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This is a timeline of ancient Greece.

All dates are BCE.

Aegean civilization (Bronze Age)

Mainland Greece

Main article: Helladic period

• Early Helladic EH 2800-2100 BCE
• Middle Helladic MH 2100-1500 BCE
• Late Helladic LH 1500-1100 BCE

Crete

Main article: Minoan civilization

• Early Minoan EM 3650-2160 BCE
• Middle Minoan MM 2160-1600 BCE
• Late Minoan LM 1600-1170 BCE

Cyclades

Main article: Cycladic civilization

• Early Cycladic 3300-2000 BCE
• Kastri = EH II-EH III (ca. 2500-2100) BCE
• Convergence with MM from ca. 2000 BCE

Mycenaean Age

Eruption of Thera (Santorin Island) volcano dated probably between 1660 to 1613 BCE.

Dark Age

From 1100 BC to the 8th century BC

Archaic Period

776 

Traditional date for the first historic Olympic games.

757 

The first Messenian war starts. (date disputed by Jerome, Pausanias and Diodorus; this estimate is based on a reading of Diodorus' Spartan king lists and Pausanias' description of the war)

757 

Office of Archon reduced to 10 years. Members of the ruling family to hold the office starting with Charops. (dating based on Pausanias)

754 

Polydorus becomes king of Sparta.

738 

Alternate date for the end of the first Messenian war.

735 

Perdiccas flees from Argos to Macedonia and conquers the land.

734 

Polydorus sends colonists to Italy.

727-717 

Hippomenes, archon of Athens, who killed his daughter's adulterer by yoking him up to his chariot and then locks his daughter up with a horse until she dies. (Pausanias and Aristotle)

c. 725 

Lelantine War between Chalcis and Eretria. Many Greek cities are allied with one or the other. Dates before this point uncertain.

719 

Polydorus The king of Sparta is murdered by Polymarchus.

716 

The reign of the Heraklids over Lydia is ended when Candaules, known as Myrsilus to the Greeks, is murdered by Gyges because of his wife’s anger.

690 

Pheidon becomes tyrant of Argos

687 

Annual office of Archon established. Any Athenian citizen can be elected to office if they meet the requirements. Creon elected first annual archon. (dating based on Pausanias)

685 

The second Messenian war begins

665 

The second Messenian war ends

656 

Cypselus subjects Corinth to tyranny

645-560 

Spartan wars with Tegea all unsuccessful

642 or 634 

Battus establishes a Greek colony in Cyrene in Libya

632 

Cylon, Athenian noble, seizes Acropolis and tries to make himself king, fails

630 

Formal pederasty is introduced, first in Crete, as a means of population control and an educational modality

621 

Draco, Athenian lawgiver, issues code of laws where everything is punishable by death – Draconian

594 

Solon, Athenian statesman, becomes Archon pre-582BC (cf. ML6 (death of Kypselos 585BC) and Plutarch Sol. 14), captures Salamis from Megarians- later, when member of the Areopagus is appointed to effect social reforms in order to preserve order in Athens, which include the abolishment of the security of debts on the debtor's person (Aristotle Ath. Pol. 6), returning exiled Athenian slaves (Solon fr. 4 in Ath. Pol. 12), changing the value of weights and measures to the Korinthian standard, prohibiting the export of grain from Attica and encouraging the planting of olives (Plut. Sol. 22-4), established the property classes (Ar. Ath. Pol. 7) and the council of 400 (Ar. Ath. Pol. 8)

590 

Sappho, Greek poetess and priestess, flourishes on island of Lesbos

569 

Pythagoras was born.

565 

Peisistratos, Athenian general, organizes Diakrioi, party of poor people

546 

Pythagoras founded science and philosophy.

510 

Pythagoras founded his own school.

500 

Pythagoras died in Crotona, Italy, when he was in Metapontum.

Late Archaic Period

561 

Pisistratus takes power i Athens for first time,

555 

Pisistratus driven out by Lycurgus who leads nobles

549 

Pisistratus restored by help of Megacles

546 

Croesus, rich king of Lydia, captured at Sardis by Persians

542 

Pisistratus expelled, makes fortune from Thracian mines

532 

Pisistratus restored by Thessaly and Lygdamos of Naxos

527 

Pisistratus dies, succeeded by sons Hippias and Hipparchus

525 

Persian Darius I, son-in-law of Cyrus the Great takes Egypt

515 

Hippias becomes sole ruler after the death of Hipparchus

508 

Hippias is forced to leave Athens.

507 

Cleisthenes, Greek reformer, takes power, increases democracy

490 

Themistocles and Miltiades, Athenians, defeat Darius at Marathon, Phidippides runs with news

484 

Aeschylus, Athenian playwright, wins Athenian Prize

Classical Period

480 

Leonidas, Spartan, makes sacrifice of 300 Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae so main force can escape, Xerxes son of Darius is leading the Persians

480 

Simultaenous with Thermopylae, the Greeks and Persians fight to a draw in the naval Battle of Artemisium

480 

Battle of Salamis - Themistocles, Athenian general, lures Persians into Bay of Salamis, Xerxes loses and goes home, leaves behind Mardonius

479 

Pausanias, Greek general routs Mardonius at the Battle of Plataea

479 

Battle of Mycale frees Greek colonies in Asia. After the Battle of Salamis, Athens set up the Delian League, treasury on island of Delos, a confederacy of cities around the Aegean Sea. 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 Persian destruction

441 

Euripides, Greek playwright, wins Athenian prize

440 

Heraclitus, Greek philosopher, believes everything is mutable

435 

Phidias, Greek sculptor, completes Zeus at Elis 1 of 7 wonders

433 

Corinth, Sparta, Megara and Aegina ally against Corfu, Athens, Rhegium, and Leontini

432 

End of Golden Age, Athens under Pericles blockades Potidaea (Battle of Potidaea), Corfu declares war on Corinth (Battle of Sybota)

431 

Sparta led by Archidamus II sets out to destroy Athens thus starting the Peloponnesian War

431 

Empedocles, Greek doctor, believes body has Four Temperaments.

430 

Failed peace mission by Athens, bubonic plague year, Sparta takes no prisoners

430 

Leucippus, Greek philosopher, believes every natural event has natural cause. Athenian Plague appears in Athens.

429 

Phormio, Athenian admiral, wins the Battle of Chalcis

429 

Pericles dies of Athenian Plague, possibly typhus or bubonic plague

429 

Hippocrates, Greek doctor, believes diseases have physical cause

428 

Plato born.

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 Athenian Plague returns

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, revitalizes Athenian forces, makes bold plans opposed by Nicias, his first military campaign barely succeeds

425 

Athenian fleet bottles up Spartan navy at Navarino Bay, Nicias resigns

424 

Syracuse sends Athenians home

424 

Pagondas of Thebes crushes Athenian army at the Battle of 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 (Battle of Amphipolis)

421 

Peace of Nicias brings temporary end to war, but Alcibiades, a nephew of Pericles, makes anti-Sparta alliance

420 

Quadruple alliance of Athens, Argos, Mantinea, and Elis confronts Spartan-Boeotian alliance

419 

King Agis, ruler of Sparta, attacks Argos, makes treaty

418 

Battle of Mantinea, greatest land battle of war, gives Sparta victory over Argos, which broke treaty, Alcibiades thrown out, alliance broken

416 

Alcibiades makes plans, is restored to power

415 

Hermai are mutilated in Athens, Alcibiades accused, asks for inquiry, told to set sail for battle (Sicilian Expedition), 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 of Pericles and Peloponnesian War at his death (History of the Peloponnesian War)

399 

Socrates, Greek philosopher, condemned to death for corrupting youth.

387 

Peace of Antalcidas concluded between the Greeks and the Persians.

347 

Plato, Greek philosopher, founder of Academy, dies.

342 

Aristotle, Greek philosopher, begins teaching Alexander, son of Philip of Macedon

338 

Philip of Macedon defeats Athens and Thebes at Chaeronea Aug 2 and establishes League of Corinth in winter of 338 BC/337 BC .

337 The Queen Frida is born

336 

Alexander succeeds father, who was assassinated by Pausanias of Orestis

333 

Alexander defeats Persians at Battle of Issus, Oct, but Darius III escapes

332 

Alexander conquers Egypt

331 

at Battle of Gaugamela Oct 1, Alexander ends 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 his army is despondent and refuses to march further eastwards.

Hellenistic Period

323 

Alexander dies, his generals vie for power in Wars of the Diadochi:Antigonus- Macedon, Antipater- Macedon, Seleucus- Babylonia and Syria, Ptolemy- Egypt, Eumenes- Macedon, Lysimachus, later Antipater's son Cassander also vies for power

316 

Menander, Greek playwright, wins Athenian prize

300 

Euclid, Greek mathematician, publishes Elements, treating both geometry and number theory (see also Euclidean algorithm)

295 

Athens falls to Demetrius, Lachares killed

265 

Archimedes, Greek mathematician, develops screw, specific gravity, center of gravity; anticipates discoveries of integral calculus.

Notes