Contact:
Lisa Miner, Museum of Science and Industry, (773) 947-6005
Beth Boston, Museum of Science and Industry, (773) 947-6003
Teresa Leuch, Public Communications, Inc., (312) 558-1770
QUICK FACTS ABOUT ANCIENT GREECE
TIMELINE OF ANCIENT GREECE
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7000 - 3000 B.C. Neolithic Period: The first settlements appear in Greece, started by arriving nomads, and the first
evidence of seafaring is found
1700 - 1100 B.C. Bronze Age: The advanced Minoan and Mycenean Civilizations arise in the Greek Isles
1646 B.C. The most massive volcanic explosion known to mankind explodes on Thera (today Santorini), setting off
tidaal waves and likely changing the tide of Minoan history.
1100 - 750 B.C. Known as the “Dark Ages” of Ancient Greece because few written records remain of this time.
800 B.C. Greeks begin communicating with other civilizations of the Mediterranen.
750 B.C. - 500 B.C. The Archaic Period: The first city-states are formed, the Greeks begin trading with Asia, and
Greeks begin emigrating to islands across the Mediterranean.
776 B.C. The first Olympic Games are held.
700 B.C. Homer writes The Odyssey.
508 B.C. Democracy begins in Athens.
500 - 336 B.C. The Classical Age or “The Golden Age” of Greece is in full swing: tremendous advances in art,
science, politics and culture take place in 100 to 200 years.
472- 410 B.C. Theater arrives in Athens and many of the most famous Greek plays are written during this period.
438 B.C. The Parthenon, devoted to the Goddess Athena and one of the greatest architectural works of all time, is
completed after nearly 10 years of construction.
431 B.C. War between Athens and Sparta (The Pelopennesian War) breaks out.
404 B.C. Sparta declares victory over Athens.
399 B.C. Socrates, the self-educated stonemason who became one of Greece’s greatest philosophers, is condemned to
death for his teaching methods.
356 B.C. Philip II becomes King of Macedonia; Macedonia soon after defeats Athens.
336 B.C. Phillip II is assassinated and Alexander the Great becomes King of Macedonia, ushering in the
Hellenistic Age.
146 B.C. Rome conquers Greece, and Greece becomes part of the Roman Empire.
FACTS ABOUT AKROTIRI AND SANTORINI
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The Thera volcano erupted around 1646 B.C. The explosion was the most powerful of any volcano in the last 10,000
years, about 200 times as powerful as the explosion of Mount St. Helens in the United States.
Seven cubic miles of magma were released in the initial explosion, and the column of ash from the eruption was likely
about 23 miles high. The boom was so loud, people heard it in Sweden.
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The eruption destroyed temples throughout the Greek isles and the resulting tsunami's devastation may have
contributed to the demise of the Minoan civilization on Crete.
Before the explosion, Akrotiri had a population of about 5,000 to 20,000 people, who lived on the rim of what became
a giant caldera. All the town's buildings were buried under layers of pumice and ash.
In 1967, excavations of Akrotiri were begun by archeological professor Spyridon Marinatos, whose student, Christos
Doumas, continues the work today. So far, only about 1/30th of the city has been unearthed.
Archeologists have not turned up any human remains in Akrotiri, suggesting that the population either escaped the
island before the explosion or huddled in camps away from Akrotiri.
The wall paintings from Akrotiri are some of the best-preserved remains of early Aegean cultures.
Some historians believe Santorini may have been the source of the fabled Atlantis legend.
FACTS ABOUT THE PARTHENON
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The construction of the Parthenon was started in approximately 447 B.C. and took approximately 10 years to
complete. It was designed by the architects Itkinos and Callicrates with the help of leading sculptor Phidias.
The building was constructed out of Pentelic marble using approximately 13,400 stones.
There are no absolute straight lines in the design of the Parthenon, giving it a very organic feeling.
The Parthenon rises 64 feet high and 230 feet long. It contains 46 Doric columns.
The Parthenon literally means "virgin's palace"; it was a temple for the Goddess Athena.
The vividly painted statue of Athena was 42 feet tall and took the sculptor, Phidias, about 9 years to complete. More
than 2,000 pounds of gold was used to create the gold and ivory statue.
The statue of Athena was first looted by the Greek tyrant Lachares who stripped off the gold plates and used the metal
to pay his army. Later, in the 5th Century A.D., the statue was carted away to Constantinople by the Byzantines and is
believed to have been destroyed during the Crusades.
The frieze of the Parthenon is one of the first to depict common people along with the Gods, reflecting the Greek love
and belief in democratic principles.
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