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300
BCE; Euclid studies and writes about mathematics and geometry.
Euclid was a mathematician from Alexandria. He wrote "Elements," which was the main textbook that was used from when it was published until approximately the beginning of the 20th century. He invented geometry, which is very important today because we use it all the time: building things, engineering, painting, carpeting, etc. -
400
BCE; Hippocrates practises and studies medicine.
Hippocrates was a physician and is often considered the "Father of Medicine," or even the most amazing physician ever. He was the first person to consider that health problems were not caused by Gods, superstitions, etc. but were caused naturally. He also founded the Hippocratic Oath, which is basically when doctors (even nowadays) swear that they will treat their patients with respect. -
404
BCE; Sparta defeats Athens; the Peloponnesian War ends.
The Peloponnesian War involved Athens and Sparta and the end of the war occurred in Aegospotami in which Lysander from Sparta led the Spartans in destroying all of Athens's navy. It was important that the war ended because it not only put an end to Athens's power, but it allowed the Macedonian's to take over (Phillip the Second took over first, followed by Alexander the Great). -
447
BCE; The construction of the Parthenon is completed in Athens.
The construction of the Parthenon occurred in Athens, Greece and the architects were Ictinus and Callicrates. The Parthenon was built to be a temple for Athena, the Greek Goddess of Wisdom, but it also served as a treasury. It is important because it proves that Athenians were talented artists and it is something that they can be architectually proud of: it's size is 228 by 101 feet or 69.5 by 30.9 meters. -
460
- 429 BCE; Pericles leads the Athenian government. A Council of 500 is chosen by lottery from among all male citizens over the age of 30. They serve as the decision makers for a term of one year, to a maximum of two terms. The assembly of all Greek citize
This is important because this is an early form of democracy, and voting for who you want is very important, even today. -
505
BCE; Cleisthenes establishes the first democratic constitution. Free speech and political involvement is extended to all Greek citizens.
This is important because a lot of citizen's lives can be improved as they are involved with the government. They can elect the people that they want to, so if somebody were to have ideas that would not improve the government, people could vote for somebody else that could improve the government. Every citizen is also allowed to say what they want, and that is very important today because if you don't like the government, you can say so and they can change what they are doing. -
Jan 1, 650
BCE; Tyrants rule some Greek city-states as a result of the poorer classes' discontent with the ruling class.
This is important because it was the first time there was a tyranny in Ancient Greece. This may have taught the Greeks that it is important to include everyone while making decisions because this event happened because some people were not content with the government, resulting in a tyranny. -
Jan 1, 753
BCE; Romulus and Remus found the city of Rome, according to legend.
Romulus and Remus were abandoned by their mother and raised by a female wolf when they were young. As they grew older, they agreed to build a city near the place that the wolf found them: near the river Tiber. The founding of the city of Rome is important because it was the birth of a new country, and without it, many other important events (ex. Julius Caesar's life journey) would have never happened. The legend shows us that Romans were able to preserve the stories that they told. -
Jan 1, 776
BCE; The first Olympic Games take place.
The first Olympic Games took place in Olympia, Greece. Only Greek citizens (and only men) were allowed to compete. Women didn't compete until much after (the year 1900 in Paris, France). This event is important because the Olympics are still very important today, and so this event proves to us that events from long ago have the power to remain popular throughout time. -
31 BCE; Marc Antony and Cleopatra commit suicide, leaving Octavian as strongest ruler.
Cleopatra and Marc Antony died in Alexandria, Egypt. Marc Antony stabbed himself, while Cleopatra supposedly asked for a poisonous snake to be delivered to her room to bite her. This is important because Cleopatra's death ended the monarchy of Egyptians. It also gave Octavian more power over Egypt. -
43 BCE; Cicero, a Roman Senator and philosopher, is murdered by Mark Antony.
Cicero was on his way to board a ship in Formiae when he was killed by orders from Marc Antony. The actual killers were Herennius and Popilius. This is important because not only did one of Rome's great philosophers and writers die, but also because it shows us that Marc Antony would kill people without a second thought - he killed Cicero because Cicero preferred Octavian over him, beginning a rivalry between Marc Antony and Octavian. -
44 BCE; Julius Caesar is assassinated on the Ides of March.
In 44 BCE in the Roman Forum, a group of conspirators, the most famous being Brutus, Ligarious, Cassius, Casca, Metallus, Cinna and Trebonius, murdered Julius Caesar on the Ides of March (March 15th). This is important because it put and end to Caesar's power in Ancient Rome. It also started a war in which lives were lost. His assassination also introduced a new ruler, Gaius Octavian. -
Great Fire destroys much of Rome. Nero accuses Christians of starting the fire.
The Great Fire occured in Rome. To take the blame off of him, Nero accused Christians of starting the fire, and tortured some of them until they confessed, therefore, their confessions may not be true. This is important not only because parts of Rome were destroyed, but also because this was an early act of racism, which we unfortunately still see today. -
The Roman Colosseum is built.
The Roman Colosseum was built in the centre of Rome. The Colosseum was started by an emperor named Vespasian and was finished by Titus. The construction of the Colosseum is important because it provided a source of entertainment for the Romans and nowadays brings Rome a lot of money as a tourist attraction. -
- 126 Roman Pantheon is built.
The Pantheon in Rome, Italy is built where it is thought that Romulus, the founder of Rome, was carried off to Heaven. Marcus Agrippa built it. The construction of the Pantheon is important because it served as a temple for the gods in Rome, meaning it was well-used and was a way for the people of Rome to worship the gods. Nowadays, it is a popular tourist attraction that people always associate with Rome. -
BCE; Sparta develops the first code of Greek written law to govern its military city-state.
This is important because it was the first written law in Ancient Greece. Written law is important because the residents of Sparta could refer back to it and would not have arguments over whether something was against the law or not because they have the law written down. -
- 559 BCE; Solon rules Athens changes the government. The poorer classes are included in making decisions through an elected council; some slaves are freed
This is important because the government was changed for the better, especially for the poorer residents of Athens, as they are allowed to make decisions. This is effective because it may prevent things like tyranny. Nowadays, every citizen can vote because this event has worked in a positive way. -
- 700 BCE; The blind poet Homer writes the Illiad and the Odyssey.
This is very inspirational as Homer was blind and still wrote the two epic poems, the Illiad and the Odyssey. The Illiad is about the Trojan War, whereas the Odyssey is about a man's return home from the war. This is important because these two poems teach us not only about the Trojan War, but that some people in Ancient Greece were very intelligent and creative: even though these poems were written thousands of years ago, they remain works of art. -
BCE; Socrates is sentenced to death on charges of corrupting the youg with his ideas and teachings
Socrates was a philosopher ifrom Athens. He did not believe in the same things that most Athenians believed in (such as the Greek Gods or that nobody obtains wisdom) and reportedly convinced others to believe the same. Because of this, he was executed by drinking a hemlock-based (poisonous) drink in Athens. A jury (consiting of Athenians) would vote for whether he should be found guilty or not guilty. His death was important because it teaches us a bit about the Athenan government.
