Important Dates in Greek Culture

It is important to have an understanding and knowledge of the chronological framework for Greek culture. Although scholars continue to debate the exact dates of many events, the following dates will generally suffice for this course.

A word about abbreviations:
This site uses the abbreviations BCE and CE. BCE means "before the Common Era," as opposed to CE "the Common Era." Your instructor may prefer to use BC ("before Christ") and AD ("in the year of our Lord"). The abbreviation ca. (or c.) means "circa" and is used to refer to an approximate date. Most dates in Greek culture are approximate, including those on this web site.

I. PERIODS

ca. 1100-900 BCE Dark Age (1000-900 BCE is also called the Iron Age)
ca. 900-700 BCE Geometric Period
ca. 700-500 BCE Archaic Period
ca. 500-323 BCE Classical Period
ca. 323-146 BCE Hellenistic Period
ca. 146 BCE - 500 CE Roman Period

II. PEOPLE & EVENTS

ca. 1100-1000 BCE Migrations across the Aegean Sea to Ionia; Iron Age begins in Greece

ca. 900 BCE Geometric style of pottery begins in Athens

ca. 800-750 BCE Trade with the Etruscans in Italy begins; Greeks borrow and adapt the Phoenician alphabet; the first Greek trading-post is established in the West at Ischia

ca. 750-700 BCE Composition of the Iliad and the Odyssey as we know them; Greek colonies in parts of Southern Italy and Sicily

ca. 725 BCE Corinthian pottery begins

ca. 700 BCE Hesiod composes the Theogony and Works & Days

ca. 700-675 BCE Hoplite formation first developed

657 BCE Kypselos of Corinth becomes first tyrant in Greek world

ca. 620 BCE Attic Black-Figure pottery begins in Athens; monumental sculpture appears in Greece

594 BCE Solon of Athens becomes his city's mediator & lawgiver

561 BCE Peisistratos of Athens becomes the city's first tyrant

546 BCE Cyrus of Persia defeats king Kroisos / Croesus of Lydia

534 BCE Thepis presents first Greek tragedies in Athens

ca. 530 BCE Attic Red-Figure pottery begins in Athens

527 BCE Peisistratos dies, succeeded by sons Hippias & Hipparchos

514 BCE Hipparchos assassinated by Harmodios and Aristogeiton

510 BCE Hippias ousted by Athenians with the aid of the Spartans

ca. 508-500 BCE Kleisthenes drafts first version of Athenian democracy

499 BCE Aeschylus presents his first tragedies; Ionian Revolt begins

490 BCE Battle of Marathon

487 BCE Athens holds first ostracism

486 BCE Darius of Persia dies; Xerxes succeeds to the throne

480 BCE Battle of Thermopylae; Battle of Salamis

479 BCE Battle of Plataia brings to an end the hostilities between Greeks and Persians on Greek soil

478 BCE Formation of Delian League

472 BCE Aeschylus presents the Persians

468 BCE Sophocles presents his first tragedies

ca. 462 BCE Athens adopts new democratic reforms; Pericles becomes a dominant force in Athenian government

458 BCE Aeschylus presents his Oresteia trilogy

455 BCE Euripides presents his first tragedies

454 BCE Delian League treasury moved from Delos to Athens

449 BCE Peace of Kallias officially ends Persian War

431 BCE Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta breaks out

404 BCE Athens loses Peloponnesian War

399 BCE Death of Socrates

323 BCE Death of Alexander the Great

146 BCE Rome captures Corinth and Greece becomes a Roman province

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Last Updated Sept. 2003. Please report any problems with this website to nnorman@uga.edu