Aegean Sea
• The originally Greek
world is, properly
speaking, in the Aegean
Sea area (both mainland
Greece, the islands, and
the Ionian coast)
• But in practice, the
Greeks (and their myths)
spanned all over the
Mediterranean World.
Aegean Chronology
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
C. 2000: Rise of Minoan Civilization on
Crete
C. 1600: Rise of Mycenaean
Civilization on Mainland Greece
C. 1450: First destruction of Minoan
Crete
C. 1200: Collapse of Mycenaean
Civilization
C. 1200: Second destruction of
Minoan Crete (then controlled by
Mycenaeans)
900: End of Greek Dark Age and
beginning of Geometric Period
C. 750: Spread of Greek
colonization throughout
Mediterranean
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
*All dates B.C.E.
700: Beginning of Archaic Period
C. 505: Democracy founded at
Athens
490-80: Persians invaded Greece and
are defeated twice (Classical Age
begins)
404: Sparta finally defeats Athens in
Peloponnesian Wars (Greek citystates are crippled by the exhausting
30 years war that spread through all of
Greek world)
349-38: Philip of Macedon Conquers
Greece (Classical Age ends)
336: Alexander the Great rises to
throne of Philip, his father. Hellenistic
Age begins as Alexander spreads
Greek culture to all areas of the known
world (which he conquers)
197-60: Rome Conquers Macedonia;
eventually all of Greece.