The 120s was a decade that ran from January 1, AD 120, to December 31, AD 129.
During this decade, the
Roman Empire was ruled by Emperor
Hadrian (r. 117–138). In the prior decade, he had succeeded Emperor
Trajan, who had expanded the empire to its greatest extent. Hadrian, in contrast, adopted a more defensive foreign policy, focusing on consolidating the empire's borders and improving its infrastructure, such as
Hadrian's Wall in Britain. There was almost a renewed war with Parthia, but the threat was averted when Hadrian succeeded in negotiating a peace in 123 (according to the Historia Augusta, disputed).[1] Furthermore, Hadrian enacted, through the jurist
Salvius Julianus, the first attempt to codify Roman law. This was the
Perpetual Edict, according to which the legal actions of
praetors became fixed statutes and, as such, could no longer be subjected to personal interpretation or change by any magistrate other than the Emperor.[2][3]
The Chinese
Eastern Han Dynasty saw the death of regent
Deng Sui in 121, after which
Emperor An took on the reins of the imperial administration. In 121, there were again
Qiang and
Xianbei rebellions, which would continue to plague Emperor An for the rest of his reign. The only border where there were Han accomplishments during Emperor An's reign was on the northwestern front—the Xiyu (modern
Xinjiang and former Soviet
central Asia)—where
Ban Chao's son
Ban Yong (班勇) was able to reestablish Han dominance over a number of kingdoms. Emperor An was succeeded by
Marquess of Beixiang in 125, who reigned for a short time before being succeeded by
Emperor Shun of Han that same year. At the start of Emperor Shun's reign, the people were hopeful that he would reform the political situation from the pervasive corruption under the Yans. However, the teenage emperor proved to be a kind but weak ruler. While he trusted certain honest officials, he also trusted many corrupt eunuchs, who quickly grabbed power.
Emperor
Hadrian orders that a 73-mile (117-kilometer) wall be built to mark the northern
Roman Empire while personally visiting the area.
Hadrian's Wall, as it comes to be known, is intended to keep the
Caledonians,
Picts and other tribes at bay.
Plague sweeps
North Africa in the wake of a locust invasion that destroys large areas of
cropland. The plague kills as many as 500,000 in
Numidia and possibly 150,000 on the coast before moving to
Italy, where it takes so many lives that villages and towns are abandoned.
Asia
Last (4th) year of the Yanguang era of the Chinese
Han Dynasty.
The old
Pantheon is demolished by Emperor
Hadrian, and the construction of a new one begins (its date is uncertain, because Hadrian chooses not to inscribe the temple).
Asia
First year of the Yongjian era of the Chinese
Han Dynasty.
Hadrian's Wall is completed in
Britain. Built mostly of
stone in the east and with a wooden
palisade in the west. They construct at least 16
forts, with about 15,000
legionaries digging
ditches, quarrying
rock and cutting stone, preventing idleness which led to unrest and
rebellions in the ranks.
Roman agriculture declines, as imports from
Egypt and North Africa depress
wheat prices, making it unprofitable to
farm, and forcing many
farmers off the land.
Roman
bakeries produce dozens of
bread varieties, and the
Romans distribute free bread for the
poor.
^Laura Jansen, The Roman Paratext: Frame, Texts, Readers, Cambridge University Press, 2014,
ISBN978-1-107-02436-6 p. 66
^Kathleen Kuiper (Editor), Ancient Rome: From Romulus and Remus to the Visigoth Invasion, New York: Britannica Educational Publishing, 2010,
ISBN978-1-61530-207-9 p. 133