Timeline: Ancient Greece

1200 BCE

The Trojan War

The Greeks and the City of Troy fought over Helen, daughter of Zeus. Troy then refused to give Helen to the Greeks, and so the City of Troy was destroyed.

850 BCE

Development of the First Greek Alphabet

The Greek alphabet was created mid 800 BC and it took 150 centuries to fully complete. It was adapted from the Phoenician alphabet.

776 BCE

The First Olympic Games

The first Olympics were held in Olympia, Greece in 776 BCE. The first Olympics was an all-day event that was held every four years, there were a variety of sporting events. The most popular event in the first Olympics was the chariot racing. Women were not permitted to watch these games, as the athletes were all naked.

750 BCE

Epics Iliad and Odyssey are Written

The poet Homer wrote the Iliad, a poem about the final year of the Trojan War. And the Odyssey, a poem about the adventures of hero Odysseus after ten years of trying to get home.

600 BCE

The Greeks Create Currency

The Greeks made their first medium of exchange, it was a coin made of silver called Drachma.

450 BCE

Rise of the Greek Empire

The capital city of Greece, Athens gained power after defeating the Persian invasions in 479 BC. Cleisthenes started a democracy in 505 BC, causing Athen to gain power, and to form a Greek empire.

440 BCE

Greek Theatre Begins

The Greek Theatre was built in Athens. Many great Tragedians like Euripides and Sophocles wrote famous Greek plays.

432 BCE

The Parthenon is Built

The Parthenon was built in honor of the goddess Athena, who vowed to protect the city of Athens, in which the Parthenon is located.

431 BCE

The Peloponnesian War

The Pelopnnesian War was fought between Athens and Sparta. The war started out of Sparta's fear of Athens' power. Sparta emerged victorius in this 30 year war.

146 BCE

Romans Conquer Greece

The Romans were conquering Carthaginians and the Greeks tried to help the Carthaginians, the Romans were not happy with this. The Romans told the Greeks were independent and then waited until the time to attack was right, and when that came, the Romans destroyed Corinth and made Greece become a part of the Roman empire.

1 CE

Birth of Christ

Jesus is born.

455

The Western Roman Empire Ends

The last Western Roman Emporer, Romulus, was kicked out of leadership by Odoacer the Germanic leader and the first barbarian to rule Rome. The Eastern Roman Empire lived on but was from then on known as the Byzantine Empire.

1894