40
Year 40 (XL) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Augustus without colleague.
Events
Roman Empire
The emperor Caligula is consul without colleague.
Caligula starts a campaign to conquer Britain. It fails miserably. He names himself the winner.
Noricum and Mauretania are added into the Roman Empire.
Caligula reforms the principatus into a Hellenistic Autocracy. He distributes honors carelessly, declares himself a god and orders that all the heads of the Greek deity statues be replaced by his. According to legend, this is when he appointed his horse, Incitatus, a senator.
Approximate date of start of construction on the Pont du Gard aqueduct in Gallia Narbonensis.
Philo teaches that all men are born free.
An early Christian church is erected at Corinth (most probable date).
Europe
The Germanic Quadi tribe begin settling in present-day Moravia and Slovakia.
Asia
Vardanes I becomes king of Parthia. He was opposed by his brother Gotarzes II.
The Vietnamese Trung sisters rebel against the rule of the Chinese Emperor Guangwu of Han.
Africa
Christianity comes to Egypt. Mark the Evangelist founds the Coptic Orthodox Church as the first pope.
Births
July 13 - Gnaeus Julius Agricola, Roman governor of Britain (d. 93 AD) Pedanius Dioscorides, Greek physician (approximate date) (d. 90 AD) Frontinus, Roman general and military author (approximate date) (d. 103) Dio Chrysostom, Greek philosopher and historian (approximate date d. c. 120) 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 (b. 17 BC) Ptolemy of Mauretania (b. 1 BC)
40