Ancient Greece 3000 B.C.E to 488 B.C.E

3000 BCE Beginning of Greek Civilization

3000 BCE

The excavations and discoveries made have proved that the civilization in Greece became more complex between 3500 and 3000 B.C, with larger villages and a social organization turning from the tribalism to chiefdoms with the formation of an elite group

The Great Minoan civilization

2500 BCE

The Minoan civilization flourished in the middle Bronze Age on the Mediterranean island of Crete from ca. 2000 BCE until ca. 1500 BCE and, with their unique art and architecture, the Minoans made a significant contribution to the development of Western European civilization as it is known today.

The Trojan War and the destruction of Troy (Ilium)

1200 BCE

The Trojan War is probably one of the most important events that have been narrated in Greek mythology. It was a war that broke out between the Achaeans (the Greeks) and the city of Troy. The best known narration of this event is the epic poem Iliad, written by Homer

The Dark Ages of Greece and the fall of the Mycenean culture

1050 BCE

During the Dark Ages of Greece the old major settlements were abandoned (with the notable exception of Athens), and the population dropped dramatically in numbers. Within these three hundred years, the people of Greece lived in small groups. Later in the Dark Ages (between 950 and The Greek version of the alphabet eventually formed the base of the alphabet used for English today.”
(Martin, 43)
http://ancient-greece.org/history/dark-ages.html

Development of the first Greek Alphabet

850 BCE

The Greek alphabet was born when the Greeks adapted the Phoenician writing system to represent their own language by developing a fully phonetic writing system composed of individual signs arranged in a linear fashion that could represent both consonants and vowels.Feb 5, 2015 http://www.ancient.eu/Greek_Alphabet/

The First Olympic Games are staged

776 BCE

Although the ancient Games were staged in Olympia, Greece, from 776 BC through 393 AD, it took 1503 years for the Olympics to return. The first modern Olympics were held in Athens, Greece, in 1896. https://www.penn.museum/sites/olympics/olympicorigins.shtml

Homer writes the Iliad and the Odyssey

750 BCE

The Greek poet Homer was born sometime between the 12th and 8th centuries BC, possibly somewhere on the coast of Asia Minor. He is famous for the epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey, which have had an enormous effect on Western culture, but very little is known about their alleged author. https://www.biography.com/people/homer-9342775

The Rise of the Greek tyrants

650 BCE

Athens
Cylon, 632 BC (stoned)
Pisistratus, 561 BC, 559-556 BC and 546-528 BC.
Hipparchus (527-514 BC) and Hippias (527-510 BC), sons of Pisistratus; Hipparchus was murdered by Harmodius and Aristogeiton, the original tyrannicides.
Theramenes, Critias, and Charicles leading members of the Thirty Tyrants 404-403 BC. https://www.britannica.com/topic/tyrant

Greek Coin currency introduced

600 BCE

The coinage of ancient Greece has given us some of the most recognisable images from antiquity as they were stamped with designs to proudly declare the identity of the city which minted them and guarantee their value. One of the great archaeological survivors, coins are an invaluable source of information on cultural practices, important individuals, and ancient international relations. http://www.ancient.eu/Greek_Coinage/

Cleisthenes introduces democracy in Athens

505 BCE

Cleisthenes was an Athenian statesman who famously reformed the political structure and processes of Athens at the end of the 6th century BCE and, thereby, greatly increased the influence of ordinary citizens on everyday politics. Accordingly, he is credited with creating a celebrated system of democracy, which, over the following decades, would become ever more direct so that all citizens could actively and directly participate in government. http://www.ancient.eu/Cleisthenes/

Democracy

488 BCE

In the year 488 b.C. were for the first time elected archons by lot whereas the next year they practiced “ostrakismos” for the first time. These facts had broadened and deepened a lot the democratic basis of the regime. Ever since, only the ten generals would be elected by vote. In the same period a new temple of Athena was constructed on the Acropolis, just at the place where later on the Parthenon would be built; Attica was also enriched with new temple dedicated to various gods.