of Java and Wallacea c. 1500 BCE to 400 CE
Pyu city-states c. 200 BCE to 1050 CE
Dong Son culture c. 1000 BCE to 100 CE
First Chinese domination (Han) 111 BCE to 40 CE
Philippine Negrito foragers c. 3200 BCE to the present
Orang Asli (Semang and Senoi) c. 1800 BCE to the present
Dayak peoples of Borneo c. 1000 BCE to the present
Plain of Jars culture c. 1000 BCE to 1200 CE
Sa Huynh culture c. 1000 BCE to 200 CE
Buni culture c. 400 BCE to 500 CE

North America

Dorset culture c. 500 BCE to 1300 CE
Adena culture c. 500 BCE to 100 CE
Hopewell tradition c. 100 BCE to 500 CE
Unangan (Aleut) peoples c. 2500 BCE to the present
Northern Archaic tradition before 3200 BCE to 1000 CE
California Archaic hunter-gatherers before 3200 BCE to 500 CE
Dene (Northern Athabaskan) peoples c. 750 BCE to the present
Belle Glade culture c. 1000 BCE to 1700 CE
Locarno Beach and Marpole cultures c. 1800 BCE to 500 CE
Caloosahatchee culture 500 BCE to 1750 CE
Basketmaker culture c. 1500 BCE to 750 CE
Early Agricultural period farmers c. 2100 BCE to 50 CE
Woodland period cultures c. 1000 BCE to 1000 CE
Norton tradition c. 1000 BCE to 800 CE
Plains Woodland cultures c. 500 BCE to 950 CE
Laurel complex c. 350 BCE to 1000 CE
Fremont culture c. 1 to 1300 CE
Marksville culture 100 BCE to 400 CE

Mesoamerica and Caribbean

Teotihuacan c. 100 BCE to 550 CE
Chibchan chiefdoms (Costa Rica and Panama) c. 500 BCE to 1570 CE
Zapotec state (Monte Albán) c. 500 BCE to 850 CE
Saladoid culture c. 500 BCE to 600 CE
El Mirador c. 600 BCE to 150 CE
Gran Coclé chiefdoms c. 1200 BCE to 1520 CE
Guayabo de Turrialba c. 1000 BCE to 1400 CE
Early farmers of the northern deserts c. 1500 BCE to 700 CE
Greater Nicoya cultures c. 500 BCE to 1522 CE
Cholula c. 300 BCE to 1519 CE
Kaminaljuyu c. 800 BCE to 800 CE
Cuicuilco c. 800 BCE to 250 CE
Izapa c. 850 BCE to 100 CE
Teuchitlán tradition c. 350 BCE to 500 CE
Epi-Olmec culture c. 300 BCE to 250 CE

South America

Nazca culture c. 100 BCE to 800 CE
Fuegian canoe peoples (Yaghan, Kawésqar) before 3200 BCE to the present
Sambaqui shell-mound builders before 3200 BCE to 1000 CE
Jê peoples c. 1 CE to the present
Patagonian peoples (Tehuelche, Selk'nam) c. 1 CE to the present
Zenú culture c. 200 BCE to 1535 CE
Barrancoid culture c. 1000 BCE to 650 CE
Quimbaya culture c. 100 BCE to 1000 CE
Upano valley settlements c. 500 BCE to 600 CE
Tumaco-La Tolita culture c. 600 BCE to 400 CE
Formative cultures of northwest Argentina c. 300 BCE to 600 CE
San Agustín culture c. 1 to 900 CE
Recuay culture c. 200 BCE to 600 CE
Pukara culture c. 400 BCE to 300 CE

Oceania

Aboriginal Australian peoples before 3200 BCE to the present
Papuan farmers and foragers before 3200 BCE to the present
Kuk Swamp agriculture before 3200 BCE to 1900 CE
Ancestral Polynesian society c. 888 BCE to 1000 CE
Tasmanian Aboriginal peoples before 3200 BCE to the present
Uninhabited c. 3200 BCE to 1280 CE
Uninhabited c. 3200 BCE to 1000 CE
Torres Strait Islanders c. 500 BCE to the present
Island Melanesian societies c. 500 BCE to the present
Pre-Latte Chamorro c. 1500 BCE to 900 CE
Fijian chiefdoms c. 500 BCE to 1874 CE
Eastern Micronesian islanders c. 200 BCE to the present

Questions

What countries existed in 1 CE?

The timeline shows 69 states, empires and colonies alive in 1 CE. Among the most significant: Teotihuacan, Parthian Empire, Roman Empire, Xiongnu Empire, Western Han, Anuradhapura Kingdom, Zapotec state (Monte Albán) and Kingdom of Khotan. The full list by region is on this page.

What was happening in the world in 1 CE?

Within 25 years of 1 CE, the timeline records Battle of the Teutoburg Forest (9).

Which empires existed in 1 CE?

Parthian Empire, Roman Empire, Xiongnu Empire, Western Han, Roman Africa, Roman Anatolia, Roman Syria and Judaea, Roman Egypt and Satavahana dynasty.

Where do these dates come from?

Each row's dates were checked against the sources listed on that row's own page, mostly English Wikipedia articles, which cite the underlying scholarship. Dates that are uncertain are marked c.