Greek History. Some Important Dates

GREEK HISTORY SOME IMPORTANT DATES • 594 SOLON is archon (chief magistrate) at Athens. His reforms. The beginnings of Athenian Democracy. Herodotus, Histories, Book I, ch. 32f. (Gochberg, p. 149). • 566 PANATHENAIC GAMES established at Athens (recitations of the Homeric Poems as part of the celebrations) • 560 PISISTRATUS (Solon's cousin) becomes tyrant in Athens (560528). • 560 Accession of King Croesus of Lydia Visit of Solon the Athenian (Herodotus: Gochberg, pp. 148-159) • 546 Spring King Croesus meets King Cyrus (King of the Medes and the Persians) on the Battlefield. End of Croesus. [Story told by Herodotus: Gochberg pp. 158-159.] • 535? THESPIS is producing tragedies at Athens. • 525 AESCHYLUS the tragedian is born at Eleusis in Athens. (Dies 456) • 514 Assassination attempt against the sons of the Tyrant Pisistratus. One is killed, and the regime turns nasty (Harmodius and Aristogeiton). • 510 Revolution in Athens: expulsion of the tyrants; expulsion of a Spartan force sent to `help'; installation of the `Radical Democracy' sponsored by Cleisthenes (son of Megacles, of the Alcmaeonid Family). • 496 SOPHOCLES the tragedian born at Colonus in Athens. (Dies 405) [See Gochberg, pp. 47-48] • 490 First Persian Invasion of Greece (DARIUS I the Great). Battle of MARATHON. • 487 The first ostracism in Athens (expulsion of one politician in the early Spring of a given year, if and only if a minimum of 5000 people vote in the balloting). No crime is charged; the decision is extra-legal, but designed to protect the democracy against its own leaders. • 485 EURIPIDES the tragedian is born in Athens. (Dies in Macedonia 406/5) • 484 Aeschylus wins his first victory in the tragedy competitions. • 480 SECOND PERSIAN INVASION OF GREECE. Themistocles of Athens. Battle of SALAMIS Battle of THERMOPYLAE Leonidas of Sparta [HERODOTUS, in Gochberg pp. 132-148] • 479 Battle of PLATAEA • 478-404 THE ATHENIAN EMPIRE: an alliance against the Persian threat, but most allies preferred (and by 450 were required) to pay Athenians to staff the ships rather than supply ships and crews themselves. This gave Athens the power base and organization to dominate the Aegean area. • 469 SOCRATES the philosopher is born in Athens. [executed in 399, age 70] • 455 First of Euripides' 92 plays produced in Athens. (he came in 3rd) • 453 PERICLES, whose mother is an Alcmaeonid, comes to prominence. [His life and career related by Thucydides, and by Plutarch in his Biography of Pericles in the Parallel Lives] • 443 HERODOTUS, `Father of (Greek) History' is living in Athens • 432 Beginning of the SECOND (GREAT) PELOPONNESIAN WAR: Athens vs. Sparta. The Athenian general and (later) historian THUCYDIDES began taking notes. • 431 PERICLES' FUNERAL ORATION (reported by Thucydides: Gochberg, pp. 176-183) • 430 Birth of XENOPHON (Gochberg, p. 160), author of Memories of Socrates, The Expedition of the Ten Thousand (Anabasis), The Hellenic History. • 429 Plague breaks out in Athens (429-426) [Thucydides, in Gochberg, pp. 184-188] Pericles dies. Shortly thereafter Sophocles produces Oedipus Tyrannos (429425). [Gochberg, pp. 47-130] • 427 ARISTOPHANES began producing comedies (Clouds, 423, about Socrates and his `think-factory'. PLATO, the philosopher, pupil of Socrates from about 407-399, born. • 424 Athenian campaign in Thrace around Amphipolis against Spartans and their general Brasidas. Thucydides the Historian was one of the Athenian generals (in charge of logistics). He was blamed for the Athenian disaster and was exiled. • 415 After a truce (421-415) the Peloponnesian War breaks out again. Athens sends an expedition to Sicily to try to capture Syracuse, but the intended commander (Alcibiades, a protege of Pericles) is disgraced as things are just getting started. By 412 the expedition is a disastrous failure. • 411 Aristophanes' Lysistrata. A conservative coup-d'-etat in the Spring (the 400) and a democratic counter- coup in the summer. Very hard feelings all around. • 406 Battle of ARGINUSAE. Disaster: Six of the ten admirals executed, including the son of PERICLES. Socrates presided over the Ecclesia (Athenian national assembly) on the day that the disaster was first discussed in public, the morning after the news arrived; he refused to put the motion for the death penalty for all the generals to a vote. • 405 Battle of AEGOSPOTAMI • 404 September: Capitulation of Athens to Sparta. Occupation by Lysander the Spartan general. • 404-3 Athens under the rule of the THIRTY TYRANTS (including Plato's uncle and cousin, both of whom were ex- friends of Socrates), a bunch of Spartan Quislings of a conservative and vengeful stamp. More than 1500 executions. • 403 Restoration of the DEMOCRACY. A new Athenian Empire ( ca. 378-338) but much diminished in power, wealth and influence. • 399 Trial and execution of SOCRATES. (Gochberg, chapter 8) • 395-347 Career of PLATO (at an Athenian gymnasium called the Academy). Plato's pupil ARISTOTLE (who taught, from 335, at a gymnasium in Athens called the LYCEUM), died 322. • 371 Battle of LEUKTRA • 362 Battle of MANTINEA. Sparta's third military defeat in her history. Sparta occupied by Theban army. Helots liberated. The end of Sparta as a significant force in Greek politics, replaced by Thebes (until 338). • 359-336 PHILIP II (383/2–336) [son of Amyntas III (393/2–369/8) and Eurydice], King of Macedonia. • 338 BATTLE OF CHAERONEA. Debut of Alexander, son of Philip and Olympias. Defeat of Thebes and Athens: Macedonia replaces Thebes as the leading Greek state (HEGEMON). • 336 Philip assassinated, succeeded by his 19 year-old son, ALEXANDER III (359–323). • 335 Beginning of the campaigns of ALEXANDER THE GREAT against PERSIA. • 356-323 Aristotle's most important pupil, ALEXANDER III (`THE GREAT'), king of Macedonia from 336, Pharaoh of Egypt from 331, Great King of Persia from 328, god from 324/3. Died of fever in Babylon in June of 323, aged 33. • From 323 ALEXANDER'S EMPIRE dismantled, eventually into four kingdoms; (1) Macedonia (The Antigonids) (2) Egypt (The Ptolemies) (3) Pergamon (The Attalids) (4) Syria-Mesopotamia (The Seleucids).