ALL
GREEK TO ME!
ALL
GREEK TO ME!
An Ancient Greek timeline. Enough said.
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THE MINOAN CIVILIZATION (Crete)
2000: (BC) Minoan society begins on Crete. Palace built at Knossos.
1750: Peak of Minoan civilization in Crete. The Minoans enjoy the sport of bull-jumping. Unfortunately the Minoans are great traders but don't bother with the military.
1700: Knossos destroyed by earthquake (probable), tidal wave (caused by earthquake) and/or war (society divided after damage frome earthquake).
THE MYCENEAN CIVILIZATION (Mainland, later invaded Crete)
1600: Myceneans conquer Minoans. Knossos rebuilt
1500: Peak of Mycenaean civilization.
1470: Volcano destroys Knossos through ash, poisonous vapours, seismic activity and 250 metre high waves. Mycenae becomes the new capital.
1300: Greek city of Troy (in modern Turkey) destroyed by an earthquake. Rebuilt in same place.
1250: Decline of Mycenaean civilization. It seems the mainland Greeks, tired of being bossed around, turned on them. Greek city-states now largely independent.
1200: Trojan war begins between mainland and Turkish coast Greek city-states.
1184: City of Troy falls to the Greeks under Agamemnon. The war may have been ended by an earthquake which destroyed the walls and let in the Greeks; the wooden horse may have been a statue to Poseidon as god of earthquakes.
1100: The Dorians, based around the city of Delphi, become the dominant culture. The cities of Mycenae, Ilkotos and Miletos are destroyed. Sparta is founded.
THE DARK AGES (no single dominant culture)
Cities warred with each other, there was no expansion of Greek culture, and no new settlement of Greeks elsewhere in the Mediterranean.
CLASSICAL OR ARCHAIC PERIOD
790: Greek trading settlement at Al Mina in Syria.
776: First recorded Olympic games held at Olympia in the state of Elis. Contrary to popular belief, only wars with Elis stopped for the Games, although safe-conduct was supposed to be guaranteed from anywhere. The Games were open only to male Greeks with no police record.
760: Greek settlers found Cumae in Italy, not far from Rome. They control the southern half of Italy and eastern Sicily.
750: Beginning of Greek colonization in Mediterranean and Black Sea. Examples are Cyrene (North Africa), Cyprus, the Crimea, eastern Sicily and a coastal strip from Nice to Barcelona. The first hoplites (armoured trained spearmen, fighting in close formation) appear. Homer writes the Iliad and the Odyssey.
735: Greek colonization of Sicily and south Italy.
735 - 715: Spartan conquest of the rival city of Messenia. The Spartans, paranoid about losing their conquests, develop into a totally militaristic society.
700: Miletus settlers colonize Black Sea western coast and Hellespont; trade with Egypt.
664: Naval battle between Corinth and Corcyra (Corfu), the first sea battle ever recorded.
657: Sailors found the city of Byzantium (later Constantinople, now Istanbul).
640-630: Spartans put down a revolt by the Messenians
621: Draco, an Athenian lawgiver, issues a code making nearly every offense a capital crime (i.e. punishable by death), hence the modern term 'Draconian'.
612: Assyria, large state nearby and east of the Greeks, collapses. Beginnings of the rise of the Greeks' greatest enemy, Persia.
582: First regular celebration of Pythian games at Delphi (held every four years, in the middle of the four-year gap between the Olympic games).
581: First Isthmian games. These, along with the Nemean games (started 573) were held every two years, in the remaining gaps between the Pythian and Olympic games).
575: Early form of democracy (rule by the people) in Athens.
560: Birth of Pythagoras, who will develop some mathematical theories.
550: First gold and silver coins minted for King Croesus of Lydia. First plays performed. Aesop, a Greek slave, writes his Fables. Unfortunately the local priests take a dislike to him, and have him thrown off a cliff!
546: Continuing rise of the Persian Empire, in what is now Iran.
506: Spartan attack on Athens frustrated when the latter buys off their 'allies'. Persia occupies the Greek colonies on the Ionian Isles, close to the Greek mainland.
500: First conference of Peloponnesian League, to resist rise of Persia. First Persian invasion of Greece defeated.
499 - 494: Ionian Revolt against Persia put down.
490: Athens wins battle of Marathon against King Darius of Persia. The runner Pheidippides runs over 150 miles to bring the great news to Athens - then promptly drops dead! But he does get a race named after the battle (the marathon, duh!).
481: After much squabbling, main Greek cities join the Hellenic League against Persia. Carthage joins with Persia against the Greeks.
480: Battle of Thermopylae (300 Spartans hold off thousands of Persians, only losing when a secret passage is betrayed to the latter) and Artemisium won by Persians under King Xerxes; Persians occupy Attica and burn Athens; naval battle of Salamis returns victory to Greeks. Gelon defeats invading Carthaginians at Himera.
479: Greek victories over Persians at Plataea and Mycale ends Persian invasions.
478 - 477: Athens founds Confederacy of Delos. Sparta campaigns in Cyprus and Byzantium. This leads to widespread resentment amongst other Greek city-states. The age of the great Greek playwrights begins.
464: Earthquake at Sparta. Third Messenian revolt against Spartan rule.
459 - 454: Fighting in Greece (First Peloponnesian War).
450: Herodotus becomes the first history teacher.
447: Construction of the Parthenon begun.
446: Boeotia and Megara revolt from Athenian control. Spartan invasion of Attica. Thirty Years' Peace between Athens and Sparta.
443-429: Rule of Pericles in Athens.
438: Parthenon completed.
432: Second Peloponnesian Wars begin. Pericles finishes the Parthenon.
428: After the death of Pericles, the city of Mytilene revolts, marking the beginning of the end of Athenian dominance.
425: Spartan detachment cut off on Sphacteria near Pylos and forced to surrender to Athenians.
424: Athenian defeat at Delium in Boeotia.
421: Peace of Nicias, but sporadic fighting continues.
418: Sparta defeats Athens and Argos at Mantineia
413: Sparta formally resumes war against Athens, and fortifies Deceleia in Attica. Destruction of Athenian force in Sicily.
411: Democracy overthrown in Athens.
410: Spartans and Persians crushed by Athenians.
409: Athenian capture of Byzantium. Carthaginian invasion of Sicily.
406: Athenian victory over Spartan fleet at Arginusae. Six of the victorious generals condemned to death for not picking up survivors!
405: Athenian fleet defeated in the Hellespont by Spartan general Lysander.
404: Lysander starves Athens into submission; plague sweeps city. Surrender of Athens.
403: Athens rebels against Spartan rule; democracy restored.
400: Third Peloponnesian War. The Athenians do badly and blame one of their philosophers, the teacher Socrates. They force him to take hemlock (poison) to kill himself.
396: Siege of Syracuse by Carthaginians who withdraw after plague in their camp.
395: Alliance of Thebes, Athens and Argos against Sparta. The alliance wins the battle of Haliartus at which Lysander is killed.
394: Spartan victories at Nemea River and Coroneia.
392: Spartan victory at Lechaeum outside Corinth. Democratic revolution in Corinth.
383: Spartans occupy Thebes.
378: Thebans drive out Spartans. Thebes now the most powerful city-state.
371: Thebes defeats Sparta at Leuctra. War grinds to a halt.
357: Accession of Philip II of Macedon, a small and hitherto unnoticed state in northern Greece. It won't be unnoticed for long....
357-346: Macedon at war with Athens. Victory for Philip, who gains the city of Thermopylae.
340: Resumption of war between Athens and Macedon.
338: Philip of Macedon defeats Athenians and Thebans at Battle of Chaeronea.
336: Philip assassinated; succeeded by (and possibly assassinated by) his son Alexander.
335: Alexander defeats Thebes.
334: Alexander invades Asia; wins battle of Granicus near Troy.
333: Alexander is victorious over Persia at the battle of Issus.
332: Alexander is victorious over Egypt after the battle of Tyre.
331: Alexander is master of the Persian empire after the battle of Gaugamela. City of Alexandria in Egypt founded.
330: Alexander takes Persepolis. Ptolemy I, Alexander's general (and possibly half-brother) founds the Great Library in Alexandria; it will last until 641 AD when destroyed by Arabs. In Greece, Aristotle invents the camera obscura, the first technology that will lead to modern tv and film.
329: Alexander enters Samarkand.
326: Alexander invades India; he defeats Indians at the battle of the River Hydaspes but his troops refuse to go any further from home. Alex sulks for three days then turns for home.
323: Alexander dies of typhoid fever; Wars of the Diadochi (successors) begin for control of his empire; it will last on and off for two decades. Seleucid Greeks in Persia, Ptolemaic Greeks in Egypt, Antigonine Greeks in Turkey and Greece.
322: Macedons take over Athens. End of democracy.
c. 310: Greeks conquer Troy. Again.
HELLENISTIC PERIOD
307-272: Pyrrhus is King of Epirus. He invades Italy and defeats the Romans - but suffers such huge losses he is unable to keep his gains. Hence the term 'pyrrhic victory', for a victory not worth having.
264-241: First Punic Wars between the two great Mediterranean empires, Rome and Carthage. Rome wins.
218-201: Second Punic Wars. Rome wins. Greek colonies in Italy lost to Rome.
197: Romans defeat Macedonian army of Philip V. The Romans will side with different parts of the Greek 'empire' against other parts, weakening it until they can finally destroy it.
191: Romans and Macedonians defeat Seleucid army of Antiochus at Thermopylae.
149-146: Third Punic Wars. Rome defeats and destroys Carthage, becoming the sole superpower in the Mediterranean.
148: Romans conquer Macedon after abolishing monarchy and years of rebellion.
133: Romans conquer Greek city-states. Greece is part of the Roman Empire
88-86: Greek revolt. King Mithriades VI of Pontos massacres 80,000 Romans in Asia Minor (modern Turkey) and frees most of southern Greece from Roman rule. But Roman rule is reasserted under the Roman general Sulla, who defeats Mithridates, burns Athens , destroys Greek shrines and demands the Greeks pay for everything!
30: Suicide of Pharaoh Cleopatra VII in Egypt ends the Ptolemaic Dynasty. The last Greek state falls under Roman rule.
394: Grumpy Romans cancel the Olympic Games. Their empire collapses soon after!
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