Greece and Rome Timeline

Founding of Rome

753 BCE

While there was probably no real "founding moment," Roman legends say Romulus founded the city on Palatine Hill in 753 BCE.

Roman Monarchy Overthrown

509 BCE

The last of the seven kings of Rome, Tarquin the Proud, was overthrown and replaced with the Roman Republic because wealthy landowners demanded more representation in government. He supposedly raped Lucretia, but this was likely propaganda that helped convince the people to overthrow him.

Ionian Revolt

Period: 499 BCE to 494 BCE

Ionian Greek cities in western Asia Minor fell to Darius I of Persia, and they wanted their independence back. So, with the assistance of Athens, they attempted to revolt against the Persians with their navy but ultimately lost and angered Darius.

Battle of Marathon

490 BCE

The Persians invaded Marathon, a coastal Greek city, and the Athenians were outnumbered. Miraculously, the Athenians defeated the Persians and stopped the invasion. Their victory was mainly due to the Athenians' high ground on the hills and their superior phalanx military structure. Following the battle, Pheidippides raced from Marathon to Athens to announce the victory; he said "Nike" and then dropped dead. Today's marathon is based on this story (~26 miles between Athens and Marathon).

Battle of Salamis

480 BCE

After defeating the army of 300, the Persians marched south to Athens and burned the city, which was empty since they had been warned about the attack. The Athenians and their navy were now in Salamis, ready to counterattack. The navy lured the Persian fleet into a strait by pretending to sail away in fear, but then they suddenly turned and attacked the Persian boats with battering rams and sunk most of their navy.

Battle of Thermopylae

480 BCE

Under Xerxes I, the Persians sent 180k troops (according to Herodotus) to invade Greece and end the war. This threat forced Athens and Sparta to team up to defend themselves, and they amassed an army of roughly 7k soldiers that defended the mountain pass of Thermopylae, a critical access point into all of Greece. All but 300 soldiers led by Leonidas I retreated to warn Greece of the invasion, and the 300 stalled enough time for Greece to prepare their response.

Battle of Plataea

479 BCE

This was the final land battle during the second Persian invasion of Greece. The Greeks defeated Persian forces on their own soil in Asia Minor, and it was the nail in the coffin for the Persian invasion after the Battle of Salamis.

Formation of the Delian League

478 BCE

Athens emerged from the Greco-Persian Wars as the strongest polis and organized an alliance between many other poleis called the Delian League, which was essentially a dominant empire in Greece.

Peloponnesian War

Period: 431 BCE to 404 BCE

The former Delian League officially became the Athenian Empire, with Athens treating its allies like ruled subjects. Sparta, Athens's main rival, feared this empire's power and formed its own league, the Peloponnesian League, to fight the Athenians in the war. Athens's plan of hiding behind its "Long Walls" caused the war to drag on for 26 years, but eventually, Athens lost primarily because of a plague that broke out in the city and killed more than a third of the Athenians.

Gauls sack Rome

390 BCE

The Gauls, a warlike tribal people who settled in modern-day France, fiercely charged at Rome while screaming at the top of their lungs. They frightened the Romans, causing them to panic and suffer a major defeat. The victorious Gauls then entered Rome and burned most of the city, forcing the Romans to appoint a dictator and make sudden military reforms.

Reign and Campaigns of Alexander

Period: 336 BCE to 323 BCE

Alexander became the king of Macedonia at 20 and was eager to fulfill his father's dream of invading the Persian Empire. After 3 years in Asia Minor, Alexander took possession of the Persian Empire after his win at Gaugamela and kept expanding his empire east until he made it to India another 5 years later. Since all his soldiers were exhausted, he agreed to return home by using a shortcut through the desert, which was stupid since many of his soldiers died of heat and thirst.

First Punic War

Period: 264 BCE to 241 BCE

The war begins due to a conflict between the Mamertines and Syracuse. Syracuse wants these pirates out of their nation, so they get Carthage to help, while the Mamertines call on Rome. However, the real reason these two giant nations got involved was to control the Strait of Messina, which separates Italy and Sicily. Ultimately, Rome won the major Battle of Aegates by copying a Carthaginian boat they stole and upgrading it, which gave them a superior navy that secured their victory in the war.

Second Punic War

Period: 218 BCE to 201 BCE

Hannibal and Hasdrubal swore a blood oath to get revenge on Rome after their nation lost a lot of territory, money, and military power in the first war. When Hannibal crossed the Ebro River into Seguntum, Rome saw this as a declaration of war. Hannibal initially surprised Rome by entering from the Alps with elephants and then used their superior cavalry to encircle the Romans in the Battle of Cannae. However, the Romans rebounded under Scipio Africanus and won the Battle of Zama and the war.

Third Punic War

Period: 149 BCE to 146 BCE

With their army banned from waging war outside of Africa unless they got Rome's permission, Carthage could not defend the Numidians, a Roman ally. Still, they tried anyway and failed miserably. Carthage was basically useless, but Cato wanted it destroyed anyway, especially after breaking their terms. So, under Scipio Aemilianus, Rome offered an absurd treaty to prevent war, which Carthage declined, so Rome burned Carthage to the ground and sold its surviving 50,000 citizens into slavery.

Revolt of Spartacus

Period: 82 BCE to 80 BCE

Spartacus, an enslaved gladiator, led a slave uprising in Rome consisting of thousands of slaves and other gladiators who defeated many Roman legions and were very threatening to the Roman senate. Faced with the decision to escape Italy or march on Rome, Spartacus led his people back to Rome to fight for justice but, unfortunately, was killed by Marcus Licinius Crassus. Following his revolt, thousands of rebels were crucified to suppress any future rebellions.

Dictatorship of Sulla

Period: 82 BCE to 80 BCE

Sulla marched on Rome with Roman legions after his enemy, Marius, seized political control. He forced the senate to declare him “dictator of the settling of laws and of restoring res publica (republic)”. His sudden overthrow proved that the Roman government was not strong enough to maintain order, and as Caesar said, ”If Sulla can do it, why can’t I?”.

First Triumvirate

60 BCE

This triumvirate, a group of three powerful people, consisted of Ceasar, Pompey, and Marcus Licinus Crassus, the wealthiest man in Rome. While they were not an official government group, they had much influence over the people and senate; for example, Ceasar was elected consul in 59 BCE due to his popularity. The conservative senate hated this group and didn't want any of their populist reforms put in place, which caused tension in Rome to peak.

Caesar crosses the Rubicon

49 BCE

After the Gallic Wars, Ceasar's power in Gaul was growing, and the senate was afraid, so they ordered him to return home and disband his army. However, Ceasar returned home with his army and crossed the Rubicon River into Italy, intending to march on Rome and create a dictatorship like Sulla.

Battle of Pharsalus

48 BCE

This was the decisive battle in Greece between Pompey, who fought for the Roman Republic, and Ceasar. After Ceasar won, Pompey retreated to Alexandria in Egypt but was killed by Ptolemy XIII's supporters. After Ceasar returned to Rome, he forced a dictatorship and had absolute power over Rome for life.

Death of Caesar

44 BCE

Caesar was stabbed 23 times by 60 senators due to his disrespect for the senate, removal of tribunes, and rumors that he wanted a monarchy. Following his death, Rome entered a frenzy as Ceasar was the champion of the people, especially since Ceasar was kind enough to gift money and walkways to everyone in Rome.

Battle of Actium

31 BCE

This was the final battle of the Roman Republic (Caesar wasn't an emperor), and it took place in the Ionian Sea between Octavian and the combined forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra. Octavian's naval superiority, with the help of Marcus Agrippa, won him the war, and Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide. After methodically gaining power as a consul, Octavian was given the new name "Augustus" and became the first official "emperor" with sole imperium.

Pax Romana

Period: 27 BCE to 180

After Augustus's death, Rome entered "Pax Romana," meaning "Roman Peace." This period was very stable and was Rome's "Golden Age."

Visigoths sack Rome

410

After the Huns attacked the Visigoths, they were forced to retreat to the Western Roman Empire, and the Romans let them in. However, they were treated cruelly in the empire, such as having their children forced into slavery for food. The Visigoths were now enemies of Rome that were living inside their borders, so when they noticed Rome was weak, the Goth King Alaric decided to sack Rome, burning it to the ground and weakening the entire empire.

Romulus Augustulus is deposed

476

Romulus Augustulus, the final emperor of Rome, loses his right to rule as emperor and is replaced by Odoacer and Germanic tribes. The empire dissolves soon after.