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Timelines of Ancient Greece


Rise of City States     Rise of Persian Empire     Persian War     Athenian Empire     Decline of Greece     Hellenistic Age    

Rise of the Greek City States (800 to 500 B.C.)

Date B.C. Event
884 Lycurgus establishes the laws of Sparta.
776 First Olympiad.
668 Spartan conquest of Messenia (Messenian War) 
621 Draco writes down the laws of Athens.
594 Solon revises the laws of Athens to relieve debtors.
560 Pisistratus reigns as tyrant; establishes Athens as a cultural center.
540 Pythagoras, renowned mathematician and philosopher, teaches in Samos.
532 Polycrates reigns as tyrant of Samos.
516 Darius the Great invades Scythia, but is driven back to Thrace.
510 Hippias, tyrant of Athens, is banished from the city
509 Cleisthenes makes democratic reforms to laws of Athens.


Rise of the Persian Empire (600 to 500 B.C.)

Date B.C. Event
605-562 Reign of Nebuchadnezzar as King of Babylonia
560-546 Reign of Croesus as King of Lydia
585-549 Reign of Astyages as King of Medes
570-526 Reign of Amasis II as Pharaoh of Egypt
559 Cyrus the Great ascends to throne of Persia, a small, vassal state.
549 Cyrus rebels against his grandfather Astyages; unites kingdoms of Persia, Medes.
546 Cyrus beseiges Sardis and conquers Lydia.
539 Cyrus beseiges Babylon and conquers Babylonian empire.
529 Cyrus dies in on a campaing in Scythia, Cambyses II ascends the throne.
526 Cambyses II, son of Cyrus, conquers Egypt.
522 Smerdis the Magi usurps the throne of Persia on death of Cambyses.
521 Darius the Great siezes throne from Smerdis, marries daughter of Cyrus.
521 Babylon revolts against Darius, but is reconquered.
512 Darius campaigns in Scythia, saved by Histiaeus.
500 Rebellion of Greek colonies in Ionia.


Persian War (500 to 460 B.C.)

Date B.C. Event
499-493 Ionian Revolt—Athens supports Ionian Greek's rebellion against Persia.
493 Mardonius leads Persia's first, failed invasion of Greece.
490 Persia's second invasion of Greece foiled by Athens' victory at Marathon.
481-479 Persia's third and largest invasion of Greece led by Xerxes.
480     Battle of Thermopylae—three hundred Spartans perish holding the pass.
480     Battle of Salamis—great naval victory for Greece destroys Persian fleet.
479     Battle of Plataea—Persian driven from occupied territories of mainland Greece.
478 Death of Pausanias, hero of Plataea.
460 Death of Themistocles, hero of Salamis.


Athenian Empire (477 to 404 B.C.)

Date B.C. Event
477 Formation of Delian League under the leadership of Athens.
466 Delian Navy, under Cimon, destroys the Persian fleet at Eurymedon River
459-445 First Peloponnesian War: conflict between Athens and non-aligned cities.
456 The long walls of Athens completed.
453 Treasure of the Delian League moved to Athens.
445 "Peace of Pericles" leads to 14 years of peace between Spartan allies and Athens.
447-438 Construction of the Parthenon to serve as temple and treasury.
445-431 Pericles leads Athens during the "Golden Age" of the Athenian Empire.
431 Beginning of the Peloponnesian War.
430     The plague at Athens.
428     The revolt of Mytilene.
427     Destruction of Plataea by Sparta.
421-415     "Peace of Nicias" provides 6 year break in hostilities
415     Expedition to Sicily  led by Nicias and Alcibiades ends in disaster for Athens.
405     Loss of the Athenian fleet at the Battle of Aegos Potami.
404     Athens surrenders to Sparta.


Decline of Greece (404 to 338 B.C.)

Date B.C. Event
401 Battle of Cunaxa: Xenophon begins the Retreat of the 10,000.
399 Prosecution and death of Socrates.
393 Long walls of Athens rebuilt.
382 Spartans capture Theban citadel.
387 The Peace of Antalcidas ends the Corinthian War.
379 Spartans are expelled from Thebes.
385 Plato founds his Academy in Athens
371 Battle of Leuctra  destroys Spartan supremacy in Greece.
362 The death of Epaminondas at the Battle of Mantinea  ends Theban supremacy.
357 The Sacred War  begins: Philip of Macedonia begins meddling in Greek affairs.
357–356 Athenian Social War  disrupts Athens' effort to rebuild its empire.
340 Timoleon frees Syracuse and drives Carthage out of Sicily at the Battle of Crimesus.


Hellenistic Age (338 to 146 B.C. )

Date B.C. Event
338 Philip of Macedonia conquers Greece at the Battle of Chaeronea.
336-323 Reign of Alexander the Great as king of Macedonia and conqueror of Persia.
335     Alexander destroys Thebes.
334     Alexander invades Persia. Battle of the Granicus  delivers Asia Minor.
333     Alexander cuts Gordian Knot; Victory at Battle of Issus  delivers Syria.
332     Macedonian victory at the Siege of Tyre. Egypt opens its doors to Alexander.
331     Alexander meets Darius III in Battle of Arbela—conquers all of Persia.
327     Alexander invades central Asia and conquers India at the Battle of Hydaspes.
323     Death of Alexander, and the division of his Empire.
322 Death of Demosthenes the orator.
321–280 Wars of the Diadochi  rage between Alexander's successors for control of his Empire
302     Division of Alexander's empire among his generals settled at the Battle of Ipsus.
280 The Achaean League of city-states on the Peloponnese instituted.
280 Pyrrhus defeats Romans at the Battle of Heraclea, but is later driven from Italy.
183 Achaean League under Philopoemen defeats the tyrant of Sparta.
198–168 Roman Macedonian Wars  increase Rome's influence in the east.
168     Romans conquer Macedonia at the Battle of Pydna.
146 The Achaean League resists Roman domination and is defeated. The Romans destroy Corinth.

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