The '90s Rebuilding Years

Lore & Background

The decade saw the end of the Han–Xiongnu War, with the Xiongnu collapsing after the Battle of the Altai Mountains (89). In 90, Dou Xian dispatched General Geng Kui and Shizi of the Southern Xiongnu with 8000 light cavalry to attack the Northern Chanyu at Heyun, killing 8000 men and capturing several thousands. By 91, the last remnants of the Northern Xiongnu migrated west, ending the war. The Xianbei replaced them with a loose confederacy from 93. The Roman Empire saw no significant military action except clashes along the Danube in 92. Economically, Nerva enacted reforms after Domitian's death in 96, but his expenses strained the economy, necessitating a special commission to reduce expenditures. Jews and Christians were heavily persecuted toward the end of Domitian's reign (89–96), according to some historians; the Book of Revelation is thought by many scholars to have been written during Domitian's reign. In AD 92, the Flavian Palace was completed. In AD 97, the Forum of Nerva was completed. Josephus wrote Antiquities of the Jews, Against Apion, and The Life of Flavius Josephus. Tacitus wrote Germania and Agricola.

In Their Own Story

The locker room felt quieter than usual on that summer afternoon. The lockers of a legend sat empty, his nameplate removed from the wall. Outside, fans gathered near the old arena gates, holding signs that asked why the captain was leaving. Inside, new faces looked at the ice surface with uncertainty, knowing they had to carry the weight of the franchise without its greatest icon.

Reader's Guide

Events of the decade include: AD 90 – an epidemic afflicts Rome; the Young Flavian Woman is made. AD 91 – Manius Acilius Glabrio and Marcus Ulpius Traianus become Roman Consuls; Pliny the Younger is named tribunus plebis; Ban Chao is made protector-general of the Western Regions. AD 92 – Emperor Domitian becomes a Roman Consul; tribes cross the Danube and attack Pannonia, destroying Legio XXI Rapax, but are defeated; the Roman army moves into Mesopotamia; the Flavian Palace is completed. AD 93 – Domitian persecutes the Christians; Pliny the Younger is named praetor; the Xianbei incorporates 100,000 Xiongnu. AD 94 – Domitian rebuilds the Curia Julia; he banishes Stoic philosophers; Ban Chao completes conquest of the Tarim Basin. AD 95 – Domitian and Titus Flavius Clemens become Consuls; Domitian executes senators; Manius Acilius Glabrio is ordered to fight a lion and is later banished and put to death; a severe form of malaria appears in Rome. AD 96 – Domitian is stabbed to death; Nerva becomes emperor; the Arch of Titus is completed. AD 97 – Nerva is forced to adopt Trajan; Tacitus advances to consulship; the colony of Cuicul is started; Gloucester is founded; Nerva recognizes the Sanhedrin of Jamnia; Sextus Julius Frontinus is appointed superintendent of aqueducts; Gan Ying is sent as emissary to Daquin but turned back. AD 98 – Nerva suffers a stroke and dies; Trajan succeeds him; Tacitus finishes Germania; the silver content of the Roman denarius rises to 93 percent. AD 99 – Trajan returns to Rome; emissaries of the Kushan Empire reach Rome; Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 581 is written.

Did You Know?

• The Bruins traded Ray Bourque to the Colorado Avalanche in 2000, not 1995.
• Cam Neely's career was cut short by a degenerative hip condition and a serious knee injury, not concussions.
• Mike Keenan never coached the Boston Bruins; the team's head coach at the start of the 1990s was Brian Sutter.
• The Boston Garden closed in 1995, and the team moved to the FleetCenter for the 1995–96 season.
• Despite the rebuild, the Bruins made the playoffs every year in the 1990s.