53 BC

Millennium:	1st millennium BC
Centuries:	2nd century BC – 1st century BC – 1st century
Decades:	80s BC  70s BC  60s BC  – 50s BC –  40s BC  30s BC  20s BC
Years:	56 BC 55 BC 54 BC – 53 BC – 52 BC 51 BC 50 BC

53 BC in other calendars

Gregorian calendar	53 BC LII BC
Ab urbe condita	701
Ancient Egypt era	XXXIII dynasty, 271
- Pharaoh	Ptolemy XII Auletes, 28
Ancient Greek era	181st Olympiad, year 4
Assyrian calendar	4698
Bengali calendar	−645
Berber calendar	898
Buddhist calendar	492
Burmese calendar	−690
Byzantine calendar	5456–5457
Chinese calendar	丁卯年 (Fire Rabbit) 2644 or 2584     — to — 戊辰年 (Earth Dragon) 2645 or 2585
Coptic calendar	−336 – −335
Discordian calendar	1114
Ethiopian calendar	−60 – −59
Hebrew calendar	3708–3709
Hindu calendars
- Vikram Samvat	4–5
- Shaka Samvat	N/A
- Kali Yuga	3049–3050
Holocene calendar	9948
Iranian calendar	674 BP – 673 BP
Islamic calendar	695 BH – 694 BH
Julian calendar	N/A
Korean calendar	2281
Minguo calendar	1964 before ROC 民前1964年
Seleucid era	259/260 AG
Thai solar calendar	490–491

Year 53 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Messalla and Calvinus (or, less frequently, year 701 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 53 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

By place

Roman Republic

• Consuls: Marcus Valerius Messalla and Gnaeus Domitius Calvinus.
• Parthian war:
  • Crassus sacks the Temple of Hierapolis and the Temple in Jerusalem on his way to engage the Parthians.
  • Battle of Carrhae: Romans defeated, and Crassus killed, by Parthians led by Surena.
• Gallic War:
  • Julius Caesar defeats a revolt led by Ambiorix near Sabis (Northern Gaul).
  • At Cenabum (modern Orléans) Roman merchants are massacred by the Carnutes.
  • Vercingetorix, an Arverni chieftain, leads a revolt against Caesar in Central Gaul.
  • Winter – Caesar enrols non-citizen soldiers in Gallia Transalpina, genesis of Legio V Alaudae. He increases his army to ten legions.

Armenia

• Artavasdes II becomes king of Armenia.

Births

• Yang Xiong, Chinese philosopher (d. AD 18)

Deaths

• Marcus Licinius Crassus (b. c. 115 BC)
• Abgar II, prince of Osroene