Ancient Greece
The Parthenon stands on the Acropolis in Athens, a stone symbol of a civilization that spanned from the 12th century BC to the 6th century AD. This era began with the Greek Dark Ages, an archaeological period defined by protogeometric and geometric pottery designs. Three centuries after the Bronze Age collapse, urban poleis emerged around the 8th century BC. The Archaic period followed, leading into the Classical period which started with the Persian invasion of Greece in 480 BC. This Classical age ended with the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC. The Hellenistic period lasted until 30 BC when Ptolemaic Egypt fell to Rome. Roman rule began in 146 BC after the Battle of Corinth. Late Antiquity saw the closure of the Academy of Athens by Justinian I in 529 AD.
Ancient Greece consisted of several hundred relatively independent city-states known as poleis. Geography divided these regions with mountains and rivers creating natural barriers. No single powerful state existed after the Mycenaean collapse. Tyrants rose to power in places like Corinth from 657 BC. Athens developed its democratic system over the course of the archaic period. Draco established a code of laws in 621 BC. Solon enacted reforms in 594 BC to balance rich and poor. Cleisthenes carried out further democratising reforms by the end of the 6th century. Sparta maintained a political system with two kings throughout the 8th and 7th centuries. Philip II formed the League of Corinth in 338 BC. He defeated a Greek alliance at the Battle of Chaeronea that same year. Alexander the Great conquered Persia starting in 334 BC. The unification under Macedon lasted only until 323 BC.
Greek population grew beyond the capacity of limited arable land during the Archaic period. Estimates suggest the population increased ten-fold from 800,000 to 10 million between 800 and 400 BC. Euboean settlements appeared at Al-Mina in the east as early as 800 BC. Ischia was founded in the west by 775 BC. Greeks settled colonies in all directions from around 750 to 500 BC. They colonized the Aegean coast of Asia Minor first. Cyprus and the coasts of Thrace followed. The Sea of Marmara and south coast of the Black Sea were also settled. Colonies reached northeast to present-day Ukraine and Russia. Southern Italy became known as Magna Graecia. Syracuse, Naples, Marseille, and Istanbul began as Greek colonies. These independent city-states played an important role in spreading influence throughout Europe. Long-distance trading networks boosted the economy of ancient Greece.
The first known philosophers of Greece were the pre-Socratics who provided naturalistic descriptions of the world. Socrates laid the basis of Western philosophy despite leaving no writings himself. Plato wrote The Republic and established a radical difference between ideas and the concrete world. Aristotle wrote extensively about nature and ethics. Pythagoras, Euclid, and Archimedes remain influential figures in mathematics today. Eudoxus of Cnidus developed three-dimensional models for planetary motion in the 4th century BC. Aristarchus of Samos suggested a heliocentric system in the 3rd century BC. Eratosthenes estimated the circumference of the Earth with great accuracy using shadow angles. Hipparchus of Nicea compiled the first star catalog in the 2nd century BC. The Antikythera mechanism dates from about 80 BC and calculated astronomical movements. Hippocrates revolutionized medicine by establishing it as a distinct profession.
Homer composed poetry orally around the time Greeks developed writing. Archilochus became the first poet to certainly compose work in writing during the mid-7th century BC. Tragedy developed around the end of the archaic period. Comedy began to develop towards the beginning of the classical period. A competition for comedy became an official event at the City Dionysia in Athens in 486 BC. Aristophanes produced Acharnians in 425 BC, the first preserved ancient comedy. Prose emerged as the writing style adopted by presocratic philosophers Anaximander and Anaximenes. The Library of Alexandria collected copies of all known authors in Greek. Hellenistic poets wrote for private rather than public consumption. Strabo and Dionysius of Halicarnassus came to Rome after Octavian's victory at Actium in 31 BC. The Temple of Concordia stands in Magna Graecia today as evidence of architectural influence. The Theatre of Epidaurus remains a 4th century BC structure used for performances.
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Common questions
When did Ancient Greece exist from start to finish?
Ancient Greece spanned from the 12th century BC to the 6th century AD. This era began with the Greek Dark Ages and ended with the closure of the Academy of Athens by Justinian I on the 529 AD.
Who founded the city-states known as poleis in Ancient Greece?
Several hundred relatively independent city-states emerged around the 8th century BC after the Bronze Age collapse. No single powerful state existed following the Mycenaean collapse, allowing urban poleis to develop across regions divided by mountains and rivers.
What was the population growth rate between 800 BC and 400 BC in Ancient Greece?
Estimates suggest the population increased ten-fold from 800,000 to 10 million between 800 BC and 400 BC. Greeks settled colonies in all directions from around 750 BC to 500 BC including the Aegean coast of Asia Minor and southern Italy.
How many slaves made up the population in Classical Athens during the 5th century BC?
Between 40% and 80% of Classical Athens were slaves during the 5th century BC. Slaves made up one-third of the total population in some city-states by the 5th century BC while owners were not allowed to beat or kill their slaves.
Which Greek philosopher suggested a heliocentric system in the 3rd century BC?
Aristarchus of Samos suggested a heliocentric system in the 3rd century BC. Other influential figures included Pythagoras, Euclid, Archimedes, and Eratosthenes who estimated the circumference of the Earth with great accuracy using shadow angles.