2nd century

Millennium:	1st millennium
Centuries:	1st century · 2nd century · 3rd century
Decades:	100s 110s 120s 130s 140s 150s 160s 170s 180s 190s
Categories:	Births – Deaths Establishments – Disestablishments

Eastern Hemisphere in 200 AD.

The 2nd century is the period from 101 to 200 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian Era. It is considered part of the Classical era, epoch, or historical period

Early in the century, the Roman Empire attained its greatest expansion under the emperor Trajan, but after his death became primarily defensive for the rest of its history. Much prosperity took place throughout the empire at this time, ruled as it were by the Five Good Emperors, a succession of just and able rulers. This period also saw the removal of the Jews from Jerusalem during the reign of Hadrian after Bar Kokhba's revolt. The last quarter of the century saw the end of the period of peace and prosperity known as the Pax Romana at the death of the emperor Marcus Aurelius, last of the "Five Good Emperors", and the accession of his ineffective and deranged son Commodus.

Although the Han Dynasty of China was firmly cemented into power and extended its imperial influence into Central Asia during the first half of the century, by the second half there was widespread corruption and open rebellion. This set in motion its ultimate decline, until it was overthrown in 220.

Events

Pieces of Hadrian's Wall remain near Greenhead and along the route, though large sections have been dismantled over the years to use the stones for various nearby construction projects.

• 96–180: Five Good Emperors of Rome: Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, Marcus Aurelius
• The kingdom of Aksum emerges
• 120–150: Bulgars migrate to Europe
• 122–132: Hadrian's Wall across Britain
• 132–135: Bar Kokhba's revolt against Rome
• 144: Marcion, rejected by Church of Rome, founds Marcionism
• 167–175: First Marcomanni War
• 178–180: Second Marcomanni War (depicted in the movie Gladiator)
• 184–205: the Yellow Turban Rebellion of the Han Dynasty in China begins

Significant persons

• Rabbi Akiva Head of all the Jewish Sages
• Rabbi Yehuda haNasi Prince of the Jewish people
• Commodus, Roman Emperor, claimed to be Hercules reincarnated
• Galen, medical writer
• Irenaeus, second bishop of Lyon
• Juvenal Roman satirical poet
• Montanus, Christian heretic
• Nagarjuna, founder of Madhyamaka Buddhism
• Pliny the Younger
• Plutarch, Greek historian
• Ptolemy, Greek astronomer, astrologer and geographer
• Septimius Severus, Roman Emperor
• Suetonius, Roman historian
• Valentinius, most famous Christian Gnostic
• Zhang Daoling, Chinese Taoist hermit
• Zhang Heng, Chinese statesman, poet, inventor, astronomer, geographer, and engineer

Inventions, discoveries, introductions

• Cai Lun of China invents paper (c. 105)
• Ptolemy compiles a catalogue of all stars visible to the naked eye. He also compiles three of the most influential books in western history:

• the Almagest which becomes the basis for western and Middle Eastern astronomy until the time of Copernicus and Kepler;
• the astrological treatise, Tetrabiblos;
• and the Geographia

• 125: Zhang Heng of China and the world's first water-powered armillary sphere
• 132: Zhang Heng of China invents first seismometer to detect the cardinal direction of earthquakes

Decades and Years

[[::Decades|Decades]] and [[::Years|Years]]

2nd century

[[::1st century BC|1st century BC]] ←[[::1st century|1st century]] ← ↔ →[[::3rd century|3rd century]]→[[::4th century|4th century]]

[[::90s|90s]]	[[::90|90]]	[[::91|91]]	[[::92|92]]	[[::93|93]]	[[::94|94]]	[[::95|95]]	[[::96|96]]	[[::97|97]]	[[::98|98]]	[[::99|99]]
[[::100–109|100–109]]	[[::100|100]]	[[::101|101]]	[[::102|102]]	[[::103|103]]	[[::104|104]]	[[::105|105]]	[[::106|106]]	[[::107|107]]	[[::108|108]]	[[::109|109]]
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[[::130s|130s]]	[[::130|130]]	[[::131|131]]	[[::132|132]]	[[::133|133]]	[[::134|134]]	[[::135|135]]	[[::136|136]]	[[::137|137]]	[[::138|138]]	[[::139|139]]
[[::140s|140s]]	[[::140|140]]	[[::141|141]]	[[::142|142]]	[[::143|143]]	[[::144|144]]	[[::145|145]]	[[::146|146]]	[[::147|147]]	[[::148|148]]	[[::149|149]]
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[[::170s|170s]]	[[::170|170]]	[[::171|171]]	[[::172|172]]	[[::173|173]]	[[::174|174]]	[[::175|175]]	[[::176|176]]	[[::177|177]]	[[::178|178]]	[[::179|179]]
[[::180s|180s]]	[[::180|180]]	[[::181|181]]	[[::182|182]]	[[::183|183]]	[[::184|184]]	[[::185|185]]	[[::186|186]]	[[::187|187]]	[[::188|188]]	[[::189|189]]
[[::190s|190s]]	[[::190|190]]	[[::191|191]]	[[::192|192]]	[[::193|193]]	[[::194|194]]	[[::195|195]]	[[::196|196]]	[[::197|197]]	[[::198|198]]	[[::199|199]]
[[::200–209|200–209]]	[[::200|200]]	[[::201|201]]	[[::202|202]]	[[::203|203]]	[[::204|204]]	[[::205|205]]	[[::206|206]]	[[::207|207]]	[[::208|208]]	[[::209|209]]

[[::Centuries|Centuries]] and [[::Millennia|Millennia]]

Millennium	Century
Before Christ / Before Common Era (BC/BCE)
[[::4th millennium BC|4th]]:	[[::40th century BC|40th]]	[[::39th century BC|39th]]	[[::38th century BC|38th]]	[[::37th century BC|37th]]	[[::36th century BC|36th]]	[[::35th century BC|35th]]	[[::34th century BC|34th]]	[[::33rd century BC|33rd]]	[[::32nd century BC|32nd]]	[[::31st century BC|31st]]
[[::3rd millennium BC|3rd]]:	[[::30th century BC|30th]]	[[::29th century BC|29th]]	[[::28th century BC|28th]]	[[::27th century BC|27th]]	[[::26th century BC|26th]]	[[::25th century BC|25th]]	[[::24th century BC|24th]]	[[::23rd century BC|23rd]]	[[::22nd century BC|22nd]]	[[::21st century BC|21st]]
[[::2nd millennium BC|2nd]]:	[[::20th century BC|20th]]	[[::19th century BC|19th]]	[[::18th century BC|18th]]	[[::17th century BC|17th]]	[[::16th century BC|16th]]	[[::15th century BC|15th]]	[[::14th century BC|14th]]	[[::13th century BC|13th]]	[[::12th century BC|12th]]	[[::11th century BC|11th]]
[[::1st millennium BC|1st]]:	[[::10th century BC|10th]]	[[::9th century BC|9th]]	[[::8th century BC|8th]]	[[::7th century BC|7th]]	[[::6th century BC|6th]]	[[::5th century BC|5th]]	[[::4th century BC|4th]]	[[::3rd century BC|3rd]]	[[::2nd century BC|2nd]]	[[::1st century BC|1st]]
Anno Domini / Common Era (AD/CE)
[[::1st millennium|1st]]:	[[::1st century|1st]]	[[::2nd century|2nd]]	[[::3rd century|3rd]]	[[::4th century|4th]]	[[::5th century|5th]]	[[::6th century|6th]]	[[::7th century|7th]]	[[::8th century|8th]]	[[::9th century|9th]]	[[::10th century|10th]]
[[::2nd millennium|2nd]]:	[[::11th century|11th]]	[[::12th century|12th]]	[[::13th century|13th]]	[[::14th century|14th]]	[[::15th century|15th]]	[[::16th century|16th]]	[[::17th century|17th]]	[[::18th century|18th]]	[[::19th century|19th]]	[[::20th century|20th]]
[[::3rd millennium|3rd]]:	[[::21st century|21st]]	[[::22nd century|22nd]]	[[::23rd century|23rd]]	[[::24th century|24th]]	[[::25th century|25th]]	[[::26th century|26th]]	[[::27th century|27th]]	[[::28th century|28th]]	[[::29th century|29th]]	[[::30th century|30th]]
[[::4th millennium|4th]]:	[[::31st century|31st]]