1600–1150 BCE |
Mycenaean civilisation in Greece. |
c. 1250 BCE |
Traditional date of the Trojan War. |
900–800 BCE |
Homer active. Greek alphabet created from Phoenician models. |
753 BCE |
Traditional date of the founding of Rome. |
509 BCE |
Founding of the Roman Republic. |
508 BCE |
Cleisthenes’ reforms in Athens. Often taken as the start date for democracy. |
490 and 480–79 BCE |
Persian invasions of mainland Greece defeated. |
431–04 BCE |
Peloponnesian War: Sparta eventually defeats Athens. |
399 BCE |
Trial and execution of Socrates. |
359–36 BCE |
Philip II is King of Macedon. Eventually defeats Athens and Thebes. |
336–23 BCE |
Alexander (‘the Great’) is King of Macedon. Greatly increases his kingdom. |
300–100 BCE |
Alexandria is prominent centre of learning in the Greek world. |
295 BCE |
Battle of Sentinum: Romans defeat Etruscans, Umbrians and Gauls and so dominate Italy. |
264–41 BCE |
First Punic War: Rome against Carthage. |
218–01 BCE |
Second Punic War: Carthaginians led by Hannibal ravage Italy. |
149–46 BCE |
Third Punic War. |
146 BCE |
Macedonia becomes Roman province. Corinth is destroyed by the Romans. Carthage is destroyed by the Romans. |
121 BCE |
Murder of Gaius Gracchus. |
88–82 BCE |
Civil war between Marius and Sulla. |
49 BCE |
Julius Caesar starts a civil war by crossing the Rubicon. |
44 BCE |
Julius Caesar murdered (15 March). |
31 BCE |
Octavian defeats Antony and Cleopatra at Actium and becomes sole ruler. |
27 BCE |
Octavian receives title Augustus. |
CE14 |
Tiberius becomes second Emperor. |
CE 69 |
Civil war: ‘the year of the four emperors’ ends with Vespasian victorious. |
CE 79 |
Eruption of Mt Vesuvius destroys Pompeii and Herculaneum. |
CE 98–117 |
Trajan is Emperor. |
CE 117–38 |
Hadrian is Emperor. |
CE 235–84 |
‘Third century crisis’: a period of anarchy. |
CE 284–305 |
Diocletian is Emperor. |
CE 306–37 |
Constantine I is Emperor. |
CE 410 |
Sack of Rome by the Goths. |