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1000 BCE
The Formation of City-States
The formation of Greek city-states began with Mycenaean civilization. By 500 BC, many more civilizations would later form around the area in Greece. These city states are later going to be relevant to the Persian Wars because most city states choose either the Persian or Greek side in the war. The formation of city-states was due to the geography of Greece. ¾ of Greek mainland was mountains. This means that early Greek communities had limited contact, and were very isolated. These city-states we -
725 BCE
Sparta Dominates Messenians
Sparta conquered the neighboring region of Messenia and took over the land in 725 BC. The Messenians became peasants forced to stay on the land they worked. Each year, the Spartans demanded half of the peasant’s crops. This demonstrates the cruel and harsh nature of the Spartans. Eventually in 650 BC, the Messenians revolted against the Spartans’ harsh rule. The Spartans just barely put down the revolt, even though they were outnumbered eight to one. -
490 BCE
The Battle of Marathon
The Battle of Marathon was a significant battle won by the Greeks through the phalanx formation. Phalanx was a Greek fighting formation in which foot soldiers fought side by side with a spear and shield. After their victory, Pheidippides ran 26 miles to inform Athens of the victory at Marathon. This is where we get the word marathon from. The victory of the Greeks gave them a lot confidence in their ability to defend themselves. This battle is also one of the earliest recorded battles. -
480 BCE
The Battle of Salamis
The Battle of Salamis was a sea battle in which the Greeks sank ⅓ of the Persian fleet. The Greeks were staying on the isle of Salamis because they had managed to get away from Artemisium. The Persians were not a well trained navy, so the Athenians had outsmarted them by battling in the sea. This exemplifies how clever the Athenians were and how good their method of beating the Persians was. -
479 BCE
The Golden Age
The Golden Age was the time when Athens became very wealthy and powerful after the Persian Wars. Athens also became the leader of the Delian League after the Persian Wars. The Golden Age of culture includes sculpture, theatre, philosophy and democracy. During the Golden Age, Pericle was the leader of Athens. He increased democracy, created the strongest navy and made Athens beautiful. The Greeks are very famous for their columns, and the Golden Age was the time when all of the columns were built -
461 BCE
Building of the Parthenon
The Parthenon is a large temple built during Pericles’ reign. The temple was built at a time of prosperity during Athen's golden age, to honor their god, Athena. Athena was the god of war and wisdom. The Parthenon is an example of how successful Athen's Golden Age was and how they valued wealth, art, and their culture. The style was pure Doric and the design was rectangular. The Parthenon is still there today and is very popular among tourists. -
399 BCE
The Death of Socrates
In 399 BC the famous philosopher Socrates was accused of impiety and of corrupting young people with his teachings by the Athenian government. He was tried and found guilty. He was offered the choice of renouncing his beliefs or drinking the cup of hemlock. He drank the hemlock and died willingly for the principles he held dear. This accentuates how Socrates felt his morals were more important than his own life. Many other famous philosophers like Aristotle and Plato were taught by Socrates. -
336 BCE
The Rise of Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great was the son of the king of Macedonia. When he was 20 years old, his father was murdered and he became the king of Macedonia. He quickly dealt with his enemies at home, and then set out to conquer the Persian Empire. He led his army to victories across the Persian territories without a single defeat. He became the great king of Persia at the age of 25. Over the next eight years, Alexander led his army 11,000 miles, founding over 70 cities and creating an empire that stretched
