Ant 293: Lecture One B: The Time Frame of Ancient Greece

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Ant 293 Lecture One B The Time Frame of
Ancient Greece
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American pop culture's take on modern
Greeks? "The Greeks - impoverished descendants
of a bunch of la-de-da fruit salads who invented
democracy and then forgot how to use it while
walking around dressed up like girls." P. J.
O'Rourke, National Lampoon, 1976
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Major time periods Neolithic 6500-3000
BCE Old/Middle Bronze Age 3000-1500 BCE New
Bronze Age 1500-1100 BCE Geometric Period
1100-700 BCE Archaic Period 700-480
BCE Classical Period 480-336 BCE Hellenistic
Period 336-30 BCE Roman Imperial Period 30
BCE-330 CE
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Extras
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• Chronological background all dates circa
• 3000 BC Minoan civilization begins in Crete
• 2200 BC building of first palaces at Knossus and
  Phaestus
• 2200-1400 Crete leading power in Aegean trade
  relations with Egypt and Syria
• 2000-1300 Hittites leading power in Asia Minor
• 1700 earthquake destroys Knossus and Phaestus
  palaces rebuilt

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• 1600-1400 strong Cretan influence in Greece
  shaft grave dynasty in Mycenae
• 1450 destruction of Cretan palaces except
  Knossus, now controlled by
• Mycenaeans
• 1370 destruction of Knossus
• 1400-1200 great age of Mycenae
• development of trade in Egypt and eastern Med

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• 1287 battle of Kadesh between Egypt and
  Hittites, decline of both powers
• 1230-1150 breakdown of settled conditions
• 1220 Troy destroyed by Mycenaeans
• 1200 destruction of Mycenaean centres in Greece
• 1150 final destruction of Mycenae
• 1000 main Dorian invasion of Peloponnese
• 1050-950 Aeolian, Ionian, Dorian colonization of
  Asia Minor

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• 800-700 rise of aristocracies throughout Greece
• 776 traditional date of first Olympiad
• 734 traditional date for the foundation of
  Syracuse
• 740-650 Greek colonies spread throughout
  Mediterranean
• 720 Homers Iliad composed
• 730-10 Spartan conquest of Messenia
• 683-2 list of annual Archons in Athens

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• 672 Assyrian conquest of Egypt
• 675-55 Pheidon of Argos dominant in Peloponnese
• 663 Egypt throws off yoke of Assyria
• 650-600 age of Lawgivers in Greece
• rise of tyrannies throughout Greece
• 625 Nabopolassar founds new Babylonian kingdom
• 621 legislation of Draco at Athens

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• 612 Assyria falls to Babylonians and Medians
• 594-89 Nubian expedition of Psammethichus II
  inscription of Greek mercenaries in Abu Simbel
• 546 Cyrus king of Persia conquers Lydia and
  captures Sardis
• 546-5 Persian conquest of Asiatic Greeks
• 538 Cyrus takes Babylon
• 525 Persian conquest of Egypt

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• 521 accession of Darius, Persian king
• 499 Ionian revolt against Persian rule
• 493-2 archonship of Themistocles
• 490 expedition of Persians under Darius against
  Greece Battle of Marathon
• 486-5 Egypt revolts under Persia
• 485 death of Darius, accession of Xerxes
• 484-3 Persia recovers Egypt
• 483-2 silver strike in Laurium area

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• 482 Themistocles' decree to build a new Athenian
  fleet
• 480 Xerxes enters Greece battles of Artemisium,
  Thermopylae, Salamis
• 477 Confederacy of Delos founded
• 459 Athenian expedition to Cyprus diverted to
  support revolt of Egypt
• 457 Long Walls of Athens completed
• 454 Treasury of confederacy of Delos transferred
  from Delos to Athens

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• 449-8 Peace with Persia
• 447 Parthenon begun
• 431 Peloponnesian War begins
• 430 Outbreak of plague in Athens
• 421 Peace of Nicias
• 415 Mutilation of Hermae Athenian expedition to
  Sicily Alcibiades recalled
• 413 Second Athenian expedition to Sicily
  Athenians routed

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• 412 revolt of Athenian allies
• 406 Battle of Arginusae
• 405 Lysander assistant navarch battle of
  Aegospotami
• 405-4 blockade of Athens surrender of Athens
  long walls pulled down
• 399 death of Socrates
• 393 Long walls rebuilt in Athens
• 377 Foundation of Second Athenian Confederacy

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• 374 Peace between Athens and Sparta
• 356 Illyrian victory of Philip birth of
  Alexander
• 347 first Athenian embassy to Philip
• 345-3 Persia recovers Egypt
• 342-1 Philip conquers Thrace
• 338 Philip in Greece, wins battle of Chaeronea
• 336 Macedonian forces sent into Asia Minor
  murder of Philip

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• 337 accession of Alexander his election as
  general of the Greeks
• 334 Alexander begins expedition against Persia
• 333-332 Battle of Issus Siege of Tyre Syria
  Judaea, conquest of Egypt
• 331 foundation of Alexandria battle of
  Gaugamela Alex at Babylon and Susa
• 330 Alexander burns palace at Persepolis
• 328 Alexander reaches the Hindu Kush

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• 327 crosses Hindu Kush and prepares for Indian
  expedition
• 326 Alexander crosses the Indus River
• 324 Macedonian mutiny at Opis
• 323 Alexander at Babylon his death Greece
  revolts against Macedon
• Hellenistic period begins