2910c3273a506a8f0846fc75b682a4d3 greek history modern history

Brief Greek History

By theodorene
  • 776 BCE

    Olympic Games

    Olympic Games
    The first Olympic Games were in 776 B.C. and was a festival to honour Zeus. Since then, every 4 years men from all over the Greek world came to the town of Olympia to compete in the Olympic Games. During the Games there was no war.The prize for the winner was a wreath of olive leaves and part of the city wall of their home city was destroyed just for them to pass through- a symbol that the people of the city felt well protected with an Olympic champion living among them.
  • 500 BCE

    Golden Age

    Golden Age
    The Classical Period or Golden Age of Greece, from around 500 to 300 BC, has given great monuments (the Parthenon) and the development of Art, Philosophy (Plato, Socrates, Aristotle), Architecture, Theatre and Literature.But most important was the Athenian Democracy.
  • May 29, 1453

    The Fall of Constantinopole

    The Fall of Constantinopole
    In 1453 Constantinopole was conquered by Mehmet II of the Ottomans and that was the end of the Byzantine Empire. The last emperor was Constantine Palaeologos and the great church of "Aghia Sophia" was converted into a mosque.

  • The Greek Revolution against the Ottoman Empire

    The Greek Revolution against the Ottoman Empire
    After 400 years of slavery the Greeks rebelled against the Ottomans. The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution (Elliniki Epanastasi), was a successful war of independence waged by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1830.The Greek Revolution is celebrated by the modern Greek state as a national day on 25 March.

  • The Independent Greek State

    The Independent Greek State
    Britain, France and Russia finally agreed to create an independent Greek state under their joint protection, concluding the protocols of 3 February 1830. The first Greek Governor was Ioannis Kapodistrias. The Greek state gradually regained its national territories by 1947.

  • The 1st Modern Olympic Games

    The 1st Modern Olympic Games
    The 1896 Summer Olympics, was the first international Olympic Games held in modern history. Organised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), created by Pierre de Coubertin, was held in Athens, Greece, from 6 to 15 April 1896. Winners were given a silver medal, while runners-up received a copper medal. The United States won the most gold medals, 11; host nation Greece won the most medals overall, 46. The highlight for the Greeks was the marathon victory by their compatriot Spyridon Louis.

  • "OΧΙ"

    "OΧΙ"
    Ohi Day ("Anniversary of the No") is celebrated in Greece, Cyprus and the Greek communities around the world on 28 October each year. Ohi Day commemorates the rejection by Greek prime minister Metaxas of the ultimatum of the Italian dictator Mussolini on 28 October 1940, the Hellenic counterattack against the Italian invasion, and the Greek Resistance during the Nazis occupation.It is a public holiday celebrated with military and student parades.Also, most buildings put up Greek flags.

  • The Polytechnic Uprising

    The Polytechnic Uprising
    Since April 21, 1967, Greece had been under the dictatorial rule of the military.The Athens Polytechnic uprising happened in November 1973 as a demonstration of popular rejection of the Greek military junta of 1967–1974. The uprising began on November 14, 1973, and ended in bloodshed in the early morning of November 17 when a tank crashed through the gates of the Polytechnic.