Timelines of Ancient Greece
  Gods and Myths
  Heroes and Monsters
  Iliad and Odyssey
  Early City-States
  Persian War
  Athenian Empire
  Late Classical
  Hellenistic Era
Rise of Sparta to Reforms of Cleisthenes
BC Year | Event |
884 |
Lycurgus establishes the Laws of Sparta. |
776 |
First Olympiad. |
743-742 |
First Messenian War: Sparta conquers Messenia, enslaves Helots. |
680 |
King Pheidon leads Argos to power, encourages Helots to revolt against Sparta.
|
685-668 |
Second Messenian War: Sparta reconquers Messenia. |
|
Aristomenes, Messenian hero, holds out for eleven years on Mt. Ira. |
621 |
Draco writes down the Laws of Athens. |
594 |
Solon revises the laws of Athens to relieve debtors. |
561-510 |
Pisistratus, and his sons rule as populist tyrants in Athens. |
550 |
Pisistratus returns to power after his first exile. |
|
Pisistratus patronizes the arts, reduces taxes, makes Athens a center of culture. |
528 |
Death of Pisistratus, power falls to his sons Hippias and Hipparchus. |
514 |
Hipparchus is assassinated during Panathenaic festivities.
|
510 |
Sparta helps drive Hippias, tyrant of Athens, out of the city. |
508 |
Cleisthenes makes democratic reforms to laws of Athens. |
538-522 |
Polycrates reigns as tyrant of Samos. |
540 |
Pythagoras, renowned mathematician and philosopher, teaches in Samos. |
Rise of the Persia to Aftermath of Persian War
BC Year | Event |
605-562 |
Reign of Nebuchadnezzar as King of Babylon (modern Iraq). |
586 |
Nebuchadnezzar conquers Jerusalem, sends Jews into exile. |
570-526 |
Reign of Amasis II as Last Pharaoh of Egypt. |
585-549 |
Reign of Astyages as King of Media (modern Iran, Afghanistan). |
560-546 |
Reign of Croesus as King of Lydia (modern Turkey). |
559-539 |
Reign of Cyrus the Great as King of Persia (Middle East and Central Asia) . |
550-526 |
Persian Wars of Conquest |
549 |
Cyrus rebels against his grandfather Astyages, and unites kingdoms of Persia, Media. |
546 |
Cyrus besieges the capital of Croesus and conquers Lydia. |
539 |
Cyrus besieges Babylon and conquers the Babylonian Empire. |
538 |
Cyrus releases the Jews from the "Babylonian Captivity". |
529 |
Cyrus is killed during a campaign in Scythia. |
526 |
Cambyses II invades and conquers Egypt. |
529-522 |
Reign of Cambyses as King of Persia. |
522-521 |
Smerdis the Magi usurps throne of Persia on the death of Cambyses. |
521-486 |
Reign of Darius the Great as King of Persia. |
521 |
Darius seizes the throne from the usurper Smerdis. marries the daughter of Cyrus. |
521 |
Babylon revolts against Darius but is reconquered. |
512 |
Darius campaigns in Scythia; is saved by Histiaeus. |
500-479 | >
Greco-Persian War |
500 |
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 |
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 |
Pausanias, hero of Plataea, dies in disgrace. |
460 |
Themistocles, hero of Salamis, dies in exile. |
Formation of Delian League to Fall of Athens
BC Year | Event |
477 |
The Delian League of sea-faring Greek city-states is organized under the leadership of Athens. |
475 |
Cimon conquers the pirates of Scyros and brings the bones Theseus back to Athens. |
472 |
Themistocles, the hero of Salamis, is exiled from Athens. |
467 |
Tragic playwright Aeschylus presents "Seven Against Thebes". |
466 |
Delian Navy, under Cimon, destroys the Persian fleet at Eurymedon River |
462 |
A widespread helot Rebellion, following a severe earthquake in Sparta, is put down. |
456 |
The "long walls" from Athens to the port at Piraeus are completed. |
453 |
Treasure of the Delian League is moved to Athens. |
447 |
Construction begins on the Parthenon. |
445-431 |
Pericles leads Athens during the "Golden Age" of the Athenian Empire. |
445 |
"Peace of Pericles" leads to 14 years of peace between Spartan allies and Athens. |
430 |
Phidias begins work on the Statue of Zeus at Olympia. |
420 |
Herodotus completes work on "The Histories". . |
431-404 | >
Peloponnesian War, fought between Athenian Empire and cities allied with Sparta. |
430 |
The plague at Athens kills thousands of besieged citizens, including Pericles. |
428 |
A Revolt at Mytilene is crushed when the city attempts to rebel from the Athenian league. |
427 |
Destruction of Plataea by Sparta. |
425 |
Cleon leads Athens to victory over Sparta at the Battle of Sphacteria. |
422 |
Warhawks Brasidas of Sparta and Cleon of Athens are killed at the Battle of Amphipolis |
421 |
"Peace of Nicias" provides 6 year break in hostilities |
415 |
Sicilian Expedition led by Nicias and Alcibiades ends in disaster for Athens. |
406 |
Athenian generals are executed for dereliction of duty after their Victory at Arginusae. |
405 |
Spartan hero Lysander destroys the Athenian fleet at the Battle of Aegos Potami. |
404 |
Athens surrenders after city is besieged and port is blockaded by a Spartan fleet. |
406 |
Death of Euripides great tragic playwright of the classical period. |
Thirty Tyrants in Athens to Battle of Chaeronea
BC Year | Event |
404 |
Pro-Spartan government of the "Thirty Tyrants" oppresses popular Athenian leaders. |
403 |
Thrasybulus, leader of the exiled Athenian democrats, overthrows the Thirty Tyrants. |
401-399 |
Retreat of the Ten Thousand Greek soldiers from the heart of Persia, recorded by Xenophon. |
401 |
Cyrus the Younger is killed, during a rebellion against Artaxerxes at the Battle of Cunaxa. |
399 |
Socrates is condemned to death for "impiety and corruption of youth.". |
393 |
Long walls of Athens are rebuilt. |
387 |
Disastrous "Peace of Antalcidas" treaty ends the Corinthian War. |
386 |
Dionysius the Elder comes to power as the tyrant of Syracuse. |
385 |
Plato founds his Academy in Athens. |
382 |
Spartans capture citadel at Thebes, install a puppet government. |
379 |
Theban rebels, led by Pelopidas overthrow the pro-Spartan government. |
373-363 |
Boeotian Wars destroys Spartan hegemony over Greece. |
371 |
Theban general Epaminondas routes the Spartans at the Battle of Leuctra. |
364 |
Pelopidas is killed while fighting Alexander, despot of Phera. |
362 |
Death of Epaminondas at the Battle of Mantinea ends Theban supremacy. |
367 |
Dionysius the Younger succedes to power in Syracuse, after the death of his father. |
357 |
Dion, an exiled minister, raises a fleet and overthrows of Syracuse. |
357–356 |
Athenian Social War disrupts Athens' effort to rebuild its empire. |
355-352 |
Philip of Macedonia begins meddling in Greek affairs, by getting involved in the Sacred War. |
338-335 |
Macedonian Conquest of Greece |
338 |
Philip of Macedonia defeats Athens and Thebes at the Battle of Chaeronea. |
336 |
Philip of Macedonia is assassinated at a wedding. |
335 |
Thebes is besieged and destroyed by Alexander after it rebels from Macedonia. |
345-340 |
Third Carthaginian Invasion of Sicily |
340 |
Timoleon drives Carthage out of Sicily at Battle of Crimesus. |
Reign of Alexander to Rome Destroys Corinth
BC Year | Event |
334-323 |
Alexander the Great leads Macedonian Conquest of Persia. |
335 |
Alexander destroys Thebes when it rebels against Macedonia. |
334 |
Alexander invades Persia. Battle of the Granicus delivers Asia Minor. |
333 |
Alexander cuts Gordian Knot; Victory at Battle of Issus delivers Syria. |
332 |
Siege of Tyre ends in a hard-won victory. Egypt opens its doors to Alexander. |
331 |
Alexander meets Darius III in Battle of Guagamela (aka Arabela) —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 |
Demosthenes kills himself after failure of Greek Rebellion against Macedonia. |
321-280 |
Wars of the Diadochi fought among Alexander's generals over control of his empire. |
331 |
Ptolemy I wins control of Egypt at the Battle of Pelusium. |
302 |
Seleucus wins control of Syria at the Battle of Ipsus, Antigonus I is killed. |
281-271 |
Pyrrhus Conquers Southern Italy and much of Greece but fails to hold his territory. |
200-146 |
Roman Macedonian Wars are fought for control Greece. |
197 |
Romans punish the Macedonians for supporting Hannibal at the Battle of Cynoscephalae. |
168 |
Romans, under Aemilius Paulus conquer Macedonia at the Battle of Pydna. |
226-146 AD |
Achaean League Civil Wars are fought among Greek city states for control of the Peloponnese. |
226 |
Spartans, under Cleomenes III destroy the Achaean league capital of Megalopolis. |
221 |
The Achaeans, led by Aratus, ally with Macedonia to defeat Sparta. |
183 |
Achaean League under Philopoemen defeats Nabis, the tyrant of Sparta. |
146 |
Achaean League resists Roman domination and is defeated. Corinth is destroyed. |