A Brief History of Ancient Rome and Greece

Archaic Greece and Legendary Rome (800-500 BCE)

• Greece– Homer– c. 800 Rise of aristocracies– 776 Olympic Games

established– c. 750 Greek colonization of

Southern Italy and Sicily– c. 700 Hesiod– 621 Draco’s laws– c. 600 Sappho– c. 600 Thales (philosopher)– 594-593 Solon– 545-510 Rule by Tyrants– 533 Thespis wins first tragedy

competition– 508 Cleisthenes reforms

Greece

• Rome– 800-700 Hellenes and

Etruscans in Italy– 753 Romulus founds Rome– 642-617 Ancus Marcius

extends Rome’s power to the coast

– 509 Romans overthrow Tarquinius Superbus; treaty with Carthage (Northern Africa)

Etruscan League of 12 in the 8th century BCE

The Greek Area of Influence in the 8th century BCE

5th century Greece and Rome• Greece

– 499 B.C.: Aristogoras' Ionian rebellion against Persians

– 498 B.C.: Athens at war with Aegina

– 497 B.C.: Athenians attack Sardis– 495 B.C. Persians capture Miletus– 494 B.C.: Spartans under

Cleomenes defeat Argives– 490 B.C.: Battle of Marathon. – 489 B.C.: Expedition of Miltiades

to Paros. Death of Cleomenes– 487 B.C.: Ostracism of

Hipparchus. Archins appointed by lot

– 486 B.C.: Ostracism of Megacles. Pindar's 7th Pythian

– 485 B.C.: Death of Darius– 484 B.C.: Ostracism of Xanthippus– 483-2 B.C.: Ostracism of Aristides– 480 B.C.: Athens recalls

ostracized citizens

• Rome– 494 B.C.: First secessio plebis– 493 B.C.: Treaty between Spurius

Cassius and the Latins– 486 B.C.: lex agraria of Spurius

Cassius– 482-474 B.C.: War with Veii

4th century BCE Greece and Rome

• Greece– 399 B.C.: Socrates executed– c. 395 B.C.: (Apology) Defense of

Socrates by Plato– 395-387 B.C.: The Corinthian War– 395-380 B.C.: Agesipolis I Spartan

king– 394 B.C.: Battle of Corinth. Battle

of Cnidus. Solar Eclipse. Battle of Coronea

– c. 393 B.C.: Defense of Socrates by Xenophon

– 392 B.C.: The Ecclesiazusae by Aristophanes. Dionysius defeats Carthaginians led by Mago

– c. 390 B.C.: Memoirs of Socrates by Xenophon. Charmides, Protagoras, Laches, Euthydemus, by Plato

• Rome– 397 B.C.: Himilco to Sicily– 396 B.C.: Roman soldiers paid by

the state– 392 B.C.: Romans begin conquest

of Italy

Focus on Hellenic Period in Greece

• 499-479: The Persian Wars– 490 BC: The Battle of Marathon – 480 BC: The Battle of Salamis

• 480-404 BC: Hellenic Culture– 448-432 BC: The Parthenon is built. – c. 525-456 BC: Aeschylus – c. 445-380 BC: Aristophanes – c. 460-c. 400 BC: Thucydides – The Sophists

• 431-404: The Peloponnesian War– 431 BC: Peloponnesian war begins; Athens and the Delian League vs. Sparta and the

Pelopennesian League. – 415-413 BC: Athenian Expedition to Syracuse – 404 BC: Athens surrenders to Sparta

• 404-336 BC: After the Peloponnesian War– 404-403 BC: Thirty Tyrants rule Athens. – 400-387: Spartan War against Persia – 371: Spartan hegemony ends and Thebes defeats Sparta at the Battle of Leuctra – 362: Theban hegemony ends with its defeat at the Battle of Mantinea

The Rise of Macedonia 359-323 BCE

• 359-336 B.C.: Reign of Philip II – 338: Battle of Chaeronea; Philip conquers Greece. – 338: League of Corinth is founded.

• 336-323: Reign of Alexander III, the Great. – 334: Alexander invades Asia. – 333: Battle of Issus. – 331: Battle of Gaugamela. – 330: Fall of Persepolis, the Persian capitol. – 327: Alexander reaches the Indus Valley. – 323: Alexander dies.

A Focus on Rome – Stage 1

• The Roman Republic: 509-31 B.C.– 753 BC: Traditional date for the founding of Rome.

Agricultural settlements on the Palatine hill. – 616-509 BC: Etruscan kings rule Rome. – c. 500-275 BC: Conquest of the Italian peninsula.

Beginnings of the system of roads. – c. 390 BC: Rome is sacked by Gauls and rebuilt. – 264-241 BC: First Punic War – 218-202 BC: Second Punic War – 146 BC: Third Punic War and the conquest of Greece. – 133-31 BC: Civil War and the End of the Republic.

Focus on Rome – Stage 2• The Roman Principate: 27 BC- AD 312

– 27 BC-AD 14: Augustus• Pax Romana, deified ruler, Father of the Country

– 14-68: Julio-Claudian Emperors• Tiberius (14-37)• Caligula (37-41)• Claudius (41-54)• Nero (54-68)

– 69-96: Flavian or Vespasian Emperors• Vespasian (69-79)• Titus (79-81)• Domitian (81-96) – declares himself domus et deus “master and god”

– 96-180: Five Good Emperors • Nerva (96-98)• Trajan (98-117)• Hadrian (117-138)• Antoninus Pius (138-161)• Marcus Aurelius (161-180)

– 180-284: Crisis of the Third Century• Many rulers, but Pax Romana begins to fall apart and Persians and Goths invade

– 284-378: Reforms of the Late Empire• split the Empire into four sections: Italy, Asia Minor, Germany and Pannonia• Divide the rule into 2 tier system – between augusti and caesars• With Constantine the Great (306-337) Rome becomes the Holy Roman Empire when he becomes a

Christian in 312

Focus on Rome – Stage 3

• The Later Roman Empire: 312-1453– 312-867: Formation of a Christian Empire – 378-476: Decline of the Roman Empire in the

West – 410: Rome is sacked by the Visigoths. The

remainder of the Roman Empire is now referred to as the Byzantine Empire