Timeline of ancient Greece
This page is a chronology of the events of ancient Greece. See also Hellenic civilization or History of Ancient Greece.
BC
- 1000-700
- Synoikismos of Athens, people of Attica were willing to transfer their allegiance to one city, Athens because of Theseus
- 683
- office of Archon established King was emasculated
- 632
- Cylon, Athenian noble, seizes Acropolis and tried to make himself king, fails
- 621
- Draco, Atheian lawgiver, issues code of laws where everything is punishable by death- Draconian
- 594
- Solon, Athenian statesman, becomes Archon, captures Salmis from Megarians, establishes Timocracy, rule by the richest, constitutional reforms, more vote and trade, abolishes slavery, Know Thyself
- 590
- Sappho, Greek poetess and priestess, flourishes on island of Lesbos
- 565
- Peistratus, Athenian general, organizes Diakrioi, party of poor people
- 561
- Peistratus takes power first time, driven out by Lycurgus who leads nobles
- 559
- Peistratus restored by help of Megacles
- 556
- Peistratus expelled, makes fortune from Thracian mines
- 546
- Croesus, rich king of Lydia, killed at Sardis by Persians
- 546
- Peistratus restored by Thessaly and Lygdamos of Naxos
- 527
- Peistratus dies, suceeded by sons Hippias and Hipparchus
- 525
- Persian Darius I, son-in-law of Cyrus the Great takes Egypt
- 507
- Cleisthenes, Greek reformer, takes power, increases democracy
- 490
- Themistocles and Miltiades, Athenians, defeats Persian Darius at Marathon, Pheidippides runs with news
- 484
- Aeschylus, Athenian playwright, wins Athenian Prize
- 480
- Leonidas, Thespian, makes sacrifice of 300 Spartans at Thermopylae so main force can escape, Xerxes son of Darius is leading the Persians
- 480
- Themistocles, Athenian general, lures Persians into Bay of Salamis, Xerxes loses and goes home, leaves behind Mardonius
- 479
- Pausanius, Greek general routs Mardonius at Plataea
- 479
- Battle of Mycale frees Greek colonies in Asia After Salamis, Athens set up the Delian League, treasury on island of Delos, a confederacy of cities around the Aegean. It was intended as a military defense association against Persia but was turned into an empire, collecting tribute and deciding policy of its associates. Sparta formed rival Peloponnesian League
- 476-462
- Cimon elected general each year, he was victorious over Persia and then enforced military power on Delian League
- 474
- Pindar, Greek poet moves to Thebes from court at Syracuse
- 471
- Themistocles ostracized
- 468
- Sophocles, Greek playwright, defeats Aeschylus for Athenian Prize
- 461
- Cimon ostracized
- 457
- Pericles, Athenian statesman begins Golden Age, he was taught by Anaxagoras, who believed in dualistic Universe and atoms
- 456
- Aeschylus dies
- 449
- Herodotus, Greek Historian, writes History of Greco-Persian War from 490-479
- 448
- Ictinus and Callicrates, Greek architects rebuild Acropolis from Persain destruction
- 441
- Euripides, Greek playwright, wins Athenian prize
- 440
- Heraclitus, Greek philospher, believes everything is mutable
- 435
- Phidia, Greek sculptor, completes Zeus at Elis 1 of 7 wonders
- 433
- Corinth and Sparta Megara and Aegini also ally against Corfu and Athens Rhegium and Leontini also
- 432
- End of Golden Age, Pelopennesian Wars begin Athens under Pericles blockades Potidaea, Corfu declares war on Corinth
- 431
- Sparta led by Archidamus II sets out to destroy Athens
- 431
- Empodocles, Greek doctor, believes body has 4 humors
- 430
- Failed peace mission by Athens, bubonic plague year, Sparta takes no prisoners
- 430
- Leucippus, Greek philospher, believes every natural event has natural cause
- 429
- Phormio, Atheinian admiral, wins at Chalcis
- 429
- Pericles dies of bubonic plague
- 429
- Hippocrates, Greek doctor, believes diseases have physical cause
- 428
- Mitylene rebels, chief city of Lesbos
- 427
- Archidamus II dies, Alcidas, Greek admiral sent to help Lesbos, raids Ionia and flees after seeing Athenian might
- 427
- Mitylene surrenders to Athens, Plataeans surrender to Athens
- 427
- Aristophanes, Greek playwright, wins Athenian Prize
- 426
- Corfu secures island for Athens
- 426
- Demosthenes, Athenian general, and Cleon, Athenian demagogue, revitalize Athenian forces, make bold plans opposed by Nicias, his first military campaign barely suceeds
- 425
- Athenian fleet bottles up Spartan navy at Navarino Bay, Nicias resigns
- 424
- Syracuse sends Athenians home
- 424
- Pagondas of Thebes crushes Atheinian army at Delium, Brasidas a Spartan general makes a successful campaign, Cleon exiles Thucydides for 20 years for arriving late
- 423
- Truce of Laches supposed to stop Brasidas but doesn't, Nicias leads Athenian forces in retaking Mende
- 422
- Cleon meets Brasidas outside of Amphipolis, both are killed
- 421
- Peace of Nicias brings temporary end to war, but Alcibiades, a nephew of Pericles, makes anti-Sparta alliance
- 420
- Quadruple alliance of Athens, Argus, Mantinea, and Elis confronts Spartan-Boeotian alliance
- 419
- King Agis, ruler of Sparta, attacks Argus, makes treaty
- 418
- Mantinea, greatest land battle of war, gives Sparta victory over Argus, which broke treaty, Alcibiades thrown out, alliance broken
- 416
- Alcibiades makes plans, is restored to power
- 415
- Hermae busts are destroyed in Athens, Alcbiades accused, asks for inquiry, told to set sail for battle, is condemned to death in absentia, he defects to Sparta
- 414
- Lemachus, Athenian commander killed at Syracuse
- 413
- Nicias and Demosthenes killed at Syracuse
- 412
- Alcibiades is thrown out of Sparta, conspires to come back to Athens
- 411
- Democracy ends in Athens by Antiphon, Peisander, and Phrynichus, overthrown by Theramenes, Constitution of the 5000, Athenian navy recalls Alcibiades, confirmed by Athenians
- 410
- After several successes, Athenian demagogue Cleophon rejects Sparta peace overtures
- 409
- Byzantium recaptured by Alcibiades for Athens
- 408
- Alcibiades reenters Athens in triumph, Lysander a Spartan commander builds fleet at Ephesus
- 407
- Lysander begins destruction of Athenian fleet, Alcibiades stripped of power
- 406
- Callicratides, Spartan naval leader, loses Battle of Arginusae over blockade of Mitylene harbor, Sparta sues for peace, rejected by Cleophon
- 405
- Lysander captures Athenian fleet, Spartan king Pausanius lays siege to Athens, Cleophon executed, Corinth and Thebes demand destruction of Athens
- 404
- Athens capitulates Apr 25 Theramenes secures terms, prevents total destruction of Athens, Theramenes and Alcibiades are killed
- 401
- Thucydides, Greek historian, leaves account of Golden Age and Pelopennesian War at his death
- 399
- Socrates, Greek philospher, condemned to death for corrupting youth
- 347
- Plato, Greek philospher, founds Academy
- 342
- Aristotle, Greek philosopher, begins teaching Alexander, son of Philip of Macedon
- 338
- Philip defeats Athens and Thebes in last struggle for Greek Independence at Battle of Cheronea Aug 2
- 336
- Alexander succeeds father, who was assasinated at the wedding feast of his daughter
- 333
- Alexander defeats Persians at Battle of Issus, Oct, but Darius III escapes
- 332
- Alexander conquers Egypt
- 331
- at Battle of Arbela Oct 1, Alexander end Achaemenid Dynasty and takes Persian Empire
- 330
- Democritus, Greek philosopher, develops Atomic theory, believes cause and necessity, nothing comes out of nothing
- 329
- Alexander conquers Samarkand
- 327
- Alexander invades Northern India, but army is tired so doesn't pursue it
- 323
- Alexander dies, his generals vie for power in Wars of the Diadochi Antigonus- Macedonia, Antipater- Macedonia, Seleucus- Babylonia and Syria, Ptolemy- Egypt, Eumenes- Macedonia, Lysimachus, later Antipaters son Cassander also vies for power
- 316
- Meander, Greek playwright, wins Athenian prize
- 300
- Euclid, Greek mathematician, publishes Elements
- 295
- Athens falls to Demetrius, Lachares killed
- 265
- Archimedes, Greek mathematician, develops screw, specific gravity