23 BC

Millennium:	1st millennium BC
Centuries:	2nd century BC 1st century BC 1st century
Decades:	40s BC 30s BC 20s BC 10s BC 0s BC
Years:	24 BC 23 BC 22 BC 21 BC 20 BC 19 BC 18 BC

21 BC in various calendars

Gregorian calendar	21 BC XX BC
Ab urbe condita	733
Ancient Greek era	189th Olympiad, year 4
Assyrian calendar	4730
Balinese saka calendar	N/A
Bengali calendar	−613
Berber calendar	930
Buddhist calendar	524
Burmese calendar	−658
Byzantine calendar	5488–5489
Chinese calendar	己亥年 (Earth Pig) 2676 or 2616     — to — 庚子年 (Metal Rat) 2677 or 2617
Coptic calendar	−304 – −303
Discordian calendar	1146
Ethiopian calendar	−28 – −27
Hebrew calendar	3740–3741
Hindu calendars
- Vikram Samvat	36–37
- Shaka Samvat	N/A
- Kali Yuga	3080–3081
Holocene calendar	9980
Iranian calendar	642 BP – 641 BP
Islamic calendar	662 BH – 661 BH
Javanese calendar	N/A
Julian calendar	21 BC XX BC
Korean calendar	2313
Minguo calendar	1932 before ROC 民前1932年
Nanakshahi calendar	−1488
Seleucid era	291/292 AG
Thai solar calendar	522–523
Tibetan calendar	阴土猪年 (female Earth-Pig) 106 or −275 or −1047     — to — 阳金鼠年 (male Iron-Rat) 107 or −274 or −1046

Year 21

BC was either a common year starting on Saturday or Sunday or a leap year starting on Friday, Saturday or Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar (the sources differ, see leap year error for further information) and a common year starting on Friday of the Proleptic Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Augustus and Varro (or, less frequently, year 731 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 23 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

Roman Empire

• Caesar Augustus becomes Roman consul for the eleventh time. His partner is Aulus Terentius Varro Murena.
• Augustus relinquishes the position of consul, retains that of tribune of Rome and assumes that of Princeps, or "First Citizen." (see Roman Empire).
• Augustus gets seriously ill: he gives Agrippa his signet ring and grants him the title imperium pro consule.
• The Nubians, led by queen Kandake Amanirenas, take the initiative against the Roman Empire, and attack the Roman province of Egypt moving towards Elephantine.
• In response to Meroë's incursions into Upper Egypt, the Roman legions move south and raze Napata. (History of Sudan).
• Herod the Great builds a palace in Jerusalem and the fortress Herodian in Judaea. He also marries his third wife, named Mariamne, the daughter of high priest Simon.
• Following coinage reform, the as is struck in reddish pure copper, instead of bronze. The denominations of sestertius and dupondius are introduced as large bronze coins.

Osroene

• Ma'nu III Saphul becomes ruler of Osroene.

Architecture

• The Roman writer, architect and engineer Vitruvius finishes writing De Architectura (known today as The Ten Books of Architecture), a treatise in Latin on architecture, and perhaps the first work about this discipline.

Poetry

• The Roman poet Horace publishes the first three books of Odes.

Births

• Dong Xian, Chinese politician and general (d. 1 BC)
• Herod Archelaus, ethnarch of Samaria (Judea) (d. AD 18)

Deaths

• Marcus Claudius Marcellus, son of Octavia and nephew of Augustus (b. 42 BC)

References