Year 40 (XL) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

[edit] Events

[edit] By place

[edit] Roman Empire

• The emperor Caligula is consul without colleague.
• Caligula embarks on a campaign to conquer Britain, and fails miserably. He declares himself victorious anyway.
• Noricum and Mauretania are incorporated into the Roman Empire.
• Caligula transforms the principate into a Hellenistic Autocracy. He distributes honors carelessly, declares himself a god and orders that all the heads of the Greek deity statues be replaced by his. He also appoints his horse, Incitatus, a senator.

[edit] Europe

• The Germanic Quadi tribe begin settling in present-day Moravia and Slovakia.

[edit] Asia

• Vardanes I becomes king of Parthia, opposed by his brother Gotarzes II.
• The Vietnamese Trung sisters rebel against the rule of the Chinese Emperor Guangwu of Han.

[edit] By topic

[edit] Arts and sciences

• Philo teaches that all men are born free.

[edit] Religion

• Christianity comes to Egypt as a church is founded in Alexandria. Mark the Evangelist founds the Coptic Orthodox Church as the first pope.
• An early Christian church is erected at Corinth (most probable date).
• The Jewish festival of Pesach (Passover) is adopted by the Christians and renamed Easter.

[edit] Births

• Pedanius Dioscorides, Greek physician
• Frontinus, Roman general and military author
• Dio Chrysostom, Greek philosopher and historian
• July 13—Gnaeus Julius Agricola, Roman governor of Britain
• Claudia Octavia, daughter of Claudius and Messalina. (d. 62)
• Empress Ma of the Han Dynasty (d. 79)

[edit] Deaths

• January—Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus, husband of Agrippina the younger, brother-in-law of Caligula (dropsy)
• Ptolemy of Mauretania (executed by Caligula)