Egyptian Hieroglyphics

Early Latin. ca.700 B.C.

Ionic Greek adopted in 403 B.C.

Trajan Inscription A.D. 114

1000 BC – 500 AD

Historical Events | Literature

Historical Events BC
1000 King David rules Israel and Judea.
925 Death of Solomon.
883 Ashurnasirpal II becomes king of Assyria.
776 First recorded Olympic Games.
753 Traditional date of founding of Rome.
ca. 750 Homer writes the Iliad and the Odyssey.
744 Beginning of Assyrian conquests.
672 Romans create twelve–month calendar.
628 Zoroaster, founder of Persian religion, born.
ca.600 Aesop's Fables written. Sappho of Lesbos writes her poetry.
Phoenicians circumnavigate Africa.
587 Jerusalem destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar II.
581 Pythagoras, mathematician and philosopher, born.
ca. 563 Birth of Buddha.
551 Birth of Confucius.
550 Nebuchadnezzar II builds palace with hanging gardens.
521 Buddha preaches first sermon.
509 Rome declared a republic.
ca.500 Greek pottery figures change from black to red.
Pindar writes odes. Ancient Hindu poem the Ramayana written.
490 Greeks defeat Persians in Battle of Marathon.
487 Aeschylus' Oresteia trilogy performed.
484 Herodotus, father of history born.
483 Death of Buddha.
479 Death of Confucius.
447 Greeks build Parthenon on the Acropolis. Sculptures by Phidias.
443 Pericles becomes Athenian general.
431 Peloponnesian War begins.
ca. 430 Socrates discusses moral philosophy.
Hippocrates lectures on rational medicine.
Democritus introduces atomic theory. Aristophanes writes comedies,
Euripides, tragedies, and Thucydides, history
ca. 427 Plato born.
401 Peloponnesian War ends in Spartan victory over Athe;
399 Trial and execution of Socrates.
387 Plato writes Symposium.
343 Aristotle becomes teacher of young Alexander.
336 Alexander the Great becomes ruler of Macedonia.
326 Alexander extends empire to Indus Valley
323 Alexander dies at thirty–three.
Euclid writes the Elements, foundation of geometry.
ca. 287 Birth of Archimedes, Greek mathematician.
264 First Punic War between Rome and Carthage.
ca. 255 Old Testament translated into Greek.
224 Colossus of Rhodes destroyed by earthquake.
215 Great Wall of China under construction.
218 Second Punic War. Hannibal crosses Alps with elephants.
149 Third Punic War and destruction of Carthage.
147 Greece comes under Roman control.
140 Venus de Milo sculpted.
ca.100 Birth of Julius Caesar.
71 Spartacus leads slave revolt.
58 Caesar begins conquest of Gaul.
49 Caesar crosses Rubicon River, starting civil war.
46 Julian calendar established by Caesar.
44 Caesar assassinated by Brutus on Ides of March.
37 Antony becomes Cleopatra's lover. 6 Judea becomes a Roman province.

Historical Events AD
4 Probable birthdate of Jesus Christ.
30 Probable date of Christ's crucifixion.
43 Rome invades Britain.
64 Nero accuses Christians of setting fire to Rome.
79 Vesuvius erupts, destroys Pompeii.
122 Hadrian builds wall between England and Scotland.
212 Roman citizenship conferred on all freeborn subjects.
248 Rome celebrates its first millennium.
313 Constantine ends persecution of Christians.
Peter's Church in Rome founded.
331 Capital of Roman Empire moved to Constantinople.
410 Rome sacked by Alaric, king of the Visigoths.
411 St. Augustine writes The City of God.
432 St. Patrick begins mission to Christianize Ireland.
435 Attila, king of the Huns, raids Roman provinces.
455 Vandals sack Rome.
476 Romulus Augustulus, last emperor of Rome, deposed.
487 Theodoric launches Ostrogothic Kingdom in Italy.

Literature
Aeschylus (525–456 BC)
Aesop (legendary) Anaxagoras (500–428 BC)
Aristophanes (ca.450–385 BC)
Aristotle (384–322 BC)
Democritus (460–370 BC)
Empedocles (ca.493–ca. 433 BC)
Epicurus (342–271 BC)
Euripides (485–406 BC)
Heraclitus (ca.534–ca. 475 BC)
Herodotus (ca.484–430 BC)
Hesiod (ca.700 BC)
Homer (ca.8th century BC)
Menander (342–291 BC)
Pindar (ca.518–438 BC)
Plato (428–348 BC)
Pythagoras (ca 6th century BC)
Sappho (ca.500 BC)
Literature (Roman)
Apuleius (AD ca.125)
St. Augustine (AD 354–430)
Cato the Elder (234–149 BC)
Catullus (ca. 84–54 BC)
Cicero (106–43 BC)
Horace (65–8 BC)
St. Jerome (AD ca.347–420)
Julius Caesar (100–44 BC)
Juvenal (AD ca.55–140)
Livy (59 BC–AD 17)
Lucan (AD 39–65)
Martial (AD ca.40–104)
Ovid (43 BC–AD 17)
Petronius (AD ca. 50)
Plautus (ca.255–184 BC)
Pliny the Younger (AD ca.62–114)
Sallust (86–34 BC)
Seneca (4 BC–AD 65)
Statius (AD ca.45–96)
Tacitus (AD ca.55–117)
Terence (ca.190–159 BC)
Tertullian (AD ca.160–230)
Virgil (70–19 BCE)
Fine Arts (Greek)
Ictinus (ca.440 BC)
Phidias (ca. 500–432 BC)
Polygnotus (ca.5th century BC)
Praxiteles (ca.4th century BC)

Return to top