397

Year 397 (CCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Caesarius and Atticus (or, less frequently, year 1150 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 397 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.

Millennium:	1st millennium
Centuries:	3rd century 4th century 5th century
Decades:	370s 380s 390s 400s 410s
Years:	394 395 396 397 398 399 400

397 in various calendars

Gregorian calendar	397 CCCXCVII
Ab urbe condita	1150
Assyrian calendar	5147
Balinese saka calendar	318–319
Bengali calendar	−196
Berber calendar	1347
Buddhist calendar	941
Burmese calendar	−241
Byzantine calendar	5905–5906
Chinese calendar	丙申年 (Fire Monkey) 3093 or 3033     — to — 丁酉年 (Fire Rooster) 3094 or 3034
Coptic calendar	113–114
Discordian calendar	1563
Ethiopian calendar	389–390
Hebrew calendar	4157–4158
Hindu calendars
- Vikram Samvat	453–454
- Shaka Samvat	318–319
- Kali Yuga	3497–3498
Holocene calendar	10397
Iranian calendar	225 BP – 224 BP
Islamic calendar	232 BH – 231 BH
Javanese calendar	280–281
Julian calendar	397 CCCXCVII
Korean calendar	2730
Minguo calendar	1515 before ROC 民前1515年
Nanakshahi calendar	−1071
Seleucid era	708/709 AG
Thai solar calendar	939–940
Tibetan calendar	阳火猴年 (male Fire-Monkey) 523 or 142 or −630     — to — 阴火鸡年 (female Fire-Rooster) 524 or 143 or −629

Events

Roman Empire

• Stilicho traps the Visigoths under King Alaric in the Peloponnese, but decides to abandon the campaign against the Visigoths in Greece, thus allowing King Alaric to escape north to Epirus with his loot. Presumably, Stilicho left Greece in order to prepare for military action in northern Africa, where a rebellion (see Gildonic Revolt in 398) seemed imminent.[1]
• Emperor Honorius passes a law making barbarian styles of dress illegal in the city of Rome. As a result of this law, everybody in Rome is forbidden from wearing boots, trousers, animal skins, and long hair. This law is passed in response to the increasing popularity of barbarian fashions among the people of Rome.[2][3]

China

• The Xiongnu occupy the Gansu area, an economically important province situated along the Silk Road.

Religion

• April 4 – Ambrose, Archbishop of Milan, dies in his diocese after 23 years in office, during which he dominated the political life of the Roman Empire.
• August 28 – Council of Carthage: The biblical canon is definitely declared.
• September 7 – First Council of Toledo: Hispanic bishops, including Lampius, condemn Priscillianism.
• November 13 – John Chrysostom is appointed Archbishop of Constantinople.
• Mor Gabriel Monastery is founded and located on the Tur Abdin plateau near Midyat (Turkey).
• Sulpicius Severus writes the earliest biography of Martin of Tours, the first known "life of a saint" ever written.
• Augustine of Hippo begins his Confessions, an autobiography that recounts his intellectual and spiritual development.
• Scottish missionary Ninian establishes a church (Candida Casa) at Whithorn, and begins his work among the Picts.

Births

• March 30 or March 31 – K'uk B'alam I, king of Palenque (Mexico)

Deaths

• April 4 – Aurelius Ambrosius, bishop of Milan
• November 8 – Martin of Tours, bishop and saint
• Murong Hui, imperial prince of Later Yan (b. 373)
• Murong Long, general and prince of Later Yan
• Empress She, wife of emperor Yao Chang

References

1. Burrell, Emma (2004). "A Re-Examination of Why Stilicho Abandoned His Pursuit of Alaric in 397". Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte. 53 (2): 251–256. JSTOR 4436726.
2. Aldrete, Gregory S.; Aldrete, Alicia (February 7, 2019). The Long Shadow of Antiquity: What Have the Greeks and Romans Done for Us?. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-350-10052-7.
3. Elton, Hugh (1996). "Fravitta and Barbarian Career Opportunities in Constantinople". Medieval Prosopography. 17 (1): 95–106. ISSN 0198-9405. JSTOR 44946209.