40

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

Events

By place

Roman Empire

* The emperor Caligula is consul without colleague.
* Caligula embarks on a campaign to conquer Britain, and fails miserably.
* 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 statues be replaced by his. He also appoints his horse a senator.

Europe

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

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.

By topic

Arts and sciences

* Philo teaches that all men are born free.

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.

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)

Deaths

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