Archaic Period (800-480 BCE) Greece

By beanboozled16
  • 776 BCE

    First Olympic Games held

    Held in honour of Zeus every four years
  • 757 BCE

    First Messenian War begins

    War between Sparta and Messenia which lasts many years
  • 750 BCE

    Homer begins to write the Illiad and Odyssey

  • 750 BCE

    Greek colonies established in Southern Italy & Sicily

    -They adapt the Phoenician alphabet for their own use, and later adopt metal coinage from Lydia, in Asia Minor
    - found colonies on distant shores of the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea.These established strong trading ties with their mother city. Greek traders soon dominated maritime trade of the Mediterranean, edging out the Phoenicians who had preceded them.
  • Period: 743 BCE to 724 BCE

    First Messenian War

    Spartans are victorious
  • 650 BCE

    Greek Tyrants come into power

    Cypselus is the first Tyrant of Corinth.
  • 640 BCE

    Second Messenian War

  • Period: 630 BCE to 580 BCE

    Sappho - poet

  • 621 BCE

    Draconian Laws introduced

    A lawyer named Draco introduces strict new laws in Athens that are punishable by death
  • 600 BCE

    First Greek coins are introduced

  • Period: 546 BCE to 510 BCE

    Peisistratids tyrants rule over Athens

    Peisistratos and his two sons, Hipparchus and Hippias.
  • 525 BCE

    Red-figure pottery developed in Athens

  • 510 BCE

    Alcmaeonid family and Spartans free Athens from tyranny

  • 508 BCE

    Democracy is introduced in Athens by Cleisthenes

    Cleisthenes establishes a constitution and is often called the "Father of Athenian Democracy". This is one of the great accomplishments of the Greek culture.
  • 499 BCE

    Ionian revolt

  • Period: 497 BCE to 479 BCE

    Persian Wars

  • 495 BCE

    Pythagoras dies in Metapontum

  • 490 BCE

    Battle of Marathon

  • 483 BCE

    Athens begin building naval fleet

  • 482 BCE

    Aristides ostracised

  • 480 BCE

    Battle of Salamis

    Greeks are victorious, Persians retreat.
  • 480 BCE

    Persians burn the Acropolis