Key Events in Ancient Greek and Roman History

Greco-Persian Wars

Conflicts between Greece and Persia (500-479 BCE).

Ionian Revolts

Greek city-states revolt against Persian rule.

Darius I

Persian king who invaded Greece in 493 BCE.

Battle of Marathon

Greeks defeated Darius I in 490 BCE.

Xerxes

Persian king who invaded Greece in 480 BCE.

Battle of Thermopylae

Famous stand of Spartans against Xerxes in 480 BCE.

Battle of Salamis

Naval battle where Greeks defeated Xerxes in 480 BCE.

Thucydides

Historian who wrote about the Peloponnesian War.

Pentecontaetia

Period between the Greco-Persian Wars and Peloponnesian War.

Delian League

Alliance led by Athens against Persia.

Peloponnesian League

Alliance led by Sparta against Athens.

Peloponnesian War

Conflict between Athens and Sparta (431-404 BCE).

Alexander the Great

Macedonian king who conquered Persia (356-323 BCE).

Philip II of Macedon

Father of Alexander; unified Greece.

Battle of Chaeronea

Decisive battle where Philip II conquered Greece.

Battle of Granicus

First major battle of Alexander's campaign in 334 BCE.

Battle of Issus

Key victory for Alexander against Darius III in 333 BCE.

Battle of Gaugamela

Decisive victory for Alexander over Darius III in 331 BCE.

Darius III

Last king of Persia, killed in 330 BCE.

Punic Wars

Series of conflicts between Rome and Carthage (264-146 BCE).

Law of 12 Tables

First codification of Roman law, established rights.

Conflict of Orders

Struggle for rights between Patricians and Plebians.