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A Timeline of Ancient Greece
6000
Crete inhabited in the Neolithic Age
2600
The Minoan era (2600-1100)
2000
Sailing vessels trade in the Aegean Sea
2000
Palaces built on Crete
Achæans/Mycenæans migrate south into Greece
1700
Linear A script in use, evolves into Linear B
1600
Birth of Mycenæan (Bronze Age) culture
1500
Peak of Minoan culture
Mycenæan colonies established
Crete conquered then abandoned by invaders, probably from Mycenæ
1400
Mycenæan cities are protected with walls
1350
Mycenæans trade around the Aegean and east Mediterranean
1300
Mycenæ is destroyed, later rebuilt
1250
Minoan culture wiped out by Sea Peoples and earlier Mycenæan raids
1200
Troy is razed to the ground
Trojan War ends
1150
Mycenæan resources devoted to the military and city defensives
Mycenæ is destroyed once more
1100
End of Mycenæan culture
Dorians invade Greece and establish settlements
Beginning of the Dark Age
1000
Greece enters the Iron Age
800
End of the Greek Dark Age
750
The Archaic Age (750-480)
Communities established by warlords have expanded into cities
A second wave of Greek colonies is established overseas
Greeks adopt a new alphabet, adapted from Phoenician writing
700
Development of the elite hoplite infantrymen
City-states are ruled by oligarchies or tyrants
660
Tyrants begin to be replaced by democracies
650
Greek colonies established throughout the Mediterranean
624
Thales (624-560) is born
620
Æsop (620-564) is born
613
Sappho (613-570) is born
600
Sparta is the dominant city-state in Greece
590
Athenian society is reformed under new leader Solon
570
Anaximenes (570-500) is born
Pindar (active 550-446) is born about this time
569
Pythagoras (569-500) is born
560
Hekataios (560-490) is born
550
At Corsica, Etruscans and Carthaginians defeat a Greek fleet
Persia rebels against the Median Empire and takes its territory
546
-39
Persia conquers territory in Asia Minor and Middle East, expanding the empire
535
Heraklitos (535-475) is born
528
The Persian Empire conquers Babylonia
525
Persia conquers Egypt
Aischylos (525-456) is born
520
Parmenides (520-450) is born
512
Macedon annexed to King Darius’ Persian Empire
511
Peloponnesian League captures Athens, after ousting tyrant Peisistratos
510
Kleisthenes and Spartan King Kleomenes oust the tyrant Hippias from Athens
Ionian islands and coastal cities are integrated into the Persian Empire
508
Struggle between Kleisthenes and oligarchic Isagoras results in Athenian democracy
500
Athens enlarges army and creates a navy against the Peloponnesian threat
496
Sophokles (496-406) is born
494
Athens’ assistance to Miletos city’s revolt earns Persia’s enmity
492
Empedokles (492-440) is born
490
A small Athenian and Spartan army defeats the Persians at Marathon
Zeno (490-425) is born
484
Herodotus (484-425) is born
480
Beginning of Greece’s Classical Age
Spartans block an invasion at Thermopylai, but the Persians find another route
Persians raze the abandoned Athens, but are driven away, their fleet massacred
Euripides (480-406) is born
Protagoras (480-420) is born
479
Athens is torched again, but a combined Greek army defeats the Persians
477
City-states around the Aegean ally into the Delian League
475
Eion is taken from the Persians, securing the Chalkidikian coast for the league
471
Thucydides (471-396) is born
470
An Athenian fleet prevents Naxos island from leaving the Delian League
Sokrates (470-399) is born
468
With Eurymadon city, Athens has control of the Aegean coast of Asia Minor
464
After an earthquake, helot slaves in Sparta rebel
460
Megara allies with Athens
The First Peloponnesian War between Sparta and Athens begins
Demokritos (460-370) is born
Hippokrates (460-377) is born
460
-54
Athenian troops support Egypt against Persia but are defeated
460
-05
Athenian civic projects invigorated under Perikles and his successors
454
Delian League funds are used on Athens’ civic projects, including the Parthenon
451
End of the First Peloponnesian War
Athens and Sparta sign a peace treaty
450
Athens is protected by the three fortified Long Walls
449
Athens and Persia sign a peace treaty
448
Aristophanes (448-380) is born
447
Athens establishes military bases around the Aegean
440
The Athenian navy quashes a revolt at Samos, at great expense to the treasury
Antisthenes (440-370) is born
431
Beginning of the Second Peloponnesian War
430
Plato (430-350) is born
Xenophon (430-335) is born
425
Sparta’s elite troops are defeated by Athenian warriors at Sphakteria
422
Though victorious, Spartan general Brassidas is killed in the Battle of Amphiopolis
421
The Peace of Nikias ends the Archidamian War phase
418
The Argive League dissolves after Spartans defeat the alliance at Mantineia
415
An Athenian army and fleet are slaughtered by Syracusans in the Sicilian Expedition
413
Spartans strick from a fortress at Dekleleia, north of Athens
411
Athens’ fleet is defeated by Chios, one of many cities in revolt against Athens
410
Athens recaptures Kyzikos and rejects Sparta’s call for peace
406
At Lesbos, Sparta’s navy is defeated in the largest sea battle of the wars
404
Besieged and starved of supplies, Athens surrenders
403
Military demands lead to neglect of Athens’ city development program
395
-86
Corinth (allied with Athens) and Sparta fight the Corinthian War
390
Aristotle (390-330) is born
Diogenes (390-323) is born
371
Thebes defeats Sparta at Leuctra but is unable to maintain control of central Greece
370
Kallipos (370-300) is born
359
Philip II becomes regent of Macedon and begins securing its borders
357
-55
Athens loses much of its Aegean territory in the Social War
342
Menander (342-291) is born
341
Epicurus (341-270) is born
340
Philip captures Byzantium
Athens declares war to protect their supply lines
Strato (340-290) is born
338
Macedon defeats Athens and Thebes at Chæronea
336
Philip assassinated, Alexander succeeds
Hellenistic Age begins
334
Alexander begins his conquest of Asia Minor
333
Alexander defeats Darius of Persia at Issos, securing Asia Minor
332
Tyre is destroyed by Alexander’s army in a long siege
331
Alexander invades Egypt and founds Alexandria city, the first of several bearing his name
Though seriously outnumbered, Alexander’s army defeats Darius’ at Gaugamela
330
Persian Empire ends with the murder of Darius by one of his generals
327
After the death of Spitamenes and marriage to Roxanna, Bactria is conquered
326
On the brink of conquering India, Alexander’s men refuse to fight on
323
Alexander dies, throwing his empire into disarray
287
Archimedes (287-212) is born
280
Chrysippos (280-207) is born