The upper stratum of the Xiongnu had been in chaos caused by war after the death  in 60 BCE of the former Shanyu, the title used by the rulers of the Xiongnu Luanti clan during the Qin and Han dynasties.

Hutuwusi had in 56 BCE risen against his elder brother Jihoushan or Huhanye Shanyu (the legitimate Shanyu), and the other three Shanyus by proclaiming himself as Zhizhi Guduhou Shanyu (full title) in the east.

Zhizhi Shanyu had won over most of Mongolian steppe by 54 BCE, forcing Huhanye to move south.

Huhanye, with the help of the Han Dynasty, had regained power over Mongolia and Zhizhi had in 44 BCE and fled west to Kangju with an army that numbered three thousand men by the time he arrived.

Kangju, with the help of Zhizhi, staged a successful raid against the rival Wusun tribe.

Zhizhi then compelled Kangju to build a fortress in Talas valley, near modern day Taraz, Kazakhstan, and where he had established his own state "Zhizhi," also known in European historiography as Western Xiongnu.

His conflicts with Eastern Xiongnu eventually lead the Han to launch an an expedition in 42 BCE, after Zhizhi had executed a Chinese emissary, Gu Ji, who had reached his court.

Zhizhi is killed in the Battle of Zhizhi in 36 BCE at Taraz, defending his fortress against the Han expedition led by Gan Yanshou and Chen Tang.

Zhizhi’s head is sent to Chang'an.

This action leads to what will be a half century of peace between the Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu until Wang Mang engages them in the year 10, resuming hostilities between both sides.

Antony, after invading Cilicia and Syria with an army of one hundred thousand legionnaires in 36 BCE, and hoping to further avenge the death of Crassus,  launches an invasion of Parthia's ally Media Atropatene (southwest of the Caspian, named Atropatene after one of Alexander's generals, Atropates, who had established a small kingdom there).

Crossing the Armenian mountains in winter without the support of the Armenian king, his supply train is continuously raided by the Parthians, who destroy his siege engines.

Failing in his attempt to capture the Parthian fortress of Praspa, he is forced to retreat with severe losses to his legions.

Artavasdes I, king of Media Atropatene, is the ally of the Parthian king Phraates IV when Antony leads his campaign against Parthia in 36 BCE,

Antony leads his troops from Zeugma northward into Armenia and then invades the domain of Artavasdes I. Antony does not want to attack Parthia from the west, which is the shortest way, but—surprisingly—from the north.

Antony allegedly uses this strategy on the advice of Artavasdes II of Armenia, the enemy of Artavasdes I.

Antony moves with his army in fast marches to Phraaspa (possibly Zahhak Castle) , the strongest fortress in Media Atropatene, where Artavasdes I has gotten his family to safety.

Artavasdes I has meanwhile joined the army of Phraates IV.

Antony is not able to take Phraaspa and besieges the city, but Artavasdes I and the Parthian commander Monaeses destroy two legions of Antony's general, Oppius Statianus, who had slowly followed with the siege machines of Antony's troops.

As Antony cannot capture Phraaspa without these machines, he is forced to withdraw and Parthia is not invaded.

The Parthians’ defeat of Antony’s invasion forces in 36 BCE and Octavian’s refusal to support him in his eastern adventures has made him more dependent on Cleopatra’s support; this leads to an open breach with Octavian, who uses Antony’s relationship to rouse popular opinion against him.

Octavian argues that Antony is a man of low morals to have left his faithful wife abandoned in Rome with the children to be with the promiscuous queen of Egypt.

Antony is accused of everything, but most of all, of "becoming native", an unforgivable crime to the proud Romans.

Several times Antony is summoned to Rome, but remains in Alexandria with Cleopatra.

Ptolemy Philadelphus, the couople's’s second son together, is born in August or September of 36 BCE.

Hyrcanus has spent four years in exile among the Jews of Babylon, who have paid him every mark of respect.

Herod, fearful that Hyrcanus might induce the Parthians to help him regain the throne, invites the former High Priest in 36 to return to Jerusalem.

Hyrcanus accepts and Herod receives him with high honors, assigning to him the first place at his table and the presidency of the state council.

Mariamne's brother Aristobulus, a favorite of the people on account of his noble Hasmonean descent and handsome presence, had thus become an object of fear to Herod, who at first sought to ignore him entirely by debarring him from the high priesthood, but his mother Alexandra Maccabeus (63 BCE – 28 BCE), through intercession with Cleopatra and Mark Antony, had compelled Herod to remove Hananel from the office of High Priest and appoint Aristobulus instead.

Herod, to secure himself against danger from Aristobulus, had instituted a system of espionage against him and his mother.

This surveillance proved so onerous that they sought to gain their freedom by taking refuge with Cleopatra.

As told by the Roman Jewish historian Josephus, their plans were betrayed and the disclosure had the effect of greatly increasing Herod's suspicions against his brother-in-law.

As Herod dares not resort to open violence, he causes him to be drowned while he is bathing in a pool in Jericho during a banquet organized by Aristobulus' mother.

Octavian ignores Antony's right to settle his own veterans in Italy and recruit fresh troops, discharging many legionaries and founding settlements for them.

His deliberate rivalry with Antony for the eventual mastership of the Roman world becomes increasingly apparent.

Octavian's marriage two years earlier to Livia Drusilla had begun to win over some of the nobles who had previously been Antony's supporters.

Octavian also launches elaborate religious and patriotic publicity, centering on the classical god of order, Apollo, in contrast to Antony's more un-Roman patron, Dionysus (Bacchus).

In addition, Octavian has started to prefix his name with the designation “Imperator,” to suggest that he is the commander par excellence; and now, although he continues to use his triumviral powers, he omits all reference to them from his coins, gradually concentrating on the plain, emotive name “Caesar Son of a God.”

The Roman Pausilippo Tunnel, cut through volcanic rock in 36 to connect Pozzuoli with …

…Naples, is four thousand nine hundred and twenty feet (fifteen hundred meters) long, twenty-five feet (seven-and-a-half meters) wide, and thirty feet (nine meters) high.

Octavian and Agrippa set sail against Sextus in 36 BCE.

The fleet is badly damaged by storms and has to withdraw; Agrippa is left in charge of the second attempt.

Thanks to superior technology and training, Agrippa and his men win decisive victories at Mylae in Sicily and Naulochus in Greece, destroying all but seventeen of Sextus' ships and compelling most of his forces to surrender.

Sextus, who flees to Asia Minor; he will be captured and executed at Miletus by the Roman general Marcus Titius the following year.