c. 12th century BCE★★★★★
Late Bronze Age collapse
Many Eastern Mediterranean states, including the Hittite Empire, collapse or decline sharply during a prolonged period of upheaval.
PoliticsWar· Turkey, Syria, Egypt, Greece
Timeline
9 events12th century BCE
5th century BCE
- 490 BCE★★★★★
Battle of Marathon
Athenian forces defeat the first Persian invasion of Greece.
War· Greece - 480 BCE★★★★★
Battle of Salamis
The Greek fleet, urged on by Themistocles, defeats the Persian navy, turning the tide of Xerxes' second invasion of Greece.
War· Greece - 480 BCE★★★★★
Battle of Thermopylae
A small Greek force led by the Spartan king Leonidas holds off the Persian army of Xerxes I before being overwhelmed.
War· Greece - 431 BCE – 404 BCE★★★★★
Peloponnesian War
A long war between Athens and the Sparta-led Peloponnesian League ends in Athens' defeat.
War· Greece
4th century BCE
- 338 BCE★★★★★
Battle of Chaeronea
Philip II of Macedon defeats Athens and Thebes, establishing Macedonian dominance over Greece.
War· Greece
1st century BCE
- September 2, 31 BCE★★★★★
Battle of Actium
Octavian's fleet defeats Mark Antony and Cleopatra, clearing his path to supreme power in Rome.
War· Greece
16th century
- October 7, 1571★★★★★
Battle of Lepanto
The fleet of the Holy League, formed by Spain, Venice and the Papacy, defeats the Ottoman navy in the Gulf of Patras.
War· Greece, Spain, Italy, Turkey
19th century
- 1821 – 1829★★★★★
Greek War of Independence
Greeks rise against the Ottoman Empire; with intervention by Britain, France and Russia, Greece wins its independence.
WarRevolution· Greece, Turkey