Greece Timeline

Democracy begins in Athens

621 BCE

After many forms of government in Ancient Greece failed, a direct democracy was established. Following tyrant rule, the middle class grew angry and wanted to have a voice. Democracy was practiced by a citizen assembly, and was for all social classes. This is significant because it paved the ways to democracy in today’s government.

Battle of Marathon

490 BCE

Once King Darius vowed to take down Athens, the Persian Wars began. The Battle of Marathon was an early battle won by the Greeks through the phalanx formation. Following their victory, a mailman named Pheidippides ran 26 miles to inform Athens of the victory. The marathon race is named after this battle. The Persian Wars caused Athens to become very wealthy. This is significant because it was the first war to be used with the phalanx formation.

Battle of Thermoplyae

480 BCE

During the second battle of the Persian Wars, the Greeks united to stop Xerxes from taking Athens: 300 Spartans + 7000 other Greeks against 10,000 Persians. The Spartans held Thermopylae, a mountain pass, for 3 days, but eventually lost. The Spartans found a secret passage around the mountain pass given by a Greek traitor. This is significant because the Greek force was very small but was able to beat the Persian army.

Battle of Salamis

480 BCE

The final battle of the Persian Wars was called the Battle of Salamis. During this sea battle, the Greeks sank ⅓ of the Persian fleet. The Greeks won the Persian Wars! The winning of these wars would liberate Greece from the threat of the Persians. Athens would become very powerful. The Delian League was formed to protect Greece from the threat of the Persians. This is significant because it resulted in a decisive victory for the Greeks.

Athens VS Sparta

432 BCE

Athens became powerful as a leader of the Delian League, causing other city-states to want to leave the organization. Athens would punish these citizens by conquering them and enslaving their people. Sparta created a league to counter the Athenians. The war would last many years, but would eventually come to an end after Athens encountered a plague that would kill ⅓ of their population. Sparta would win the war. This is significant because it ended in the defeat of the Delian League.

Plato founds the Academy

378 BCE

The Academy was founded in 378 BCE by the iconic philosopher Plato. Plato was also a teacher to Aristotle, and is best known as the author of philosophical works of unparalleled influence. He used his school, located in Athens, to teach Greek citizens about mathematics and philosophy. This is significant because the school taught some of the most famous philosophers of all time.

Alexander the Great

146 BCE

After King Philip of Macedonia was assassinated at his daughter’s wedding, his son Alexander became king. Alexander was well-educated and well-trained as a military officer. He was tutored by the philosopher, Aristotle and had gone on many military ventures with his father. Alexander conquered many areas; Greece, Anatolia, Egypt, Persia, and India. This is significant because of his massive empire and the power that it had.

Hellenism

321

Alexander the Great’s combined knowledge of the four different areas he conquered created a new culture known as Hellenism. Alexandria, Egypt was the most important city for Hellenistic culture and was a city of knowledge for many years. This is significant because this artistic era was the beginning of realism in sculptures.