c6500-2900 BC

NEOLITHIC PERIOD- Domestication of plants and animals allows for permanent settlements.

Menes unifies Upper and Lower Egypt, and a new capital is erected at Memphis.

Early Egyptian dynastic period, with a succession of kings that strengthened the unification of the two Egypts.

c2900-2000 BC

Bronze Age- Early Aegean cultures

365 -day calendar is invented ( for Egyptians new year started with June)

First Egyptian hieroglyphs

Third Egyptian Dynasty

Zoser builds first pyramid, Step Pyramid at Sakkara, with the great help of the chief architect and priest Imhotep.

Kufu (Cheops) builds the great Pyramid at Giza, followed by Chephren with a second pyramid and the Sphinx and Mycerinus with another pyramid.

c2500 BC

Minoan civilization develops.

During the 5th Egyptian dynasty, worship of sun god Ra becomes the predominant religion.

FIRST INTERMEDIATE PERIOD of EGYPT- increases in power of provincial governors through the 6th dynasty, leads to breakdown of central authority and chaos throughout the country. This is the period of the upsurge of the cult of Osiris.

Mentuhotep II, first king of the 11th dynasty reunites Egypt, and established the capital at Thebes.

SECOND INTERMEDIATE PERIOD. 13th dynasty collapses after a succession of short-lived and little known kings.

Memphis falls to Hyksos.

NEW KINGDOM of EGYPT-Ahmose completes defeat of Hyksos and unites Egypt under new dynasty.

During Tuthmosis III, Egyptian rule is extended as far as the Euphrates River to the east and south to the Fourth Cataract of the Nile.

Tuthmosis IV digs the Sphinx out of the sands.

c1400 BC

Volcanic eruption on Thera destroys Mycenae.

Amenhotep IV changes name to Akhenaten and tries to institute a monotheistic religion by worshipping only the sun-disk god Aten.

1375-50 BC

Mycenaean customs appear on Crete.

Tutankhamen restores the old cults at Thebes, but shortly after is assasinated.

Ramesses II fights Hitties at the Battle of Kadesh. Builds temples at Thebes and Abu Simbel. He is considered the most prolific pharaoh to construct temples.

Ramesses III repulses invasion of Seas Peoples. He is considered the last great Egyptian pharaoh.

c1200 BC

Destruction of Cretan palaces and of Priam's city at Troy (Ilium).

THIRD INTERMEDIATE PERIOD of EGYPT- Ephemeral kings whom little is known. It is a period of overlapping rulers, with no strong central power. Invasion by Assyrians.

c1050-750 BC

EARLY PERIOD of GREECE- First Greek migration to west coast of Asia minor. Few written records of this time period remain. Also, this era is known as the Dark Ages of Greece.

800-700 BC

Italy inhabited by Hellenic and Etruscan people. The land is undeveloped.

776 BC

First Olympic Games

753 BC

Romulus founds Roman culture at the Palatine.

c750-700 BC

Homer writes the Iliad and the Odyssey

c750-500 BC

ARCHAIC PERIOD of GREECE- Greeks search for new land for agriculture. City-states are formed throughout the Mediterranean that function as political units or polis, each ruled by a king and a council.

735-700 BC

First Greek colonies in Sicily.

c730-710 BC

Spartans conquer southwest Peloponnese in the First Messenian War.

c700 BC

Lelantine war in Euboia

c671-667 BC

Assyrians invade Egypt, "sacking" Thebes and Memphis.

736-656 BC

25th dynasty. Egypt ruled by Kushite pharaohs.

540 BC

Anaximander dies. He is credited with writing the first philosophical treatise and making the first map of know world.

525-404 BC

27th dynasty. Conquered by the King Conlyses who establishes first Persian domination of Egypt.

524 BC

Greeks stop the southward Etruscan migration at Cumae.

509 BC

Romans overthrow tyrant Tarquinius Superbus, ending the Etruscan dynasty.

500-323 BC

CLASSICAL PERIOD of GREECE- Interest in literature, artwork, architecture, philosophy, and politics surges during this time period. Athens is the hub of activity throughout the Mediterranean.

490-479 BC

GREEK Persian Wars.

490 BC

First Persian War- Athenians defeat Persians at Marathon.

480 BC

Second Persian War- Persian forces led by Xerxes destroy Athens. Greek forces won a major sea battle at Salamis.

461-446 BC

First of the Peloponnesian Wars begins between Sparta and Athens.

450 BC

ROMAN- Twelve Tables of Roman law are published.

441 BC

Euripides writes his first tragic play.

431-405 BC

Second of the Peloponnesian Wars between Sparta and Athens.

399 BC

Socrates is tried and executed for his opposition to the Thirty Tyrants.

396 BC

The city of Veii is conquered by Romans.

386 BC

Plato, student of Socrates, founds the Academy.

384 BC

Aristotle, student of Plato, is born.

359 BC

Philip II becomes the king of Macedon.

357-356 BC

Social War- between Macedon and Athens.

356 BC

Alexander the Great, son of Philip II, is born. The temple of Delphi is destroyed in the Sacred War.

340 BC

The Latin War begins.

338 BC

King Philip II defeats Athenians and Thebans.

336 BC

King Philip II is assassinated, and Alexander the Great takes throne.

332 BC

Alexander the Great of Macedonia defeats Persians at Issus in 333 BC and is given Egypt by the Persian Satrap. He builds a capital at Alexandria.

332-395 AD

Graeco-Roman Period.

323 BC

Alexander the Great dies at Babylon.

323-31 BC

HELLENISTIC PERIOD. Antigonid Macedon, Ptolemaic Egypt, and Seleucid Syria emerge as the three major kingdoms. Greece suffered from internal revolts.

304-30 BC

The Ptolemies.

264 BC

First Punic War to take Carthage for dominance of Mediterranean.

241 BC

Romans win Sicily.

224 BC

Earthquake destroys the Colossus.

221 BC

The structure Circus Flaminius is built.

218-201 BC

Second Punic War brings the defeat of General Hannibal of Carthage.

197 BC

King Philip V loses to Roman forces at Kynoskephalai.

179 BC

The structure Basilica Aemilia is built.

149-146 BC

Third Punic War ends with the Roman capture of Carthage.

86 BC

Roman General Sulla seizes Athens.

44 BC

The assassination of Julius Caesar marks the end of the Roman Republic.

31 BC

Octavian Caesar defeats Mark Antony and becomes emperor of Roman world. He is given title Augustus.

14 BC

Augustus dies.

41 AD

Gaius Julius, the emperor Caligula, is murdered.

43 AD

Claudius wins victories in Britain.

64 AD

Rome is burnt.

68 AD

Civil War breaks out in Rome.

70 AD

Emperor Titus captures Jerusalem.

97 AD

Death of Nerva.

235-284 AD

Germans, Goths, and Persians attack Rome.

267 AD

Goths ruin Athens, Sparta, and Korinth

284 AD

Diocletian restores order to Rome.

286 AD

Emperor Diocletian divides Roman empire in two, forming modern Greece (the Byzantine Empire)

302 AD

Diocletian banned Christians from the Roman Army.

312 AD

Constantine defeats Maxentius to become absolute ruler of Rome.

337 AD

Constantine dies.

363 AD

Persians capture Mesopotamia.

410 AD

Goths destroy Rome.

476 AD

Western Rome dies.

 641 AD

Arab conquest.

 641 AD

Slavs overrun Greece

1453 AD

Eastern Rome dissolves.

Greek

Roman

Egyptian