| ca. 1900-1100 BCE | Greek Bronze Age ("Heroic" age, prehistoric). Palace cultures flourish on the Greek mainland and elsewhere (Crete, Cyprus, Turkish coastline). Much Greek mythology (Trojan war, etc.) rooted in dimly remembered events from this period. |
| ca. 1100-750 | Iron Age/"Dark Ages." Period of decline, then recovery, following the collapse of the palace cultures. Most of the old kingdoms break up. Exceptions: Athens, the Greek kingdoms on the island of Cyprus. |
| ca. 800-490 | Archaic period. Introduction of alphabetic writing to Greece. The birth of the polis. The rise of hoplite warfare. Overseas colonization. A period of oligarchy and tyranny in Greece, perhaps some democracy. |
| Homer, Hesiod, Alcman, Sappho active. Period of mostly aristocratic rule in the Greek states (or poleis). | |
| 753-510 | Roman Regal period. Rome ruled by kings. |
| 560-514 | Tyranny of Peisistratus and sons at Athens. |
| 550 | Sparta dominant power in Peloponnese. |
| 525/4-456/5 | Aeschylus |
| 510-27 | Roman Republic. (Mostly) oligarchic (i.e., power concentrated within an elite class, non-monarchical). |
| 507 | Cleisthenes institutes reforms at Athens (some regard Cleisthenes as founder of democracy.) |
| ca. 496-ca. 406 | Sophocles |
| 490-323 | Classical Period |
| 490-479 | Persian Wars (Persia tries to conquer mainland Greece; fails). |
| ca. 485-ca. 406 | Euripides |
| 463-322 | "Radical" or direct democracy at Athens. Citizens govern selves, legislate. More at "Dēmos" site. |
| 461-429 | Pericles' ascendancy at Athens. Highpoint of the radical democracy, Athenian empire (states rimming the Aegean sea, plus islands). |
| ca. 446-ca. 386 | class="darkBlueEm" >Aristophanes |
| 411-410 | Period of oligarchy at Athens. Democracy soon restored. |
| 404 | Athens defeated by Sparta. |
| 404-403 | Period of oligarchy at Athens. Democracy soon restored. |
| 384-322 | class="darkBlueEm" >Aristotle |
| 336-323 | Reign of Alexander III ("the Great") of Macedon |
| 334-323 | Alexander's conquests in the east |
| 323 | Death of Alexander. |
| 323-30 | Hellenistic Period. Period of broad-based Greek cultural expansion, especially eastward. Macedonian-Greek kingdoms in Asia Minor, Near East, Mesopotamia, South Asia, Egypt. |
| 246-241 | 1st Punic War, Rome v. Carthage (North African city). |
| 218-201 | 2nd Punic War. Carthaginian forces commanded by Hannibal. |
| 200s-40s | Rome conquers much of Mediterranean world, Western Europe. |
| 149-146 | 3rd Punic War. Rome destroys Carthage. |
| 49-31 | Period of political strife at Rome, including dictatorship of Caesar (46-44). |
| 27 BCE-235 CE | Roman Empire Phase One — "Principate" |
| 27 BCE | Octavian assumes the name Augustus; becomes first "emperor" (rules 27 BCE-14 CE). Final end of the Republic. |
| 4 BCE-65 CE | Lucius Annaeus Seneca, aka "Seneca." |
| 14-37 CE | Reign of Tiberius. |
| 37-41 | Reign of Caligula. |
| 41-54 | Reign of Claudius. Claudius banishes Seneca to Corsica on charge of adultery. |
| 54-69 | Reign of Nero. |
| 54-62 | Seneca serves as advisor to Nero. |
| 62 | Nero, advised by Seneca and Burrus, has mother (Agrippina) murdered. Seneca then retires as imperial advisor; devotes himself to writing. |
| 65 | Plot uncovered to kill Nero. Nero forces Seneca to commit suicide. |
| 1910-1987 | Jean Anouilh |