Major Events in Ancient History

In History, You Need to Know the When and Where of Events

This page of dates for major events in ancient history is a fine place for you to start your exploration of the ancient world: you would be wasting your time if you tried to read about ancient history without having any idea of the timeline of major events. (Similarly, please consult maps or an historical atlas.) You need to know, for instance, who came first: Julius Caesar or Alexander the Great; and which came first: Alexander's conquest of Persia or the Persian Wars. This timeline shows many such major events in ancient history.

How to Use a Timeline

You may use this major events timeline in one of two ways: You may consult it, preferably often enough that you know the sequence of events, or you may memorize dates and names. The first method is easier; the second more old-fashioned, but both have their virtues. Feel free to adapt this for personal use by adding to these almost 60 events and dates.

Quiz on the Major Events Timeline

Caveat About the Dates

Many of the events in this timeline are only approximate or traditional. This is particularly true of the events before Greece and Rome, but even with Greece and Rome, the early years are in doubt.

4th Millennium B.C.

1. 3200 B.C. Civilization is said to have begun at Sumer.

   3rd Millennium B.C.

2. 2560 B.C. Building of the Great Pyramid of Cheops at Giza.

   2nd Millennium B.C.

3. 1900-1300 B.C. The Minoan Period - Crete.
4. 1795-1750 B.C. Hammurabi, who wrote the first legal code, conquered Mesopotamia, the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
5. 1200 B.C. Fall of Troy - if there was a Trojan War.

   1st Millennium B.C.

6. 995 B.C. The Hebrew King David captured Jerusalem.

   8th Century B.C.

7. 780 - 560 B.C. Greeks sent settlers to create colonies in Asia Minor.
8. 776 B.C. Legendary start of the Ancient Olympics.
9. 753 B.C. Legendary founding of Rome. [See Ancient Rome Timeline.]

   7th Century B.C.

10. 621 B.C. Greek lawgiver Draco.
11. 612 B.C. Nineveh (the capital of Babylonia) was captured, marking the end of the Assyrian Empire.

    6th Century B.C.

12. 594 B.C. Solon became archon and wrote laws for Athens.

    Archons replaced kings as rulers in Athens, but there were 9 of them and their time in office was more limited than that of a king.
    William Smith A Smaller History of Greece

13. 588 B.C. Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem. Jews of Judea were exiled to Babylon.
14. 585 B.C. Thales predicts a solar eclipse.
15. 546-538 B.C. King Cyrus of Persia and the Medes defeated Croesus and captured Lydia. Cyrus freed the Jews in Babylon.
16. 509 B.C. Traditional date for the founding of the Roman Republic.
17. 508 B.C. Athenian Democracy established by Cleisthenes

    5th Century B.C.

18. 499 B.C. Greek city-states revolted against Persian rule.
19. 492 - 449 B.C. Persian Wars
20. 490 Battle of Marathon
21. 480 Thermopylae
22. 479 Salamis and Plataea
    
23. 483 B.C. Buddha - In 483 B.C. Gautama Buddha died.
24. 479 B.C. Confucius died.
25. 461 - 429 B.C. Age of Pericles and 431 - 404 B.C. Peloponnesian War

    4th Century B.C.

26. 371 B.C. Battle at Leuctra - Sparta was defeated.
27. 346 B.C. Peace of Philocrates - Philip forced Athens to accept a peace treaty with Macedonia marking the end of Greek independence.
28. 336 B.C. Alexander The Great rules Macedonia [See Alexander Timeline.]
29. Battle of Granicus - Alexander the Great fought the Persians and won. 334 B.C.
30. Battle of Issus - Macedonian forces under Alexander defeated the Persians. 333 B.C.
31. Battle of Gaugamela - defeat of Darius III, King of Persia, in October 331 B.C. at Gaugamela near Arbela.

    See Map of Alexander's Campaigns

    3rd Century B.C.

32. 276 B.C. Eratosthenes measures the Earth's circumference.
33. 265 - 241 B.C. First Punic War / 218 - 201 B.C. 2nd Punic War - Hannibal / 149 - 146 B.C. Third Punic War
34. 221 B.C. Great Wall of China Building begun during the Qin Dynasty. The wall was built along 1,200 miles of China's northern border.
35. 215 - 148 B.C. The Macedonian Wars lead to Rome's control of Greece.
36. 206 B.C. Start of the Han Dynasty.

    2nd Century B.C.

37. 135 B.C. The first Servile War - The slaves of Sicily revolted against Rome.
38. 133 B.C. - 123 B.C. The Gracchi.

    1st Century B.C.

39. 91 - 88 B.C. The Social War - Revolt of the Italians who wanted Roman citizenship.
40. 89 - 84 B.C. The Mithridatic Wars - between Mithridates of Pontus and Rome.
41. 60 B.C. Pompey, Crassus and Julius Caesar form the First Triumvirate. [See Caesar Timeline.]
42. 55 B.C. Caesar invades Britain. [See Roman Britain Timeline.]
43. 49 B.C. Caesar's Campaigns leading to: Caesar crosses the Rubicon.
44. 44 B.C. Ides of March (March 15) Caesar assassinated.
45. 43 B.C. Second Triumvirate - Mark Antony, Octavian and M Aemillius Lepidus.
46. 31 B.C. Battle of Actium - Antony and Cleopatra were defeated. Soon after, Augustus (Octavian) became the first emperor of Rome.
47. c. 3 B.C. Jesus was born.

    1st Century A.D.

48. 9 A.D. German tribes destroyed 3 Roman legions under P. Quinctilius Varnus in the Teutoberg Forest.
49. 64 A.D. Rome burned while Nero (supposedly) fiddled.
50. 79 A.D. Mount Vesuvius Erupted covering Pompeii and Herculaneum.

    2nd Century A.D.

51. 122 A.D. Hadrian's Wall was begun as a defensive wall to stretch 70 miles across Northern England.

    3rd Century A.D.

52. 212 A.D. Edict of Caracalla extended Roman citizenship to all free inhabitants of the Empire.
53. 284 - 305 A.D. Age of Diocletian - Diocletian divided the empire into four administrative units. From then on, there was usually more than one head of Rome.

    4th Century A.D.

54. 313 A.D. Decree of Milan legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire.
55. 324 A.D. Constantine the Great established his capital at Byzantium (Constantinople)
56. 378 A.D. Emperor Valens killed by the Visigoths at the Battle at Adrianople.

    5th Century A.D.

57. 410 A.D. Rome sacked by the Visigoths.
58. 451 A.D. Attila the Hun faced the Visigoths and Romans together in the Battle of Chalons. He went on to invade Italy, but was convinced to withdraw by Pope Leo. He died in 453 A.D.
59. 455 A.D. Vandals sacked Rome.
60. 476 A.D. Western Roman Empire ended - Emperor Romulus Augustulus was removed from office.