Timelines of Ancient Greece

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.