Ancient Greece: Archaic Period

By jana.han
  • Period: 800 BCE to 700 BCE

    Greek Colonisation

    Greek colonisation starts to take off in the Black Sea, North Africa, Southern Italy, France, Sicily and Spain.
  • 776 BCE

    First Olympic Games

    First ever Olympics were held at Olympia. Originally the Olympics were held in honor of Zeus, however they also became political and at the Olympics all wars would stop to give the athletes safe passage.
  • Homer Writes Iliad
    762 BCE

    Homer Writes Iliad

    Homer writes the Iliad, which is read and enjoyed by people all over Greece, and unifies them in their belief in heroics and gods.
  • Period: 743 BCE to 724 BCE

    First Messenian War

    First Messenian war. The war was between the Spartans and the Messenians, and the Spartans won and conquered Messenia.
  • 706 BCE

    Sparta Founds Colony of Taras

    Sparta founds the colony of Taras in southern Italy.
  • 700 BCE

    Polydorus

    Polydorus become king of Sparta. He supposedly changed the law so that the kings and 28 gerousia could reject decisions made by the spartan male citizens.
  • Period: 685 BCE to 668 BCE

    Second Messenian War

    Second Messenian War
  • Reforms of Lycurgus
    650 BCE

    Reforms of Lycurgus

    Reforms of Spartan society by Lycurgus, who implemented the Great Rhetra which turned Sparta into a militaristic society
  • 621 BCE

    Draconian Law Introduced

    Draco, an Athenian law giver, writes the first written law code at Athens which were known as the Draconian laws.
  • Period: 609 BCE to 560 BCE

    First Greek Coins Minted

    First coins made of electrum (an alloy composed of gold and silver) are minted in Lydia
  • First Sacred War
    590 BCE

    First Sacred War

    First Sacred War for control of Delphi, the area where the great Oracle of Delphi resided.
  • Pythagoras Born
    569 BCE

    Pythagoras Born

    Pythagoras, the celebrated philosopher, is born.
  • Persia Becomes Largest Empire
    539 BCE

    Persia Becomes Largest Empire

    Persia becomes the world's largest empire after conquering Babylon, and having conquered Egypt 14 years prior.
  • Reforms of Clisthenes
    508 BCE

    Reforms of Clisthenes

    Reforms of Clisthenes introduced at Athens. Clisthenes is regarded as being the founder of Athenian democracy, and his reforms created a democratic revolution in Athens.
  • Period: 499 BCE to 490 BCE

    First Greco-Persian War

    First Greco-Persian war. The Persians invaded Greece, but were eventually defeated the Athenians (and allies, but not Sparta), at Marathon.
  • Xerxes Becomes King of Persia
    486 BCE

    Xerxes Becomes King of Persia

    King Darius of Persia dies, and Xerxes takes over ruling of Persia
  • Period: 480 BCE to 479 BCE

    Second Greco-Persian War

    Second Greco-Persian War. Xerxes leads invasion of Greece, but Spartan led forces eventually defeat the Persians at the battle of Platae and Mycale.
  • Delian League Established
    478 BCE

    Delian League Established

    Delian League established. It was an alliance to defend Greece from further Persian attacks. Athens primarily leads the League, as Sparta didn't join.