Year 16 BC was either a common year starting on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday or a leap year starting on Monday or Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar (the sources differ, see leap year error for further information) and a common year starting on Sunday of the Proleptic Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Ahenobarbus and Scipio (or, less frequently, year 738 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 16 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.

• Aemilius Macer, Roman didactic poet and writer
• Scribonius, Roman client king of the Bosporan Kingdom
• Wang, Chinese empress of the Western Han dynasty