Date Chart

Western world

Aegean world

Near East

1900BC

1900–1750 First Palace period on Crete

1800BC

1750–1430 Second Palace period (or Neopalatial period) on Crete

1500BC

1550–1070 Egypt: New Kingdom

1530–1155 Kassite state in Lower Mesopotamia

1430–1350 Mycenaeans involved in dominance of Knossos

1420–1200 Hittite ‘New Kingdom’ in central Asia Minor

1400BC

after 1400–1200 Palaces in mainland Greece (Mycenae; Tiryns; Pylos; Thebes)

1400–1050 Assyrian state in Upper Mesopotamia

1350 Ending of palatial administration on Crete, though

Khania continued down to 1200

1350–1300 Troy Level VIh

1300BC

1300–700 Late Bronze Age in western Europe: Urnfield period

1300–1210 Troy Level VIIa

1200BC

1200–1070 Post-palatial period in mainland Greece

1200 Israelite ‘conquest’ of Canaan (traditional date)

1100BC

1070–900 ‘Early Iron Age’ period in Aegean

1070–712 Egypt: Third Intermediate period (lack of unitary government)

1000BC

1010–970 David, king of Israel

950 Lefkandi ‘Toumba’ monument

970–930 Solomon, king of Israel

969–936 Hiram I, king of Tyre

900 BC

900–700 ‘Early Iron Age’, or Villanovan, period, in central Italy

883–610 Neo-Assyrian empire

800 BC

800–750 Earliest Phoenician and Greek colonies in western Mediterranean

800–700 Emergence of poleis in mainland Greece; ‘Orientalizing’ period in Greek world

770 Foundation of Pithecoussae (bay of Naples)

776 Traditional date of first Olympic games; 775 Earliest Greek alphabetic writing

775 Foundation of Al Mina (Syria)

753 One traditional date for foundation of Rome by Romulus

730 ‘Nestor’s Cup’ at Pithecoussae

700 BC

700–475 Etruscan civilization in central Italy

700 Hesiod, Theogony

700–650 Iliad and Odyssey are written down

c. 620 Hebrew Bible, first version

616–608 Fall of Assyrian empire to Babylonians and Medes

600 BC

600 Foundation of Massilia (Marseilles)

605–539 Neo-Babylonian kingdom

600–500 Hellenizing West Hallstatt chiefdoms in western Europe

582–573 Establishment of Panhellenic games at Delphi (582), Isthmia (c. 582) and Nemea (573)

586 Capture of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar; Jews in captivity in Babylon

550–330 Persian empire in the Near East: Cyrus (550–530); Cambyses (530–522); Darius (522–486); Xerxes (486–465)
c. 550 Hebrew Bible, second version

539 Persian conquest of Babylon

525 Persian conquest of Egypt

507 Expulsion of last king of Rome; foundation of the Roman Republic

508/7 Democratic reforms of Cleisthenes at Athens

500 BC

500 Vix burial (Châtillon-sur-Seine)

499–494 Ionian revolt against Persia

490 Battle of Marathon

480–478 Xerxes’ invasion of Greece

478 Establishment of Delian League

461 Athenian alliance with Argos

450 La Tène culture of middle Europe begins (ends around 50 BC)

458 Aeschylus’ Oresteia

447–433 Construction of the Parthenon at Athens

431–404 Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta

420s Herodotus’ Histories; Hellanicus’ Priestesses of Argos

415–413 Athenian expedition to Sicily

400 BC

396 Capture of Veii by Rome

c. 400 Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War

401 Xenophon’s ‘March Up Country’ (Anabasis)

386 Gauls attack Rome

386 King’s Peace in mainland Greece

382 Spartan seizure of Theban Kadmeia

371 Thebes defeats Sparta at battle of Leuctra

369 Foundation of Messene

359–336 Reign of Philip II of Macedon

338 Rome’s settlement imposed on the Latin states

338 Philip defeats Athens and Thebes at battle of Chaeronea

336–323 Reign of Alexander III (‘the Great’) of Macedon

335 Destruction of Thebes by Alexander

334 Alexander’s invasion of Asia

332 Foundation of Alexandria

331–330 Capture of the Persian royal capitals

327–325 Alexander’s invasion of India

c. 320 Journey of Pytheas of Massilia

323 Death of Alexander at Babylon

310 Death of Alexander IV

306 Antigonus the One-Eyed proclaimed king

300 BC

301 Battle of Ipsus; death of Antigonus

305–282 Reign of Ptolemy I (Egypt)

c. 287–211 Archimedes of Syracuse (mathematician)

c. 285–194 Eratosthenes of Cyrene (head of the library at Alexandria)

264–241 First Punic War; Sicily becomes Rome’s first overseas province

279 Celtic invasion of Greece

279/8 First celebration of Ptolemaieia at Alexandria

c. 240–197 Reign of Attalus I (Attalid kingdom: Pergamon)

223–187 Reign of Antiochus III (Seleucid kingdom: Asia)

218–202 Second Punic War (also known as the Hannibalic War)

221–179 Reign of Philip V (Antigonid kingdom: Macedon)

200 BC

197–158 Reign of Eumenes II (Attalid kingdom: Pergamon)

190 Battle of Magnesia; end of Seleucid rule in Asia Minor

179–168 Reign of Perseus (Antigonid kingdom: Macedon)

175–164 Reign of Antiochus IV (Seleucid kingdom: Asia)

168 Battle of Pydna; end of Antigonid kingdom in Macedon

167 Suppression of Jewish religion by Antiochus IV; beginning of Jewish resistance (context of writing of Book of Daniel, and 1–2 Maccabees)

149–146 Third Punic War

148 Establishment of Roman province of Macedonia

146 Sack of Carthage; province of Africa created

146 Sack of Corinth; province of Macedonia extended to southern Greece

133 Tiberius Gracchus tribune

123–122 Gaius Gracchus’ two tribunates

100 BC

91–89 ‘Social War’; Italians become Roman citizens

89–63 Roman conflict with Mithradates VI of Pontus; 86 Roman sack of Athens

55, 54 Caesar invades Britain

52 Caesar completes conquest of Gaul

49–44 Caesar dominant at Rome; 44 Caesar assassinated

31 BC –AD 14 Augustus emperor (he was called ‘Caesar Augustus’ only from 27 BC onwards)

19 Death of Virgil

37–4 Herod king of Judaea

AD I

6 Census of Quirinius

14–68 Julio-Claudian dynasty: Tiberius (14–37), Caligula (37–41), Claudius (41–54), Nero (54–68)

c. 30 Crucifixion of Jesus

43 Roman invasion of Britain

Late 40s and 50s Paul’s missionary journeys round Greek world

60–61 Boudica’s revolt in Britain

66–70 Jewish revolt in Judaea; destruction of Temple

69 Year of the Four Emperors: Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian

69–96 Flavian dynasty: Vespasian (69–79), Titus (79–81), Domitian (81–96)

80s? Acts of the Apostles written

78–84 Agricola governor of Britain

96–8 Nerva emperor

AD100

98–117 Trajan emperor

98 Tacitus’ Agricola

c. 110–20 Tacitus’Annals

117–38 Hadrian emperor

131/2 Establishment of Panhellenion

132–5 Bar Kokhba revolt in Judaea

138–92 Antonine dynasty: Antoninus Pius (138–61), Marcus Aurelius (161–80), Lucius Verus (joint reign, 161–6), Commodus (180–92)

192–235 Severan dynasty: Septimius Severus (193–211), Caracalla (211–17), Elagabalus (218–22), Alexander Severus (222–35)

AD200

249 Persecution of Christians under Decius

240–72 Reign of Shapur I (Persia)

267/8 Sack of Athens by the Goths

260 Roman emperor Valerian captured by Shapur I

284–305 Diocletian emperor

AD300

303–4 Great Persecution (of Christians)

306–37 Constantine emperor

324 Foundation of Constantinople

337–61 Constantius II emperor

354–430 Augustine (bishop of Hippo, 395–430; writes Confessions 397/400; writes City of God, 413–25)

360–63 Julian emperor

363 Julian dies on campaign in Persia

c. 371–97 Martin bishop of Tours

379–95 Theodosius I emperor

AD400

410 Sack of Rome