Western Civ. 3-6

The Trojan War

1250 BCE

The Trojan War showcased a memorable event that changed Greece's war tactics. Over the nine-year war, the Greeks attacked Troy and its neighboring cities. But the Trojan royal family prevailed and won the war. The Greeks were not accepting defeat and built a giant wooden horse that would hide warriors. The Trojan King let the horse into the city, allowing the Greeks into their territory. The Greek soldiers opened the city gates and attacked everyone. They declared victory over Troy.

The Greek alphabet was developed

850 BCE

The Greek alphabet was developed from the Phoenician alphabet in 850 BCE. This creation was a memorable event because the individual symbols represented vowels and constants of speech in an unambiguous manner. The Greek alphabet could accurately convey speech. The alphabet also had a lower number of signs, making the writing system more convenient.

The Olympic Games

776 BCE

The Olympic Games were started in 776 BCE to worship the gods in a competitive way. This lead to the games becoming a tradition that carries into today. The Olympic Games now allow the elite athletes to showcase their skills and fight to win a gold medal. Throughout the years, the games have evolved in rules and regulations but still share the rivalry in an entertaining way.

Greek Coin Currency

600 BCE

The creation of Greek coins became a memorable event for its citizens. They used an alloy of Gold and silver to create the coins. Overtime new technological advances evolved the production of pure gold and silver coins.

Cleisthenes Instituted the First Democracy

508 BCE

Cleisthenes created a new form of government, Democracy, the rule of the people. Although Democracy only lasted for two centuries, it intertwined into other governments which led to today's form of Democracy. Cleisthenes also formed sortitions, a random selection of citizens to fill government positions rather than kinship or heredity, this tactic is used in similar positions such as jury duty or elections.

The Greeks defeated the Persians in the Battle of Marathon

490 BCE

The Battle of Marathon was a turning point for Greece. The Greeks had not been recognized as a united empire, leaving them "defenseless" and "weak". However, after the win against the Persians, the successes of Greece had changed for the better. The win also gave the Greeks confidence leading to the rise of Greece's influence on Western Civilizations.

Phillip II, King of Macedon conquered Greece

338 BCE

The uniting of the Greek polises allowed the Greeks to work towards a common goal. Philip II's achievements allowed Alexander the Great to expand Greek territories. WIth the citizens of Greece mostly united, ALexander had an easier time to connect other civilizations' cultures, ideas, etc.

Aristotle founded the Lyceum

335 BCE

The founding of the Lyceum in 335 BCE was a key factor in the impact of Greece on Western Civilizations. This brought numerous people to the Lyceum to study. This eventually contributed to different philosophies, inventions, innovations, etc.

Alexander the Great conquered the Persians

333 BCE

When Alexander conquered the Persians in 333 BCE, he achieved his fathers, King Philip II's dreams. Alexander wanted a united empire that covered a vast amount of land. After Alexander defeated the Persians, he had collected enough money to improve Greek architecture, funding, art, and Greek life. These improvements was another factor of the Greek's influence on Western Civilizations.

Alexander the Great's death

323 BCE

After Alexander's passing in 323 BCE, a civil war broke out over who and how Greece should be controlled. IN the end, the once enormous empire of Alexander was split into three major kingdoms that were controlled by his generals. Each kingdom had similarities to Alexander's rule but found difficulty replicating his rule exactly. These kingdoms attributed many new ideas/philosophies, inventions, innovations, etc. that affected Western Civilizations.