1.1: A Timeline of Ancient Greece
- Page ID
- 267973
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)All dates are best approximations based on anthropological and historical evidence. Significant authors, person of interest or works are in bold text.
Bronze Age (3000-1100 BCE)
3000 Birth of the Minoan culture on Crete
2200-1450 Middle Minoan period: building of great palaces, Crete
2100 Likely arrival of Indo-Europeans in Greece
1600-1200 Expansion of Mycenaean palace culture in Greece, born from Cretan
models
1450 Mycenaeans overtake Minoan Knossos, Crete
1190 Destruction of Troy VII-A, the probable Trojan War that inspired the Iliad
1200-1125 Widespread destruction of Mycenaean sites throughout Greece
1150 Fall of Mycenae
Iron Age (1100-800 BCE)
1100-1000 Infiltration of Dorian Greeks (Sons of Herakles, in myth); start of the Dark
Age
1050-950 Migration of Greeks from mainland Greece to Aegean Islands and the
shores of Asia Minor; creation and use of iron tools; rudimentary geometric
pottery (Harris and Platzner 32).
Archaic Period (800-480 BCE)
800 Greek colonies established in Southern Italy and Sicily (800-600);
Hesiod’s Theogony recorded
776 Olympic Games established
750 Invention of the Greek alphabet. Homeric poems recorded (750-700)
730 First Messenian War. Sparta invades Messenia; Syracuse is founded
650 The Age of Tyrants; Cyclic poets are active
640 Second Messenian War
630 Sappho born in Lesbos. End of Second Messenian War
600 Cyrus the Great of Persia (600-529)
594 Solon replaces Draconian law in Athens, lays foundation for democracy
570 Xenophanes (570-460)
569 Pythagoras born in Samos (569-475)
546 Pisistratus becomes tyrant of Athens; the written version of the Iliad
formalizes under the stability of his rule.
527 Pisistratus dies; his sons become tyrants of Athens
525 Aeschylus born (525-456)
522 Pindar born (522-443)
510 Alcmaeonid family and Spartans free Athens from tyranny. Birth of
democracy in Athens. Possible date of the defeat of the Etruscan dynasty in Rome; founding of the “Roman Republic”
508 Kleisthenes begins reforming Athenian law, establishes democratic
Constitution
500 Bacchylides born
499 Ionian revolt
494 Ionian revolt defeated by Persians
496 Sophocles born (496-406)
497 Persian wars begin with the invasion of Greece
490 Battle of Marathon. Athenians defeat Darius and Persian army
484 Herodotus born (484-420); Euripides born (484-406)
483 Silver mines discovered near Athens. Athens begins building naval fleet
482 Aristides ostracized
480 Xerxes marches on Greece. Battle of Thermopylae. Persians burn
Acropolis. Athens and allies defeat Persian fleet at Battles of Plataea and Salamis (479), leading to the end of the Persian Wars
Classical Period (480-340 BCE)
469 Socrates born (469-399)
465 Earthquake in Lakonia. Helot revolt against Sparta in Messenia
460 Pericles leads Athens into its Golden Era. Thucydides born (460-400)
458 Aeschylus produces the Oresteia trilogy of plays
454 Delian League treasury moved from Delos to Athens
449 Parthenon (449-432) and other major building projects upon the Acropolis
begin in Athens.
446 Thirty Year Peace treaty signed between Athens and Sparta
431 Peloponnesian War (431-404)
430 Plague in Athens
429 Death of Pericles
428 Plato born (428-347)
421 Peace of Nicias
420 Construction of Temple of Athene Nike begins
418 Athens resumes hostilities with Sparta. Spartans defeat Athenians at
Mantinea
416 Athens razes Melos
415 Athenian expedition to Syracuse. Alcibiades defects to Sparta
413 Syracuse defeats Athens
404 Athens surrenders to Sparta. Thirty tyrants rule Athens
403 Democracy restored in Athens
400 Biblical text Genesis is finalized
399 Trial and execution of Socrates
390 Gauls conquer city of Rome
384 Aristotle born (384-322)
380 Plato establishes Athens academy
371 Sparta defeated in Leuctra
362 Thebes defeats Sparta at Mantinea
Time of Alexander the Great (340-323 BCE)
338-337 Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, conquers Greece, ending the
localized rule
359 Philip II becomes king of Macedonia
338 Macedonian army defeats Athens and its allies at Chaeronea. League of
Corinth founded
336 Philip II assassinated. Alexander the Great becomes king, conquers the
Persian empire and establishes Greece as the center of world culture
335 Aristotle founds the Lyceum in Athens
334 Alexander defeats Persian army at Granicus River near Anatolia
333 Alexander defeats Persians at Issus
332 Tyre capitulates to Alexander
331 Alexander invades Egypt. City of Alexandria founded. Alexander defeats
Persians at Gaugamela
329 Alexander’s army reaches Bactria (Afghanistan)
327 Alexander marries Roxanne (princess of Bactria)
326 Alexander reaches India
Hellenistic Period (323-31 BCE)
323 Death of Alexander the Great
300 Apollonius of Rhodes born; Ptolemy I founds museum in Alexandria
284 Achaean League founded
279 Invasion of Greece by Gauls
264 Punic Wars (between Rome and Carthage) begin, ending in 146
238 Gauls defeated by King Attalus I
214 First Macedonian War. Rome defeats Philip of Macedon
200 Second Macedonian War. Punic Wars waged between Carthage and
Rome
172 Third Macedonian War. Lucius Aemeilius Paulus of Rome defeats
Perseus of Macedon at Pynda. Macedonia divided into four republics
146 Roman invasion of Greece. Mummius Achaicus sacks Corinth and ends
Achaean League. Rome rules Greece from this time on
88 Roman Civil Wars (88-31)
86 Rome, led by Sulla, sacks Athens
70 Virgil born (70-19)
46 Julius Caesar rules as dictator, 46-44
43 Ovid born (43-17)
Roman Period (31 BCE-323 CE)
31 Battle of Actium: Augustus and Octavian defeat Mark Antony and
Cleopatra, leading to the annexation of Egypt and the start of the Roman
Period (Sorek xi-xiii) (Powell 681-682).