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Solon's reign in Athens was marked by significant political and economic reforms that laid the foundation for Athenian Democracy. He ended exclusive aristocratic control of the government, created a system of control by the wealthy, and created a new law code that was much more humane. -
The Persian Empire was founded in 550 BCE by Cyrus the Great, who united the Medes and Persians. It was the beginning of the soon to be largest empire by that point in history, spanning a total of 5.5 million square kilometres. At its largest it is estimated that the Persian Empire had around 50 million people. -
The battle of Opis in 539 BCE saw the Persians under Cyrus the Great defeat the Babylonians, leading to the fall of the Babylon. It was the last major military engagement between the Achaemenid Empire and the Neo-Babylonian Empire. At the time, Babylonia was the last major power in Western Asia that was not yet under Persian control. -
Athens was founded, creating the birthplace of democracy, arts, science and philosophy of western civilisation. -
The Ionian Revolt in 499 BCE was a major uprising by the Greek city-states of Ionia against Persian rule. The Revolt happened due to the dissatisfaction of the Greek cities of Asia Minor. -
The Golden Age of the Greeks, from 480 BCE to 404 BCE, was marked by significant advancements in culture, art, and politics, especially in Athens. This era really laid the foundation for all modern science, philosophy, and literature.
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The Peloponnesian War, which ended in 404 BCE, was a protracted conflict between Athens and Sparta that ultimately led to the downfall of Athenian power. The war was caused by Athenian control of the Delian League. The war ended increasing Sparta's naval power. -
Alexander the great was born in 356 BCE in the ancient kingdom of Macedonia. He was one of the worlds greatest military generals. He created a massive empire that stretched from Macedonia to Egypt and from Greece to part of India. He also started Hellenism. -
Alexander the Great managed to successfully conquer the first Persian empire. This allowed him to make his expansion to as far as modern-day Pakistan and India.
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The Hellenistic period covers the time in Greek history after the early parts of Greece. It was between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC
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The Battle of Lautulae in 315 BCE was a significant conflict between the Roman Republic and the Samnites during the Second Samnite War. The Roman Republic was led by dictator Quintus Fabius Maximus Rullianus. The Samnites did manage to defeat the Romans. -
The Punic Wars began in 264 BCE, marking the start of a series of conflicts between Rome and Carthage. Three wars took place, on both land and sea, across the western Mediterranean region and involved a total of 43 years of warfare. It ended with Rome being victorious after the three wars. -
The Naval Battle of Drepana in 249 BCE was a significant defeat for the Roman fleet at the hands of the Carthaginians during the First Punic War. The Romans planned a surprise attack that immediately fell apart during nightfall due to the fleet scattering apart from limited visibility. This allowed the Carthaginians to launch a counter attack, winning them the Battle. -
The Second Punic War began in 218 BCE when Carthage, led by Hannibal, launched an attack against Rome. The war ended when the armies of Scipio and Hannibal had one last engagement at Zama. This led to Hannibal's defeat and Carthage suing for peace. -
The Battle of Magnesia in 190 BCE saw the Roman forces decisively defeat the Seleucid Empire, leading to Roman dominance in Asia Minor. Antiochus fought with an army of nearly 70,000 men against an army of 30,000 Romans and their allies and still managed to lose. -
The destruction of Carthage in 146 BCE marked the end of the Third Punic War and resulted in the complete annihilation of the city by Rome. The Roman Senate had long wished to destroy Carthage because it was prospering economically, and was not a military threat to Rome. -
Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BCE at a Roman meeting of the Senate where 60 conspirators ganged up and stabbed Caesar 23 times. He was killed in order to preserve the Roman way of life. Caesar was also getting ambitious and wanted to be the king of Rome. -
Rome became an empire in 27 BCE when Agustus, Julius Caesar's adopted son, became the ruler of Rome. He established an autocratic form of government. This allowed him to become the sole ruler who made all the important decisions. -
The Edict of Milan happened in 313 CE in Rome. It eliminated the persecution of Christianity and gave legal recognition to the religion. It also restored and seized property to its practitioners. -
The Fall of Rome in 476 CE wasn't caused by one big event, but rather multiple factors. This includes the economic conditions, the rise of Christianity, slavery, size, and the decline of morals and values.