Editing Classical Greece (section)

== Timeline ==
The Classical Period, conventionally 479–323 BCE, begins with the defeat of the Persian invasion and ends with the death of [[Alexander the Great]]; its arc is defined by Athenian naval empire and cultural ascendancy, the [[Peloponnesian War]] and its aftermath, shifting land hegemonies, and finally Macedonian consolidation under Philip II and Alexander. Major events include:

* 478/477 BCE: Formation of the '''Delian League''' under Athenian leadership; allied treasury established on '''Delos''' for continued war against Persia.

* 476/475 BCE: '''[[Cimon]]''' captures Eion on the Strymon, securing a Thracian grain and timber corridor for Athenian shipping.

* ~469 BCE: Revolt of '''Naxos''' against the League is suppressed, marking the shift from alliance to Athenian coercive empire.

* ~466 BCE: Cimon’s victory at the '''Eurymedon''' (river and bay) breaks Persian naval strength in the Aegean and secures '''Ionia'''.

* 465–463 BCE: Revolt of '''Thasos''' over mines and markets is crushed by Athens; Thasos loses fleet, walls, and autonomy.

* 464 BCE: Great earthquake at '''Sparta''' triggers a prolonged '''helot revolt'''; Spartan refusal to accept Athenian help strain relations with Athens despite Cimon's championship of Sparta.

* 462–461 BCE: Ephialtes’ reforms curtail the '''Areopagus''' and redistribute judicial powers; Cimon is '''ostracized'''; democracy consolidates.

* 460–446 BCE: '''First Peloponnesian War''' between Athens and Sparta and their allies; mixed land–sea conflict across central Greece and the Saronic–Corinthian corridors.

* 458–456 BCE: Construction of the '''Long Walls''' links Athens to Piraeus and Phaleron, locking in a sea‑power strategy.

* 457 BCE: '''Battle of Tanagra''' checks Athenian land power; later that year Athens defeats Boeotians at Enophyta and expands influence in central Greece.

* 454 BCE: Allied treasury is moved from Delos to Athens; tribute accounts begin to be inscribed and displayed on the Acropolis.

* 451/450 BCE: [[Pericles]]’ citizenship law restricts Athenian citizenship to children of two citizen parents; kinship, dowry, and deme registration tighten.

* ~449 BCE: Putative '''Peace of Callias''' ends open hostilities with Persia (ancient testimonies divided); Athens redirects resources to Aegean control and building.

* 447–432 BCE: Periclean building program; '''Parthenon''' begun (447) and '''Athena Parthenos''' dedicated (438); Propylaia and other works reshape the Acropolis.

* 446/445 BCE: '''Thirty Years’ Peace''' between Athens and Sparta resets spheres of influence and pauses direct war.

* 440–439 BCE: '''Samian War'''; Athens suppresses Samos after a hard campaign, reaffirming imperial reach over major allies.

* 435–432 BCE: Corcyra and Potidaea crises, Megarian decrees, and diplomatic breakdowns fracture the peace system.

* 431–404 BCE: '''Peloponnesian War'''; a protracted, three‑phase conflict that exhausts the Greek mainland and reorders alliances.

* 430–426 BCE: Plague at Athens devastates population during the Archidamian phase; Pericles dies in 429.

* 428–427 BCE: Mytilenean revolt and its debated punishment expose imperial decision‑making under strain; Plataea falls after siege.

* 425 BCE: Athenian victory at '''Pylos''' and '''Sphacteria''' captures Spartan hoplites alive, shifting leverage at the negotiating table.

* 422 BCE: Deaths of '''Brasidas''' and '''Cleon''' at Amphipolis set conditions for a temporary settlement.

* 421 BCE: '''Peace of Nicias''' attempts to stabilize the war but leaves unresolved commitments and mistrust.

* 418 BCE: Spartan victory at '''Mantinea''' arrests Argive–Athenian–Mantinean attempts to roll back Peloponnesian land power.

* 416–415 BCE: Siege and massacre at '''Melos''' reveal the hard edge of Athenian imperial practice; debate and scandal accompany decision for western expansion.

* 415–413 BCE: Sicilian Expedition ends in destruction at '''Syracuse'''; concurrent Spartan fortification of Decelea cripples Attic agriculture and logistics.

* 412–404 BCE: '''Ionian War'''; Persian subsidies rebuild Spartan fleets; Athenian regime oscillates through the oligarchic coup of the '''Four Hundred''' (411) and a democratic restoration (410).

* 406 BCE: Athenian naval victory at '''Arginusae''' is followed by the controversial trial and execution of the generals.

* 405 BCE: '''Lysander''' destroys the Athenian fleet at Aegospotami; grain routes severed; Athens starves.

* 404 BCE: Athens surrenders; Long Walls demolished; oligarchic '''Thirty Tyrants''' installed under Spartan auspices.

* 403 BCE: Democratic restoration and amnesty at Athens; adoption of the '''Ionic alphabet''' standardizes script for public documents.

* 401–399 BCE: '''Cyrus the Younger'''’s revolt and the Ten Thousand’s retreat reveal Greek mercenary reach in Anatolia; '''Socrates''' is tried and executed at Athens (399).

* 395–387 BCE: '''Corinthian War''' pits Athens, Thebes, Corinth, and Argos against Spartan hegemony; naval defeat of Sparta at '''Cnidus''' (394) breaks its sea power.

* 387/386 BCE: '''King’s Peace''' (Peace of Antalcidas) imposes Persian terms: autonomy clauses fragment poleis and '''cede Asia Minor Greeks to Persia''', ending the war.

* 382–379 BCE: Spartan seizure of the Theban Kadmeia followed by Theban liberation catalyzes a new balance.

* 378/377 BCE: '''Second Athenian League''' is founded on anti‑imperial terms to counter Sparta '''without overt tribute mechanisms'''.

* 371 BCE: Theban victory over Sparta at '''Leuctra''' shatters Spartan hoplite prestige and frees Theban strategy to project power.

* 370–369 BCE: '''Epaminondas''' invades Laconia; '''Messenia''' is refounded and fortified at Messene; '''Arcadian League''' forms with Megalopolis as a federal capital.

* 369–362 BCE: Theban hegemony in central Greece challenges both Sparta and Athens but remains resource‑limited.

* 362 BCE: '''Battle of Mantinea''' yields no durable hegemon; Epaminondas falls; the Greek mainland enters a '''multipolar equilibrium'''.

* 359 BCE: '''Philip II''' becomes king of '''Macedon'''; military and fiscal reforms begin to transform a peripheral monarchy into a decisive land power.

* 357–355 BCE: '''Social War''' weakens Athens and erodes the Second Athenian League’s cohesion.

* 356–346 BCE: '''Third Sacred War''' destabilizes central Greece; Philip II exploits the conflict to secure Thessaly and entry into Amphictyonic affairs.

* 349–348 BCE: '''Olynthian War''' ends with the destruction of Olynthus; Chalcidice is annexed by Macedon.

* 346 BCE: '''Peace of Philocrates''' recognizes Philip’s gains; Athenian–Macedonian relations remain brittle.

* 338 BCE: Philip II defeats the allied Athenians and Thebans at '''Chaeronea'''; southern Greece is brought under Macedonian dominance.

* 337 BCE: '''League of Corinth''' is established with Philip as hegemon; a pan‑Greek campaign against Persia is decreed.

* 336 BCE: Philip II is assassinated; '''Alexander III''' succeeds; Macedonian control is reaffirmed across Greece.

* 335 BCE: '''Revolt of Thebes''' is crushed and the city destroyed; '''Aristotle''' founds the '''Lyceum''' at Athens; Macedonian authority is uncontested on the mainland.

* 334 BCE: Alexander crosses into Asia; victory at the '''Granicus''' opens western Asia Minor; Greek cities are “liberated” under Macedonian terms.

* 333 BCE: Victory at '''Issus''' forces Persian royal flight and reconfigures the Levantine theater.

* 332 BCE: Prolonged siege and capture of '''Tyre'''; '''Gaza''' falls; '''Egypt''' submits; Alexander is hailed as pharaoh.

* 331 BCE: Victory at '''Gaugamela''' breaks Achaemenid field power; '''Alexandria''' is founded in Egypt; '''Babylon''' and '''Susa''' are occupied.

* 330 BCE: '''Persepolis''' is taken and burned; '''Darius III''' is killed; the Persian imperial core collapses; campaigns shift to the east.

* 327–325 BCE: Bactrian and Indian campaigns extend Macedonian control to the '''Indus'''; victory at the '''Hydaspes''' (326) is followed by a forced return through '''Gedrosia''' and a coastal voyage by '''Nearchus'''.

* 324 BCE: Susa mass weddings and the '''Exiles Decree''' signal integrative imperial policies; court tensions rise over honors and succession.

* 323 BCE: Alexander dies at Babylon; the '''Argead empire''' fragments among successors; the Classical period conventionally closes and the Hellenistic era begins.