23 BC

By place

Roman Empire

• Caesar Augustus becomes Roman consul for the eleventh time. His partner is Aulus Terentius Varro Murena.
• Augustus relinquishes the position of consul, retains that of tribune of Rome and assumes that of Princeps, or "First Citizen.".
• Augustus gets seriously ill: he gives Agrippa his signet ring and grants him the title imperium pro consule.
• The Nubians, led by queen Kandake Amanirenas, take the initiative against the Roman Empire, and attack the Roman province of Egypt moving towards Elephantine.
• In response to Meroë's incursions into Upper Egypt, the Roman legions move south and raze Napata..
• Herod the Great builds a palace in Jerusalem and the fortress Herodian in Judaea. He also marries his third wife, named Mariamne, the daughter of high priest Simon.
• Following coinage reform, the as is struck in reddish pure copper, instead of bronze. The denominations of sestertius and dupondius are introduced as large bronze coins.

  Osroene

• Ma'nu III Saphul becomes ruler of Osroene.

  By topic

Architecture

• The Roman writer, architect and engineer Vitruvius finishes writing De Architectura, a treatise in Latin on architecture, and perhaps the first work about this discipline.

  Poetry

• The Roman poet Horace publishes the first three books of Odes.