Ancient Greece Timeline

First Olympic Games

776 BCE

The first Olympic Games started from 776 BC. It was dedicated to the Olympian gods and were held in the plains of Olympia. It began as a series of competitions of representatives from each city-state of Greece. The winners of competitions gained great value and recognition throughout the whole nation. The emerging of Olympic Games is very significant since it is a chance for all nations to unite with the same goal of victory, regardless of war or history.

First Greek alphabet created

750 BCE

The Greek alphabet first appeared around 750 BC. The Greek alphabet was born when the Greeks adapted the Phoenician writing system. It is the first full alphabet, a writing system that represented consonants and vowels equally. The Greek alphabet is still used in various fields such as mathematics, science and engineering. The development of Greek alphabet is important in history because it became a precursor of most of the European alphabets and influenced other nations’ and writing system.

Democracy begins in Greece

508 BCE

In the year 508 BC, the leader of Athens, Cleisthenes came up with a new political system called ‘democracy’. It means ‘ruled by the people’. This political system was developed to allow the citizens to participate in politics. A council of 500 citizens drawn annually in a lottery were allowed to suggest for laws and policies. The emerging of democracy in Athens is one of the significant achievements in history because it became a basis for many modern political systems and governments.

The Battle of Marathon

490 BCE

The Battle of Marathon was held on the Marathon plain of northeastern Attica in 490 B.C. and marked the first blows of the Greco-Persian War. The Athenian general Miltiades commanded the army and employed a successful strategy in which he weakened the center of his force to strengthen its wings and caused confusion of the Persian army. The victory of Greece created the tale of the messenger running 25 miles to Athens to deliver the news fueling the creation of the modern marathon.

Battle of Thermopylae

480 BCE

The Battle of Thermopylae took place in Thermopylae of Greece during the Persian Wars. It was fought between the alliance of Greek city-states led by Spartan King Leonidas and the Persian army led by King Xerxes. The battle lasted over 3 days. The Greek force was outnumbered by the Persian army but were strong and determined. The Greeks used strategies to overcome their disadvantages of shortage in number. However on the 3rd day of battle, the Greeks were totally defeated by the Persians.

Building of Parthenon

447 BCE

The temple known as the Parthenon on the acropolis of Athens was built between 447 and 432 BCE during the Age of Pericles. The temple was dedicated to the goddess Athena. The Parthenon was built after the Greek force defeated the Persian army, to praise the goddess for their victory. The Parthenon was the most elaborate and the largest Doric temple of Greece. The Parthenon is an significant establishment of the golden age of Athenian culture with its magnificent details and religious meanings.

The Peloponnesian War

431 BCE

The Peloponnesian war was fought between the two city states of Greece, Athens and Sparta between 431 and 404 BC. When Athens became the most powerful Greece city-state, Sparta and its allies became alarmed. Athens fought with the Delian League, and Sparta with the Peloponnesian League. Athens had the stronger navy, and Sparta had a stronger army. The war lasted for almost 3 decades, making Athens bankrupt and exhausted which made Sparta as the most powerful, leading city-state of Greece.

Rome conquers Greece

146 BCE

Rome continues conquering Greece, and in 146 BC the Greeks are finally defeated by the Romans in the city of Corinth. With the defeat at Corinth, other Greek cities were destroyed and demolished. From this point Greece was ruled by Rome. Although Greek culture heavily influenced the Roman civilization and became a key province of the Roman Empire, Greece was no longer an independent civilization. Athens and other city states revolted in 88 BC, and the peninsula was crushed by the Romans.