A Brief History of Ancient
Rome and Greece
Archaic Greece and Legendary
Rome (800-500 BCE)
• Greece
– Homer
– c. 800 Rise of aristocracies
– 776 Olympic Games
established
– c. 750 Greek colonization of
Southern Italy and Sicily
– c. 700 Hesiod
– 621 Draco’s laws
– c. 600 Sappho
– c. 600 Thales (philosopher)
– 594-593 Solon
– 545-510 Rule by Tyrants
– 533 Thespis wins first tragedy
competition
– 508 Cleisthenes reforms
Greece
• Rome
– 800-700 Hellenes and
Etruscans in Italy
– 753 Romulus founds Rome
– 642-617 Ancus Marcius
extends Rome’s power to the
coast
– 509 Romans overthrow
Tarquinius Superbus; treaty
with Carthage (Northern
Africa)
Etruscan
League of 12
in the 8th
century BCE
The Greek
Area of
Influence in
the 8th
century
BCE
5th century Greece and Rome
•
Greece
– 499 B.C.: Aristogoras' Ionian
rebellion against Persians
– 498 B.C.: Athens at war with
Aegina
– 497 B.C.: Athenians attack Sardis
– 495 B.C. Persians capture Miletus
– 494 B.C.: Spartans under
Cleomenes defeat Argives
– 490 B.C.: Battle of Marathon.
– 489 B.C.: Expedition of Miltiades
to Paros. Death of Cleomenes
– 487 B.C.: Ostracism of
Hipparchus. Archins appointed by
lot
– 486 B.C.: Ostracism of Megacles.
Pindar's 7th Pythian
– 485 B.C.: Death of Darius
– 484 B.C.: Ostracism of
Xanthippus
– 483-2 B.C.: Ostracism of Aristides
– 480 B.C.: Athens recalls
ostracized citizens
•
Rome
– 494 B.C.: First secessio plebis
– 493 B.C.: Treaty between Spurius
Cassius and the Latins
– 486 B.C.: lex agraria of Spurius
Cassius
– 482-474 B.C.: War with Veii
4th century BCE Greece and Rome
•
Greece
– 399 B.C.: Socrates executed
– c. 395 B.C.: (Apology) Defense of
Socrates by Plato
– 395-387 B.C.: The Corinthian War
– 395-380 B.C.: Agesipolis I Spartan
king
– 394 B.C.: Battle of Corinth. Battle
of Cnidus. Solar Eclipse. Battle of
Coronea
– c. 393 B.C.: Defense of Socrates
by Xenophon
– 392 B.C.: The Ecclesiazusae by
Aristophanes. Dionysius defeats
Carthaginians led by Mago
– c. 390 B.C.: Memoirs of Socrates
by Xenophon. Charmides,
Protagoras, Laches, Euthydemus,
by Plato
•
Rome
– 397 B.C.: Himilco to Sicily
– 396 B.C.: Roman soldiers paid by
the state
– 392 B.C.: Romans begin conquest
of Italy
Focus on Hellenic Period in Greece
•
499-479: The Persian Wars
–
–
•
480-404 BC: Hellenic Culture
–
–
–
–
–
•
448-432 BC: The Parthenon is built.
c. 525-456 BC: Aeschylus
c. 445-380 BC: Aristophanes
c. 460-c. 400 BC: Thucydides
The Sophists
431-404: The Peloponnesian War
–
–
–
•
490 BC: The Battle of Marathon
480 BC: The Battle of Salamis
431 BC: Peloponnesian war begins; Athens and the Delian League vs. Sparta and the
Pelopennesian League.
415-413 BC: Athenian Expedition to Syracuse
404 BC: Athens surrenders to Sparta
404-336 BC: After the Peloponnesian War
–
–
–
–
404-403 BC: Thirty Tyrants rule Athens.
400-387: Spartan War against Persia
371: Spartan hegemony ends and Thebes defeats Sparta at the Battle of Leuctra
362: Theban hegemony ends with its defeat at the Battle of Mantinea
The Rise of Macedonia 359-323 BCE
• 359-336 B.C.: Reign of Philip II
– 338: Battle of Chaeronea; Philip conquers Greece.
– 338: League of Corinth is founded.
• 336-323: Reign of Alexander III, the Great.
–
–
–
–
–
–
334: Alexander invades Asia.
333: Battle of Issus.
331: Battle of Gaugamela.
330: Fall of Persepolis, the Persian capitol.
327: Alexander reaches the Indus Valley.
323: Alexander dies.
A Focus on Rome – Stage 1
• The Roman Republic: 509-31 B.C.
– 753 BC: Traditional date for the founding of Rome.
Agricultural settlements on the Palatine hill.
– 616-509 BC: Etruscan kings rule Rome.
– c. 500-275 BC: Conquest of the Italian peninsula.
Beginnings of the system of roads.
– c. 390 BC: Rome is sacked by Gauls and rebuilt.
– 264-241 BC: First Punic War
– 218-202 BC: Second Punic War
– 146 BC: Third Punic War and the conquest of Greece.
– 133-31 BC: Civil War and the End of the Republic.
Focus on Rome – Stage 2
•
The Roman Principate: 27 BC- AD 312
–
27 BC-AD 14: Augustus
•
–
14-68: Julio-Claudian Emperors
•
•
•
•
–
Nerva (96-98)
Trajan (98-117)
Hadrian (117-138)
Antoninus Pius (138-161)
Marcus Aurelius (161-180)
180-284: Crisis of the Third Century
•
–
Vespasian (69-79)
Titus (79-81)
Domitian (81-96) – declares himself domus et deus “master and god”
96-180: Five Good Emperors
•
•
•
•
•
–
Tiberius (14-37)
Caligula (37-41)
Claudius (41-54)
Nero (54-68)
69-96: Flavian or Vespasian Emperors
•
•
•
–
Pax Romana, deified ruler, Father of the Country
Many rulers, but Pax Romana begins to fall apart and Persians and Goths invade
284-378: Reforms of the Late Empire
•
•
•
split the Empire into four sections: Italy, Asia Minor, Germany and Pannonia
Divide the rule into 2 tier system – between augusti and caesars
With Constantine the Great (306-337) Rome becomes the Holy Roman Empire when he becomes a
Christian in 312
Focus on Rome – Stage 3
• The Later Roman Empire: 312-1453
– 312-867: Formation of a Christian Empire
– 378-476: Decline of the Roman Empire in the
West
– 410: Rome is sacked by the Visigoths. The
remainder of the Roman Empire is now
referred to as the Byzantine Empire
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