Table of Contents:
CLASSICAL GREEK HISTORY, 499 B.C.
ALEXANDER 337 BC.
ROMAN EMPIRE 31 B.C.
CHRISTIANS 31 A.D.
OTTOMANS, 1453 AD.
GREEK WAR OF INDEPENDENCE 1814 A.D.
MODERN GREECE 1832 AD.
Let’s start at the very beginning.
130,000 – 7000 BC. Evidence of tools and human presence indicates activity in the land that will become Greece. This activity is before “record-keeping” begins.
Stone or Neolithic Age. (7000 BC to 3200 BC). Agricultural groups (farmers) begin wandering into the mainland area of Greece from the near-east (Western Asia). As the name implies, they use tools and weapons of stone.
Bronze or Helladic Age. (3200 BC to 1100 BC). Significantly, the invention of tools and weapons from bronze helps the advance of the culture.
It’s from the Greek.
Around about 3000 BC., they are using Proto-Greek languages. From this, Mycenaean, Aeolic, Doric, Mycenaean, and Ionic Greek will split off.
At the same time, on the island of Crete, you have signs of the Minoan Civilization. They flourished between 2600 to 1400 BC. with as many as eight administrative regions and 90 cities.
1600 BC. – Civilization on the mainland is advancing with engineering, organization, architecture, art, and writing. As a result, the centers of Thebes and Athens on the continent thrive.
In the Peloponnese, you have Pylos, Tiryns, Midea, and most prominent, Mycenae, which the culture is named after. They develop the Linear B script. It is the first Greek records in writing. Also, by 1400 BC., they have become warriors.
1400 BC. – Then, With little evidence in Greek history as to why the Minoan civilization begins to fall. Many believe it is a combination of natural disasters and attacks from the Mycenaean Greeks.
1200 BC – 1150 BC. – The empires, dynasties, and kingdoms crumble in a relatively short period due to inter-fighting and? Greek history is hazy here. Much of the world (at this time) falls back into individual, separate villages.
1100 BC – 900 BC. This period of Greek history is empty of culture, including writing, so there is little record of history. Many refer to it as the Greek Dark Ages.
899 BC – 600 BC. We refer to it as the archaic period. Greeks begin to leave their villages and seek other homes. Small battles grow into large ones. We start to see the formation of city-states.
By the end of this period, Athens, Corinth, Thebes, and Sparta emerge as the most powerful city-states (Polis). Due to increasing populations, the Greeks begin expanding into present-day Italy and Turkey.
Let the Games Begin.
In 776 BC, the first of the ancient Olympic Games take place. They are one part athletic event but a more significant part as a political tool to assert dominance over their rivals. Politicians use the games to announce political alliances. If a war is going on during the games, priests make sacrifices to the gods for victory.
The games spread Greek culture throughout the Mediterranean. Sculptors and poets would trade their works to patrons. During the games, there was a truce so that spectators and athletes could travel to, and participate in the fun.
600 BC – 500 BC. Peisistratus takes control of Athens and rules as a favorite tyrant. His son, Hippias, succeeds him but falls from favor. In 508 BC, the Athenian nobles assist the Spartans in liberating Athens from him. A year later, Athens and Sparta turn on each other.
The Athenians come together as a democracy and expel the Spartans.
A side note during this time. In 509 B.C., just west of Greece, The Roman Republic begins to take shape. This Republic will play a part in Greek history later.
Classical Greek History. The Golden Age.
499 BC. – The Ionian city-states under Persian rule start rebelling with the help of Athens. By 494, they expel the Persians. In 490, Darius attacks the Athenian fleet for supporting the Ionians. Athens wins the battle of Marathon and the Persians retreat.
480 BC. – The Persians are back, and several Northern and Central Greek city-states submit to Persian rule. A year later, the Athenians and Spartans, push the Persians out of Greece and go on the offense.
In 478 BC, they set up the Delian League (on Delos). This group of 150 – 300 city-states under the leadership of Athens is to continue the fight against the Persians. Athens begins using it for its gains instead of those of the league.
First Peloponnesian War.
460 B.C. And Sparta and its allies are at war with the Delian League. In 446 B.C., Sparta and Athens reach peace. By 431 BC., they are back at it. Greek history seems to have several “short” peace periods.
Second Peloponnesian War.
For the next 26 years, it goes back and forth. Athens is winning, Sparta winning. Finally, in 405 BC., Sparta gets financial backing from the Persians. They destroy the Athenian fleet, and Athens surrenders in 404 BC.
Sparta is too weak to rule, and the Corinthian War begins between Sparta and Argos, Thebes, Corinth, and Athens. It ends in a stalemate. Soon all of the city-states are too weak to conquer anyone.
Philip, Almost the Great.
At the same time in Macedon, (now northern Greece), Philip II is unifying his kingdom. He first takes Thrace to the east, before taking over Thessaly (central Greece) around 340 BC.
By 338 BC, Macedon is in control of all of Greece except Sparta.
The following year, Philip turns his attention to the Persians to the east. The next year, Philip’s bodyguard assassinates him, perhaps at the urging of Philip’s wife or son. You will see, that Greek history seems to involve some family issues.
Alexander the Great.
Taking up in his father’s footsteps, Alexander pursues Darius while he defeats one Persian army after another. In 330 B.C., with Alexander closing in, the Persians kill Darius and leave the body for Alexander. With the defeat over Darius, Alexander earns the title “The Great.”
He continues south to Egypt and east to India, extending the boundaries of Macedonia. In 323 BC., his empire reaches from the Adriatic Sea to the Indus River between India and Pakistan. Returning from war with his troops, Alexander dies (is murdered?) in Babylon in June of 323 BC.
His generals fight over control of the empire. Several civil wars tear the realm apart.
Many consider this the end of the Golden Age in Greek history.
Ptolemy I Soter, a Macedonian general under Alexander, becomes ruler of Egypt upon Alexander’s death. In 305 BC., he declares himself Pharaoh. This dynasty will rule Egypt until 30 B.C. when his descendant Cleopatra VII falls to the Romans.
Alexander’s officer Seleucus, with the support of Ptolemy in Egypt, takes control of Babylon. He adds Persia and Media to his empire. The Seleucid dynasty lasts until 64 B.C. when it falls to the Romans.
Greek History in the Hellenistic Period.
The ancient Greek word for Greece is Hellas. Hellenistic derives from this.
323 BC and the Greek cultural influence is at its peak from Western Asia to Europe.
The Antigonids dynasty of kings is ruling Macedonia and many of the city-states of Greece. The city-states can win back some power, but not enough to get out from under the king.
They form into two leagues; the Achaean League (Thebes, Corinth, and Argos) and the Aetolian League (Sparta and Athens). For almost the next 200 years, they are at war with each other. They also ally with different sides in the conflicts between the other parts of Alexander’s empire.
In 149 BC., the Macedonian empire and the Greek city-states fall to the Roman Republic.
88 B.C. The Greeks stage an uprising, which the Romans quickly crush.
Read more about Italy’s History.
The Roman Empire.
In 31 B.C. Octavian becomes Emperor of the Roman Empire.
In the beginning, there is political stability and prosperity in Greece. Much of the Roman culture comes from the Greeks. The Greek language is popular with the Roman elite.
Especially important, the Roman emperors admire all things Greek. Walking through today’s Plaka, it is hard not to come across something with Hadrian’s name on it.
The man from Tarsus.
The Apostle Paul comes to Greece during his second missionary journey. He visits northern Greece on his way to Athens. Greek history shows that Greece becomes one of the most Christian areas in the empire.
The empire grows and has excellent prosperity. It is during the reign of Trajan (98 – 117 AD.) that it reaches its zenith. It oversees an estimated 70 million people. In those days, that’s 1/5th of the world’s entire population.
Then the Romans, not learning from their history, begin to slide the slippery slope to destruction. Abuses of power, civil wars, etc., etc., etc., lead to instability of the leaders and a split between the citizens.
A new approach.
Constantine the Great becomes the senior western emperor in 306 AD., upon his father’s death.
Specifically, he begins administrative, financial, social, and military reforms to rebuild. These changes, including the separation of civil and military leadership and currency based on gold, stabilize the empire.
Also, in 313 AD., he takes part in the signing of the Edict of Milan. This document gives Christianity a legal status. It will not become the official religion of the empire until 580 AD. under Emperor Theodosius.
A rise in the east, A fall in the west.
324 AD. Constantine finally puts down the remaining factions and becomes the sole ruler of the empire.
330 AD., he establishes a second capital in the eastern city of Byzantium, famous for its strategic location. It was such a great idea at the time.
In conclusion, it was the beginning of the end of the Western Roman Empire in Italy.
476 AD. With resources spread between two capitals, the western empire can no longer defend itself and falls to Germanic forces. The Eastern Empire, (today it is known as the Byzantine Empire), holds on until 1453 with the overthrow by the Ottomans. Greece remains a part of the Eastern.
Turkocracy.
The Ottomans occupy most of the mainland of Greece, but they ignore most of the mountainous regions of the continent. Some of the islands remain under Venetian rule. As a result, these become refuges for Greeks fleeing Ottoman rule.
The Greeks get some freedom but have no control. The workers become the navy for the empire, while the rich become the bureaucrats and tax collectors.
Also, the Greek Orthodox Church survives, but under the control of the Sultan. What better way to control your enemies?
The Greek’s quality of life deteriorates. They get barely enough to survive on. Also, they receive heavy taxes they must pay. By 1600 AD., their attitude is not happy.
To keep the peace, the Ottomans send in more military might. Likewise, more Greeks desert Greece. Some flee to the mountains to fight at a later day. Some go into exile in countries outside the reach of the Ottomans.
The haves and have-nots.
By 1700 AD., there are two Greek classes. The poor, who by now are nothing more than serfs. This split in ranks leads to more poverty and more people fleeing.
Then, the wealthy, Greeks with educations become diplomats and merchants. They travel to other countries where they learn about nationalism and liberalism. The idea of a Greek nationalist movement is incubating.
1768 – Catherine the Great (Russia) attacks the Ottomans hoping a Christian rebellion will support her. It does not.
1789 – The French revolution takes place, and the oppressed rise up. This revolution puts fuel under the Greek nationalist movement idea.
The French in Greek history.
Although Greece is not in the middle of the Napoleonic Wars, it feels its effects. This war starts to bring Greece out of its centuries of isolation.
1797 AD. – Napoleon defeats the Venetians. This victory frees many of the Greek Islands under their control.
Read more on France’s History.
1799 AD. – Russia drives off the French and makes the Ionian islands free and independent states. At this time, John Capodistrias becomes one of the two ministers.
Greece is back on the radar. Also, Europeans begin visiting and taking home antiquities.
Greek War of Independence.
1814 AD. – A secret Greek nationalist organization forms in Odessa. They call themselves the “Friendly Society.” Funding comes from wealthy Greeks in exile, and European sympathizers such as Lord Byron. In time, Russia also funds them through covert channels.
1821 – On March 25, the Bishop of Patras proclaims a national uprising. Due to rebellion all over the country and the surprise of it, the Greeks can capture several areas. Recovering from the shock, the Ottomans strike back. It is a vicious, bloody attack wiping out entire towns. This evil creates worldly sympathy for Greece from the Europeans who have been visiting over the last 20 years.
For the next four years, the Greeks fight the Ottomans and unfortunately, each other. They do not win either.
But You got to have Friends.
In 1825 the Sultan sent a mighty army to wipe out the Greeks once and for all. In 1827 the British, French, and Russians joined forces. They destroy the Ottoman fleet at the Battle of Navarino. Finally, with this significant Ottoman supply line cut, Greece has a chance.
1827 AD. – The three powers force the Ottomans to give Greece autonomy. Also, they send troops to make sure the Ottomans depart.
1828 AD. – The Russians attack the Ottomans in the black Sea, crippling their strength and pushing them towards collapse. At the same time, the French are in the Peloponnese evacuating the Ottoman and Egyptian troops from Greece. John Capodistrias is the unofficial head of state.
1829 – The three powers propose an independent Greek state. However, the Northern border runs through the central part of today’s Greece, and it only includes some of the islands. After receiving so much help from others, Greece is in no position to complain.
1831 – A rival Greek family assassinates John Capodistrias. Quickly, the three powers insist that Greece be a monarchy and place the Bavarian Prince Otto on the throne.
Putting it together. Bit by Bit.
1832 – The Treaty of Constantinople gives Greece the Peloponnese. Also, they receive more of the mainland.
1864 – Greece acquires the islands in the Ionian Sea from Britain.
1881 – They win the region of Thessaly (Central Greece) from the Ottomans.
1913 – As part of their share from the Balkan Wars, they receive Crete and the northern Aegean islands. Also, the regions of Epirus and Macedonia make up most of today’s north part of Greece.
1919 – They receive West Thrace, (N.E. Greece), from Bulgaria.
1940 – Italy invades Greece at the beginning of WWII. Greece repels them. This win is the first Allied victory of the war.
1941 – Then, Hitler sends in troops from Germany, Bulgaria, and Italy and invades Greece.
1942 – 1944. – Indeed, this is a very dark time in Greek history. Thousands of Greeks die from fighting, the disease in concentration camps, or of starvation. The Germans kill a majority of the Greek Jewish community. The Greek economy is almost non-existent.
1944 – Finally, the Germans begin withdrawing north to avoid the Russians advancing from the east.
1944 – 1949. – The Greek Civil War breaks out. It is between the non-Marxist forces and the Communist Party of Greece and their Democratic Army (KKE). The KKE also fights against the government returning from exile. The KKE finally loses when NATO bombs them.
1947 – With the end of WWII, Greece is finally back together again. The Italians have possession of the Dodecanese islands after a land grab from the Ottomans in 1912. As part of war payments, Greece takes control.
Like a Phoenix Rising From the Ashes.
1949 – 1967. Without delay, Greece makes full use of the Marshall Plan grants to rebuild. Also, in 1952 they join NATO and become part of the Western Bloc.
1967 – The Greek military seizes power during a coup. They set up a junta government, and in 1973, they abolish the Greek monarchy. Then, in 1974 after a coup in Greece and on Cyprus, the military regime starts in-fighting. Shortly, they destroy themselves.
1974 – A referendum establishes a democratic republican constitution. Greece stabilizes, and the economy improves.
Also, they rejoin NATO in 1980, the E.U. in 1981, and adopt the Euro in 2001.
Greek History Summary.
Also, just a few other things happen along the way.
The scope of Greece’s history is visible through many of the UNESCO World Heritage sites in Greece. There are 16 cultural and two mixed currently. Also, there are 14 more up for consideration.
To learn more about their history, Click on Greece – UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
In conclusion, they all live happily ever after.