Major Events in Greek History | Era-by-Era Greek Timeline | Major Events in Ancient History

Ancient Classical History (Classical Antiquity) begins with Homer, Hesiod and the Olympic Games in Greece and the founding of Rome in Italy. The first part of Classical Antiquity is known as the Archaic Age in Greece. It was followed by the Classical Age of Greece. The Classical Age gave way to the Hellenistic era after the Macedonians Alexander the Great and his father conquered Greece and much of the Mediterranean world.

The Romans then conquered the Greeks, but by the time the Roman Empire fell in Italy, the Byzantine Empire, headquartered in Constantinople, was in Greek hands again. Here are some of the major events by century in ancient Greece.

8th Century B.C. Ancient Greece Timeline	~ 800-700 Period of the rise of the individual city-states or poleis. ~ 725 Sparta turns the Messenians into Helots Messenian Wars end 668 B.C.
7th Century B.C. Timeline	Lawgivers in Sparta (Lycurgus) and Athens ~ 632 Cylon tries to become tyrant ~ 612 Draco
6th Century B.C. Timeline	~ 594 Solon elected sole archon ~ 521 Darius, King of Persia ~ 508/7 Democratic Reforms of Cleisthenes
5th Century B.C. Timeline	~ 490 Battle of Marathon ~ 479 Battle of Salamis ~ 477 Delian League ~ 462 Pericles persecutes Cimon ~ 460 1st Peloponnesian War ~ 446 Beginning 30 year's peace ~ 425 Alcibiades breaks Peace of Nicias ~ 421-413 2nd Stage of Peloponnesian War ~ 413-404 3rd Stage of Peloponnesian War ending when Athens surrenders. ~ 404-403 Spartan hegemony
4th Century B.C. Timeline	~ 395-387 Corinthian War ~ 392 Romans begin conquest of Italy ~ 355 Philip of Macedonia begins conquest of Greece ~ 338 Philip victorious over Greece at the Battle of Chaeronea ~ 336 Philip assassinated ~ 333 Battle of Issus - Alexander the Great
3rd Century B.C. Ancient Greece	~ 215-169 Macedonian Wars