Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
594 BC
Solon, a ruling aristocrat in Athens, introduces rules of fair play to his citizenry. His radical rule-
changing - in effect creating human and political rights - is credited as being the first step to
real democracy.
490 BC
Athens invokes the ire of the Persians by supporting insurgencies within Persian territ- orial do-
mains. Seeking revenge, the Persian King Darius sends an army to teach Greece a lesson but is
defeated at Marathon.
480 BC
Darius' son and heir Xerxes seeks revenge for the Marathon defeat. The enormous forces sent
to crush Greece defeat Leonidas at Thermopylae and then sack Athens, but are routed at sea
off Salamis (Salamina).
479 BC
The Greeks pay back their defeat at the hands of Xerxes by smashing the Persian army of Mar-
donius at the decisive Battle of Plataea under the Spartan leader Pausanias. The Persian Wars
are finally over.
477 BC
Seeking security while building a de facto empire, the Athenians establish a political and milit-
ary alliance called the Delian League. Many city-states and islands join the new club.
461-32 BC
New Athenian leader Pericles shifts power from Delos to Athens and uses the treasury wealth of
the Delian League to fund massive works, including the construction of the magnificent
Parthenon, an enduring legacy.
431-21 BC
The military might of Sparta runs afoul of the commercial and artistic clout of Athens over an
alliance with Corcyra, becoming a full-blown war of attrition, with Athens barricaded and the
Peloponnese embargoed.
431-386 BC
Crete also sees internal strife: Knossos against Lyttos, Phaestos against Gortyna, Kydonia
against Apollonia and Itanos against Ierapetra. An earthquake wreaks havoc in 386 BC.
