Ancient Greece By MsLarke Period: 2500 BCE to 1500 BCE Minoan Civilization Period: 1500 BCE to 1200 BCE Heroic Era 1290 BCE Destruction of Troy Period: 1100 BCE to 800 BCE Dark Ages Period: 800 BCE to 500 BCE Archaic Era 776 BCE First Olympics held 680 BCE First coin currency introduced 508 BCE Cleisthenes comes to power in Athens Period: 480 BCE to 323 BCE Classical Era Period: 480 BCE to 430 BCE Golden Age of Athens Period: 461 BCE to 445 BCE First Peloponnesian War Period: 431 BCE to 404 BCE Second Peloponnesian War 335 BCE Philip II and Alexander take over Greek city-states Period: 334 BCE to 332 BCE Alexander expands his empire 323 BCE Death of Alexander the Great Period: 323 BCE to 146 BCE Hellenistic Era