486/5 Egypt revolts from Persia.
485 Darius dies, succeeded by Xerxes.
484/3 Egyptian revolt suppressed. Xerxes prepares for invasion of Greece.
483 Persians cut canal through Mount Athos.
483/2 New vein of silver found at the Laurium mine.
482 Ostracism of Aristides. Athenian fleet enlarged.
481 Conference at Sparta; Greek states plan resistance to Persian invasion. Athens concludes peace with Aegina.
480 Xerxes enters Greece. August: Battles of Artemisium and Thermopylae. September: Battle of Salamis. Xerxes flees to Persia.
479 Second evacuation of Athens. Battle of Plataea. Battle of Mycale. Persia loses Sestos and the Hellespont.
478/6 Walls rebuilt at Athens.
478 Pausanias liberates Cyprus, captures Byzantium. Delian League against Persia founded.
477 Themistocles fortifies Piraeus.
476–73 Victories of Cimon.
472 The Persians of Aeschylus.
472 or 470 Ostracism of Themistocles; goes to Argos.
471 Pausanias expelled from Byzantium.
c.471 Death of Pausanias, flight of Themistocles.
470 Cimon brings back the “bones of Theseus.”
469 Naxos revolts from Delian League. Themistocles flees to Corcyra, then to King Admetus.
468 Themistocles arrives in Persia. Cimon’s first expedition against the helots.
466 Battle of the Eurymedon.
465 Revolt of Thasos from Delian League. Assassination of Xerxes. Artaxerxes I succeeds.
c.464 Earthquake at Sparta. Helots revolt.
463 Siege of Ithome. Sparta rejects Athenian allies. Surrender of Thasos.
463–61 Reforms of Ephialtes at Athens; Areopagus loses its powers.
462–60 Pericles influential at Athens.
462 Athenians and Egyptians defeat Persians.
461 Ostracism of Cimon. Athenian alliance with Argos and Thessaly.
460 Assassination of Ephialtes. Intermittent hostilities between Athens and the Peloponnesians start (the First Peloponnesian War).
459 Athens wins Megara. Final defeat of the helots. Athens at war with Aegina.
458 Oresteia of Aeschylus. Athens builds Long Walls. Athenian expedition to Egypt. Themistocles dies. Athens conquers Aegina.
457 Athens conquers Boeotia. Archonship opened to zeugitai.
454 Egyptian expedition ends in disaster. Delian League treasury moved to Athens. Long Walls completed.
451 Five years’ truce between Athens and the Peloponnesians. Return of Cimon. Citizenship law of Pericles.
449 Cimon dies in Cyprus.
449 Peace of Callias with Persia.
447 Building of Parthenon begins. Athens loses Boeotia. Battle of Coronea.
447/6 Euboean revolt suppressed. Athens loses Megara.
445 Thirty Years Peace between Athens and the Peloponnesians.
443 Ostracism of Thucydides, son of Melesias.
441 Euripides’ first victory at the City Dionysia. Antigone by Sophocles.
440/39 Revolts of Samos and Byzantium. Sophocles a strategos.
436 Foundation of Amphipolis.
436/5 Disorder at Epidamnus.
c.435 Pericles’ expedition to Black Sea.
435 Spring: Corcyra wins sea battle against Corinth.
433 Athenian alliance with Corcyra.
432 Revolt of Potidaea. “Megarian Decree” at Athens.
431 Peloponnesian War begins. First Peloponnesian invasion of Attica.
430–26 Plague at Athens.
429 Pericles dies. Siege of Plataea.
428 Revolt of Mytilene.
427 Mytilene surrenders. Debate at Athens on Mytilene. Athenian fleet visits Sicily.
426 Plataea surrenders. Civil war in Corcyra. Demosthenes in northwest (Aetolia).
425 Occupation of Pylos in the Peloponnese. Spartans captured. Truce between Athens and Sparta. Invasions of Attica cease. The Acharnians by Aristophanes.
424 Brasidas in Thrace.
423 Peace negotiations; one-year armistice.
422 Armistice expires. Deaths of Brasidas and Cleon outside Amphipolis.
421 Peace by Aristophanes. Peace of Nicias. Fifty-year alliance between Athens and Sparta; breaks down after a year.
417 Ostracism of Hyperbolus. Conquest of Melos. Athenian “war crime.”
415 The Trojan Women by Euripides. Sicilian Expedition. Alcibiades recalled, defects to Sparta.
413 Sicilian Expedition ends in complete disaster.
412 Athenian allies revolt. Alcibiades leaves Sparta.
411 June to September: Council of Four Hundred. Army and fleet at Samos remain loyal to the democracy. Alcibiades rehabilitated, commands fleet. Athenian victories. Lysistrata by Aristophanes. Thesmophoriazusae by Aristophanes.
410 Battle of Cyzicus. Full democracy restored at Athens.
407 Alcibiades at Athens.
406 Athenian defeat at Notium; Alcibiades withdraws. Athenian victory at Arginusae; trial of the generals. Euripides dies in Macedon.
405 The Frogs by Aristophanes; in 404 The Frogs is restaged in revised version. Battle of Aegospotami.
405/4 Blockade of Athens. Death of Darius II, accession of Artaxerxes II.
404 Spring: Athens surrenders. Long Walls pulled down.
Summer: Rule of the Thirty. Death of Alcibiades. Death of Theramenes.
403 Spartan garrison at Athens.
September: The Thirty overthrown, democracy restored.
401 Cyrus’s attempt on the Persian throne; killed at Cunaxa.
399 Trial and execution of Socrates.
398 Agesilaus becomes Spartan king.
397 Conon commands Persian fleet.
396–94 Agesilaus campaigns against Persia.
c.396 Antisthenes opens school.
395/4 Anti-Spartan alliance of Athens, Thebes, and others.
395–87 Corinthian War.
395 Work starts on rebuilding Long Walls.
394 Conon defeats Spartan fleet at Cnidus. Battle of Coronea.
393 Conon in Athens.
c.390 Isocrates opens school.
389 Death of Thrasybulus.
387/6 Peace of Antalcidas, the “King’s Peace,” between Persia and Greek states.
387 Plato opens Academy.
386 Old tragedies revived at Dionysia.
c.385 Aristophanes dies. Artaxerxes at war in Egypt.
384–79 Plato’s Symposium.
382 Spartans seize citadel of Thebes.
379/8 Spartans expelled from Theban citadel.
378 Raid of Sphodrias.
378/7 Spring: Second Athenian League founded. Renewal of Athenian power. Athens declares war on Sparta after acquittal of Sphodrias. Agesilaus invades Boeotia. Mausolus satrap of Caria.
After 377 Plato’s Republic.
375 Jason of Pherae becomes ruler of Thessaly.
374 Peace between Athens and Sparta.
374/3 Peace broken.
371 Thebes, led by Epaminondas, defeats Sparta at Leuctra. End of Sparta as a great power.
370 Jason of Pherae assassinated.
370–61 Theban invasions of the Peloponnese. Foundation of Messene.
368 Foundation of Megalopolis.
367 Aristotle joins the Academy.
362 Epaminondas killed in victory at Mantinea.
361 Agesilaus in Egypt.
360 Death of Agesilaus.
359 Philip II rules in Macedon.
357/6 Philip and Athens at war. Athens at war with league allies (Social War).
356 Sacred War begins.
355/4 Athens concedes defeat in Social War.
351 First of series of speeches by Demosthenes against Philip (Philippics).
348 Philip captures Olynthus.
346 Peace between Philip and Athens. Philip defeats Phocis and ends Sacred War. Open letter by Isocrates to Philip.
345–43 Persia regains Egypt.
343 Aristotle tutor to Alexander.
342/1 Philip conquers Thrace.