Timeline pertaining to the ancient Greek Literature from Homer to Phillip II
©2008 G.Theodoridis. All rights reserved.
Note: The Plays within brackets are no longer extant in full.
c850 Homer possibly active.
776 First Olympic games
c700 Hesiod. Poet
640 Stesichorus. Lyric Poet. (died 555)
630/612 Sappho born. Poet (died c570)
c600 Anaximender. Philosopher (died 540)
late 5th cent Cratylus. Philosopher
late 5th cent Thales. Philosopher
c585 Anaximenes. Philosopher (died c525)
580-572 Pythagoras. Mathematician. Philosopher (died 500-490)
570 Xenophanes, Philosopher(died 480)
c570 Sappho dies
563 Anacreon. Lyric Poet (died 478)
c560 Ibycus. Greek Lyric poet
560-527 Tyranny of Peisistratus (died 527)
535 The first City Dionysia contest. Thespis wins the prize.
c535 Heraclitus. Philosopher (died 475)
c525/4 Aeschylus born. Dramaturg. (died 455/4)
524 Choerilus (Dramaturg) exhibited. All plays lost. (150 tragedies; thirteen times winner of 1st Prize)
522 Pindar born. Poet (died 443)
511 Phrynicus of Miletus. Dramaturg First tragic victory. Pupil of Thespis.
(The Capture of Miletus). In 476 (Phoenissae) introduced women onto the stage, (played by men.)
c500 Anaxagoras born. Philosopher (died c428)
c500 Melanippides. Dithyrambic Poet
c500 Pratinas. Dramaturg. Introduced the satyr plays
c500 Anaxagoras (died 428)
early 5th cent. Parmenides. Philosopher
498 Pindar’s earliest poem (The Tenth Pythian Ode)
496 Sophocles born . Dramaturg.(died 406)
495 Pericles born. Athenian politician. General. (died 429)
c490 Ion of Chios. Poet. Philosopher. Dramaturg (died c424)
c490 Zeno. Philosopher (died c430)
c490 Herodotus born. “Father of History.” (died between 430 and 420)
c490 Empedocles. Philosopher (died 430)
c490 Protagoras. Philosopher (died 420)
490 Athenian victory over the Persians at Marathon.
487 First ostracism held in Athens.
485 Aeschylus’ first victory
480 Xerxes invades Greece
480 Birth of Euripides
479 Greek victories at Plataea and Mycale
478 Foundation of Delian League
476 Pindar’s First Olympian Ode
472 Aeschylus’ “Rhineus”, “Persae” (first surviving play) “Glaucus” and “Prometheus Bound.”
470 Pindar’s First Pythian Ode
469 Socrates born. Philosopher (died 399)
468 Sophocles’ first exhibition (and victory over Aeschylus)
467 Aeschylus’ “Laius,” “Oedipus,” “Seven Against Thebes” and “Sphinx”
c465 Prodicus. Philosopher (died 415)
463? Aeschylus’ “Suppliant Women.”
461-451 War between Athens and Sparta. (First Peloponnesian War)
c460 Hippias of Elis. Philosopher. (died c399)
c460 Aeschylus’ “Prometheus Bound”
458-7 Building of Long Walls from Athens to Piraeus.
458 Aeschylus’ “Oresteia” and “Proteus.”
457? 445? Aristophanes born. Dramaturg. Comedy. (died 385)
c456/5 Aeschylus dies
455 Euripides’ First production (at City Dionysia)
454 Treasury of the Delian League is moved from Delos to Athens.
454/3 Kratinos’ 1st Victory. Comedy. (The Bottle?
c450 Praxilla of Sicyon. Lyric Poet
450 Alcibiades born. Athenian General. (died 404)
c450 Sophocles’ “Women of Trachis”
c507? Bacchylides of Ceos. Lyric Poet.(flourished c 467)
c446 Aristophanes born
445 Thirty year peace between Athens and Sparta
445 Antisthenes (Socrates’ most devoted student) born (died 360)
445-426 Herodotus of Halicarnassus active
442-438 Parthenon Frieze
443 Ostracism of Thucydides; beginning of Pericles’ supremacy.
441 Euripides’ first victory
c441 Sophocles’ “Antigone”
c440 Euripides’ “Rhesus”
c440 Leucippus. Philosopher (floruit)
c440 Democritus. Philosopher (floruit)
438 Euripides’ “Alcestis” (Cressae, Alcmaeon in Psophis, Telephus)
436 Isocrates. Rhetorician (died 338)
435/4 Kalias. Dramaturg (Kyklopes)
432 Parthenon completed (built by Iktinos and Kalikrates)
431 Start of second Peloponnesian War
431 Thucydides begins his “History.”
431 Euripides’ “Medea.” (Philoctetes, Dictys, Thersitae)
431/0 Kratinos’ (Dionysalexandros)
c431 Xenophon born (died 355)
c430 Euripides’ “Heracleidae”
429 Sophocles’ Oedipus the King (first produced)
429 Plato born (died 347)
429 Euripides (Hippolytus)
428/7 Aristophanes’ (Daitales)
428 Revolt of Mytelene
428 Euripides’ “Hippolytus”
428 Xenophon’s “Athinaion Politeia”
428? Publication of Herodotus’ “Histories”
427 First Athenian expedition to Sicily
427 Aristophanes’ “Banqueters”
426 Sophocles’ “Oedipus Rex” and “Trachiniae”
426 Aristophanes’ “Babylonians.”
426 Chaerophon asks Delphi in Corinth if Socrates was wisest man. Delphi replies “yes.”
c426/5 Euripides’ “Andromache”
425/4 Kratinos. Dramaturg (Deliades)
425 Aristophanes’ “Acharnians.”
425 Cleon dominant in Athens. Date of birth uncertain. Died 422
424/3 Kratinos 1st Prize with (Pytine)
424 Thucydides exiled from Athens
424 Euripides’ “Hekabe.”
424 Aristophanes’ “Knights”
424/3 Aristophanes (Holkades); Ameipsias (Konnos)
423 Aristophanes’ “Clouds”
423/2 Aristophanes (Proagon); Leukon (Presbeis)
422 Brasidas and Cleon (Generals) killed in northern Greece
422 Aristophanes’ “Wasps.”
c422 Death of Kratinos
c422/3 Euripides’ “Supplices”
422/1 Eupolis. Dramaturg (Marikas, Kolakes))
421/0 Pherekrates. Dramaturg (Agrioi)
421/0 Eupolis’(Autolykos)
421 Peace of Nikias between Athens and Sparta
421 Aristophanes’ “Peace.”
c420 Euripides’ “Elektra”
c417/6 Euripides’ “Heracles”
416 Athenians attack Melos and enslave inhabitants.
416 Erroneously extrapolated date of Plato’s “Symposium.” Plato would only be ten years old. He published it in the 380s.
416 Agathon wins tragic victory at Lenaia.
416/5 Phrynicus. Dramaturg (Monotropos)
415 Athenian expedition to Sicily.
415 Alcibiades exiled.
415 Euripides’ “Trojan Women” (Sisyphus, Alexander, Palamedes)
415/4 Aristophanes’ “Birds,” (Amphiaraus, produced by Philonides); Ameipsia (Komastai)
c414 Euripides’ “Ion.”
c414 Euripides’ “Iphigeneia in Tauris.”
413 Athenian expedition in Sicily devastated.
413 Euripides’ “Elektra.”
413 Sophocles’ “Elektra.”
413/2 Eupolis’ (Demoi)
412 Euripides’ “Helen”
412? 404? Diogenes of Sinope. Philosopher (died 323)
411 Aristophanes’ “Lysistrata” “Thesmophoriazousae.”
410 Democracy restored in Athens
c410 Euripides’ “Phoenician Women”
410-387 Andocides and Lysias speech writers.
409 Sophocles’ “Philoctetes.” 1st Prize.
c409 Euripides’ “Phoenissae (Oenomaus, Chrysippus)
c408 Sophocles’ “Ajax”
c408 Sophocles’ “Elektra”
408 Euripides’ “Orestes.”
408 Aristophanes’ first “Plutus.”
408/7 Aristophanes (Gerytades)
407-6 Alcibiades returns from exile
406/5 Phrynicus (Mousai) Platon (Kleophon)- Dramaturgs.
406/5 Sophocles dies.
406 Euripides dies.
405 Aristophanes’ “Frogs.”
405 Euripides’ “Bacchae” and “Iphigeneia in Aulis.” Posthumously produced
404 End of war between Athens and Sparta. Rule of the 30 tyrants (for eight months)
401 Sophocles’ “Oedipus at Colonus.”
c400 Timotheus. Athenian General from 378 to 356. Imperialist. (died 354)
400 Ephoros. Historian (died 330)
399 Trial and execution of Socrates. Plato leaves Athens.
397-338 Isocrates, educator and writer active
395 Publication of Thucydides’ “History.”
395 Antimachus, epic poet, active.
395/4 Aristomenes. Dramaturg (Dionysus)
395-393 Athens rebuilds her Long Walls.
392 Aristophanes’ “Ecclesiazousae.”
392/1 Platon’s (Phaeon)
390-354 Xenophon, historian and essayist, active. “Anabasis”
(post)388 Aristophanes’ (Aiolosikon and Cocalus) produced by his son, Araros
389/8 Alkaios (Pasiphae), Nikophon (Adonis), Nikochares (Lakones), Dramaturgs.
388 Aristophanes’ second “Plutus”
387 Plato founds the Academy.
387 Gauls sack Rome
387/6 Aristophanes’ “Kokalos” (non extant)
c386 Aristophanes Dies
384 Aristotle born. (Died 322)
384 Demosthenes born. (Died 322)
380 Theopompous (Athenian historian, rhetorician)
367 Aristotle joins the Academy
ca 362 Philemon (Φιλήμων) Comic playwright (died ca 262)
359 Philip II becomes King of Macedon –End of period of the free City States. Macedonian domination and the Hellenistic period begin.
356 Alexander the Great born (dies 323)
347 Plato dies.
341/2 Menander born (died ca 293/89) “New Comedy”
323 Alexander the Great dies
323-322 Lamian War (Athens and allies against the Macedonian Antipater)
322 Aristotle dies
322 Demosthenes (The voice against Macedonia) dies
319 Antipater dies.
317/6 Menander’s Dyskolos at Lenaian festival
ca293/289 Menander dies
ca262 Philemon dies
NOTE: For help with the pronunciation of most of these names go Here
