BOOK II

THE RISE OF GREECE

1000-480 B.C.

B.C.

1100-850:

Aeolian and Ionian migrations

1000:

Temple of Hera at Olympia

840:

Probable period of Homer

776:

First (?) Olympic Games

770:

Sinope and Cumae

757-6:

Cyzicus and Trapezus

752:

First decennial archons

750-650:

Greeks settle Thracian peninsula

750-594:

Age of the aristocracies

750:

Probable period of Hesiod

735:

Naxos (Sicily)

734:

Corcyra and Syracuse

730-29:

Rhegium, Leontini, Catana

725-05:

First Messenian War

725:

Coinage in Lydia and Ionia

721:

Sybaris; 710, Crotona

705:

Taras; 700, Poseidonia; beginnings of Greek architecture in stone

683:

First annual archons at Athens

680:

Pheidon dictator at Argos; earliest state coinage in Greece

676:

Orthagoras dictator at Sicyon

670:

Terpander of Lesbos, poet and musician; Archilochus of Paros, poet; Homeric hymns to Apollo and Demeter

660:

Laws of Zaleucus at Locri

658:

Byzantium; 654, Lampsacus

655-25:

Cypselus dictator at Corinth

651:

Selinus; 650, Abdera and Olbia

648:

Himera; Myron dictator at Sicyon

640-31:

Second Messenian War; Tyrtaeus, poet, at Sparta

630:

Laws of Lycurgus at Sparta (?)

630:

Cyrene; 615, Abydos

625-585:

Periander dictator at Corinth

620:

Laws of Draco at Athens

615:

Thrasybulus dictator at Miletus

610:

Laws of Charondas at Catana

600:

Naucratis; Massalia (Marseilles); Cleisthenes dictator at Sicyon, Pittacus at Mytilene; Sappho and Alcaeus, poets of Lesbos; Thales of Miletus, philosopher; Alcman, poet, at Sparta; rise of sculpture

595:

First Sacred War

594:

Laws of Solon at Athens

590:

Age of the Seven Wise Men; rise of the Amphictyonic League and Orphism; second Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

582:

First Pythian and Isthmian games; the Acropolis statues and the “Apollos”

B.C.

580:

Acragas; Aesop of Samos, fabulist

576:

First Nemean games

570:

Phalaris dictator at Acragas; Stesichorus of Himera, poet; Anaximander of Miletus, philosopher

566:

First Panathenaic games

561-60:

First dictatorship of Peisistratus

560-46:

Croesus of Lydia subjugates Ionia

558:

Carthage conquers Sicily and Corsica

550:

Emporium (Spain); 535, Elea (Italy)

546-27:

Second dictatorship of Peisistratus

545:

Persia subjugates Ionia

544:

Anaximenes of Miletus, philosopher

540:

Hipponax of Ephesus, poet

535-15:

Polycrates dictator of Samos; Theodorus of Samos, artist; Anacreon of Teos, poet

534:

Thespis establishes drama at Athens

530:

Theognis of Megara, poet

529-00:

Pythagoras, philosopher, at Crotona

527-10:

Hippias dictator at Athens

520:

Olympieum begun at Athens

517:

Simonides of Ceos, poet

514:

Conspiracy of Harmodius and Aristogeiton

511:

Phrynichus of Athens, dramatist

510:

Destruction of Sybaris by Crotona

507:

Cleisthenes extends democracy at Athens

500:

Hecataeus of Miletus, geographer

499:

Ionia revolts; Aeschylus’ first play

497:

Ionian Greeks burn Sardis

494:

Persians defeat Ionians at Lade

493:

Themistocles archon at Athens

490:

Marathon; temple of Aphaea at Aegina

489:

Aristides archon; trial of Miltiades

488-72:

Theron dictator at Acragas

487:

First selection of archons by lot

485-78:

Gelon dictator at Syracuse

485:

Epicharmus establishes comedy at Syracuse

482:

Ostracism of Aristides

480:

Battles of Artemisium, Thermopylae, Salamis, and Himera; Ageladas of Argos, sculptor

479:

Battles of Plataea and Mycale