COMPARATIVE TIMELINE
SPARTA DATE ATHENS
Dark Age disasters affect Laconia 12 Cent. BCE Affected by Dark Ages, but not overrun
Area 'long backward' 11 Cent. BCE Center of Protogeometric Pottery
[Long tradition of two kings]
10 Cent. BCE Slow unification of Attica (thru Cleisthenes)
Lycourgos: lawgiver: instituted 9 Cent. BCE Center of Geometric Pottery
gerousia (as balance against kings)
Expansion in Laconia
First Messenian War (730s) 8 Cent BCE Rise in population (but no official colonization)
Kingship reduced to one year office
Second Messenian War: 7 Cent. BCE
Spartans defeat at Hysiai
Crisis: ephors established, army reorganized, King replaced by 9 archons; council of Areopagus
focus on military, citizenship limited (public power still weak)
Cylon's attempt at tyranny fails (630)
Drakon's law code: severe penalties, favored
aristocracy (621)
Strengthens hold on Messenia: helots 6 Cent. BCE Solon's economic reforms: partial success (590)
Mastery over Tegea
Alliance with other states Peisistratos establishes tyranny (546):
Action against tyrannies in various states public culture promoted; Athenian influence
various states extended
Helps overthrow Athenian tyrant (512) Tyrant Hippias overthrown (512)
Asserts independence from Sparta
Emergence of Peloponnesian League: Sparta Cleisthenes' reforms: Athenian democracy:
clear leader, but Congress of members in re-organization of tribes, citizenship for
decisionmaking role all Attica, popular assembly, council of 500
Strongest power in Greece
5 Cent. BCE Participates in Ionian revolt against Persia
(499) (failed: 496)
Defeat of Persians at Marathon (490)
Leader of Hellenic League against Persia PERSIAN Joins Hellenic League (481)
Leonides' stand to death at Thermopylae (480) WARS Defeat of Persian fleet at Salamis (480)
Defeat of Persian army at Plataea (479) Defeat of Persian army at Plataea (479)
Defeat of Persians at Cape Mycale (479) Defeat of Persians at Cape Mycale (479)
Gives up command of fleet (478) Gains command of Aegean fleet: Delian League
formed (478)
Anti-Spartan movements in Peloponnese Naxos forced back into league (469)
Thasos secedes, is reduced (465)
Helot revolt: Athens sends aid, aid sent home (463) Aid to Sparta sent home; withdraws from Hellenic League (463)
Becoming more authoritarian with league
Tensions with Athens Aligns with Argos--against Sparta
Era of Pericles begins (458)
Peace with Persia: Empire
Dissatisfaction in league
Invades Attica, then withdraws (446) Athens loses control of central Greece
Thirty Years Peace (445) Thirty Years Peace
Long Walls completed (430s)
Growing tension with Athens: Declaration of war
against Athens (431): sought destruction of
Athenian empire: claimed to be freeing Greeks PELOPONNESIAN
WAR Plague (430)
Pericles dies (429)
Yearly invasions of Attica: little strategic gain Mytilene revolt, plague again (427)
Garrison at Pylos surrenders (425) Failure to capture Boeotia (424)
Peace (temporarily)
New ephors seek to continue war PELOPONNESIAN Dispute over Panactum: breakdown of peace
WAR RESTARTS
Melos captured, prisoners executed (416)
Expedition to Sicily (415)
Sparta (and Corinth) send aid
to Syracuse, in Sicily Disaster on Sicily (413)
Activity in Aegean Oligarchic coup (411)
Last naval victory: heavy loses (Arginoussai, 406)
Destroys Athenian fleet at Aigospotamai (405)
END OF Athens surrenders: 30 tyrants installed (404)
PELOPONNESIAN WAR
Sparta supreme
Democracy re-established (403/2)
4 Cent. BCE
Opposed by Athens, Argos, Corinth, Thebes (395)
King's Peace (Persia) imposed on Greek states (386) King's Peace
Second Athenian Sea League--against Sparta
(378): more egalitarian [at least at start]
Defeated by Thebes at Leuktra (371): Thebes supreme
Loses Messenia (370): seriously weakened
Sparta and Athens against Thebes: With Sparta against Thebes
Thebes loses supremacy (362)
PHILIP KING OF MACEDONIA: 359
Opposed to Philip's involvement in Greek
affairs
With Thebes against Philip: Defeat of Greeks at Chaeronea: separate treaties with Philip
Philip marches to Peloponnese (339) Athens' League disbanded
Athens in League of Corinth, Philip at head
Sparta refuses to join League of Corinth (since it (339), to wage war against Persia
recognizes Messenian independence): Sparta
too weak to matter
ALEXANDER HEAD OF LEAGUE OF CORINTH: 336