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1180 BCE
The Trojan War
The Trojan War was fought between the Greeks and the defenders of the city of Troy in Anatolia sometime in the late Bronze Age. It has defined and shaped the way ancient Greek culture has been viewed right up to the 21st century. The war stirred imagination of the ancient Greeks more than any other event. It was then written by Homer in the Iliad where they found most of their information. -
800 BCE
Homer
Homer composed his two poems which is the Iliad and the Odyssey. The Iliad is an epic poem he wrote that is set in the Trojan War. The Odyssey tells the story of the adventures of Odysseus on his return from the Trojan war. These two poems are significant because Homer set up the “central works” of greek literature. It also had a big effect on their culture because his poems used the idea of heroism which the greeks liked and he provided a common set of values. -
776 BCE
The Olympic Games
Greeks thought that having strong healthy people would help strengthen the city-state, so they often held sporting events in the festivals that they had in honor of the gods. The Olympics was the most famous sport festival that was held every four years. The games started in 776 B.C and it only lasted one day and had only one contest that was called the stade. As time passes, more events were added including long-distance racing, wrestling, the long jump, the javelin, and the discus throw. -
490 BCE
Battle of Marathon
The battle was between the Greeks and the invading forces of Persian King Darius. It was a victory that would go down in history from when the Greek city-states showed their excellence and courage and that they won their liberty. Even though the battle only really delayed the persians with their ambitions and that many greater battles would follow, the Battle of Marathon was the first time that persia had been shown that they were beatable. -
480 BCE
The Battle of Salamis
The Battle of Salamis was a naval battle between the Greek city-states and Persia. It was fought in the straits between Piraeus and Salamis. The Persians thought the allied fleet was breaking up, so they began moving towards the straits. When the Persians approached, the Greeks slowly backed their triremes, luring the enemy into the tight waters and buying time until the morning wind and tide. The greeks were able to lure them in and defeat them once and for all. -
480 BCE
Battle of Thermopylae
It took place in northern Greece in the persian wars. Ten years after the defeat at Marathon, the persian invasion of Greece was then again resumed by King Xerxes in 480 BC. A spartan greek army led by Leonidas tried to block the Persians at the pass of Thermopylae, but they were defeated. After three days against the Persian king Xerxes and his army, the Persians were able to outflank them. Leonidas and a small contingent remained behind to resist the advance and were killed to the last man. -
Period: 431 BCE to 404 BCE
The Peloponnesian War
The war was fought between Athens and Sparta. At the beginning, Athens had the stronger navy and Sparta had the stronger army. Sparta’s army was located inland, therefore that it could not be easily attacked by sea. The Spartans eventually went into Athen's territory and burned the Athenians food supply by sweeping over the countryside. Pericles, known as the “first citizen” took action by moving residents from the surrounding regions inside the city walls and was able to save many people. -
Period: 356 BCE to 323 BCE
Alexander the Great
Alexander became king upon his father’s death in 336 BCE and went on to conquer most of the known world of his day .He overthrew the Persian empire and carried Macedonian ‘arms’ to India. He also laid the foundations for the Hellenistic world of territorial kingdoms. He is known as 'the great' both for his military genius and his diplomatic skills. He is recognized for spreading greek culture, language, and thought from Greece throughout Asia Minor, Egypt, and Mesopotamia to India.