400s BC (3 events)
399 BC
ID: 260
Trial and execution of Socrates - charged with impiety and corrupting youth, drinks hemlock
ID: 260
399 BC
ID: 316
Dionysius I develops siege artillery at Syracuse - catapults become standard in warfare
ID: 316
396 BC
ID: 2650
Fall of Veii - Camillus captures Etruscan city after 10-year siege, Rome doubles territory, first major expansion
ID: 2650
390s BC (7 events)
390 BC
ID: 279
Gauls sack Rome - Brennus demands ransom, 'Vae victis' (woe to the conquered), geese save Capitol
ID: 279
390 BC
ID: 2651
Gauls sack Rome - Brennus defeats Romans at Allia, only Capitol holds out (geese wake guards), 'Vae victis' - woe to conquered
ID: 2651
387 BC
ID: 275
Plato founds the Academy in Athens - first institution of higher learning in Western world, lasts 900 years
ID: 275
387 BC
ID: 323
Celtic expansion at height - from Ireland to Turkey (Galatians), distinctive art and culture
ID: 323
387 BC
ID: 3663
Brennus sacks Rome - Celtic chieftain defeats Romans, 'Vae victis,' geese save Capitol
ID: 3663
385 BC
ID: 5370
Celtic mercenaries serve Dionysius of Syracuse - paid in wine and gold, Celtic warriors become common in Mediterranean armies
ID: 5370
385 BC
ID: 5417
Plato's Symposium - philosophical dialogue at drinking party, wine enables truth but requires moderation
ID: 5417
380s BC (5 events)
380 BC
ID: 277
Plato writes Republic - ideal state ruled by philosopher-kings, allegory of the cave, theory of Forms
ID: 277
380 BC
ID: 280
Diogenes arrives in Athens - lives in barrel, mocks conventions, searches with lantern for honest man
ID: 280
380 BC
ID: 322
Athenian democracy increasingly dominated by demagogues - rhetoric over wisdom, Plato's critique vindicated
ID: 322
372 BC
ID: 305
Mencius born - develops Confucianism, human nature inherently good, mandate of heaven
ID: 305
371 BC
ID: 281
Battle of Leuctra - Thebes defeats Sparta using oblique phalanx, ends Spartan hegemony forever
ID: 281
370s BC (1 events)
367 BC
ID: 2652
Licinian-Sextian laws - plebeians can be consul, debt relief, limit on land holdings, political equality advancing
ID: 2652
360s BC (3 events)
359 BC
ID: 282
Philip II becomes king of Macedon - reforms army with sarissa (long spear), begins conquest of Greece
ID: 282
359 BC
ID: 5910
Philip of Macedon consults oracle - told 'fight with silver spears and you will conquer everything,' begins bribing Greek cities
ID: 5910
356 BC
ID: 283
Alexander the Great born - same day Temple of Artemis at Ephesus burns, omens of world conquest
ID: 283
350s BC (9 events)
350 BC
ID: 306
Zhuangzi writes on Taoism - butterfly dream, relativism, spontaneity, humor in philosophy
ID: 306
350 BC
ID: 317
Praxiteles sculpts Aphrodite of Knidos - first life-size female nude, sensation of ancient world
ID: 317
350 BC
ID: 319
Shang Yang's reforms in Qin - Legalist policies that will enable China's unification
ID: 319
350 BC
ID: 320
Aristotle proposes geocentric cosmos - crystalline spheres, four elements, quinta essentia
ID: 320
350 BC
ID: 360
Aristotle develops syllogistic logic in the Organon, establishing the first formal system of logic with rules of valid inference
ID: 360
350 BC
ID: 5371
Entremont becomes major oppidum - Saluvii Celts control trade routes between Massalia and interior, stone sculpture shows severed heads cult
ID: 5371
350 BC
ID: 5418
Aristotle studies wine - observes fermentation, notes wine's properties, discusses effect on body and mind
ID: 5418
343 BC
ID: 314
First Samnite War begins - Rome begins conquest of Italy, learning mountain warfare
ID: 314
343 BC
ID: 2653
First Samnite War begins - Rome starts 50-year struggle for control of Italy, learns mountain warfare
ID: 2653
340s BC (11 events)
336 BC
ID: 285
Philip II assassinated at daughter's wedding - Alexander becomes king at 20, crushes rebellions
ID: 285
336 BC
ID: 5911
Alexander forces prophecy - arrives on inauspicious day, drags Pythia to temple, she cries 'You are invincible, young man!'
ID: 5911
335 BC
ID: 284
Aristotle founds Lyceum in Athens - systematic study of logic, biology, ethics, politics, poetics
ID: 284
335 BC
ID: 286
Alexander destroys Thebes - 6,000 killed, 30,000 enslaved, spares only house of poet Pindar
ID: 286
334 BC
ID: 287
Alexander crosses Hellespont - begins conquest of Persian Empire with 35,000 men
ID: 287
334 BC
ID: 288
Battle of Granicus - Alexander personally leads cavalry charge, nearly dies, defeats Persian satraps
ID: 288
333 BC
ID: 289
Alexander cuts Gordian Knot - fulfills prophecy of Asian conquest, 'nothing is impossible'
ID: 289
333 BC
ID: 290
Battle of Issus - Alexander defeats Darius III, captures Persian royal family, treats them with respect
ID: 290
332 BC
ID: 291
Siege of Tyre - Alexander builds causeway to island city, seven-month siege, crucifies 2,000 defenders
ID: 291
332 BC
ID: 292
Alexander conquers Egypt - founded Alexandria, visits oracle at Siwa, declared son of Zeus-Ammon
ID: 292
331 BC
ID: 293
Battle of Gaugamela - Alexander defeats Darius's million-man army, becomes Lord of Asia
ID: 293
330s BC (13 events)
330 BC
ID: 294
Alexander burns Persepolis - revenge for burning Athens, or drunken mistake, regrets it later
ID: 294
330 BC
ID: 295
Death of Darius III - murdered by his satraps, Alexander gives royal burial, claims Persian throne
ID: 295
329 BC
ID: 296
Alexander meets Diogenes - 'Stand out of my sunlight,' Alexander: 'If I weren't Alexander, I'd be Diogenes'
ID: 296
326 BC
ID: 297
Battle of Hydaspes - Alexander defeats Indian king Porus and war elephants, army refuses to go further
ID: 297
323 BC
ID: 298
Death of Alexander in Babylon at 32 - fever or poison, empire fragments, body preserved in honey
ID: 298
323 BC
ID: 299
Death of Diogenes - same day as Alexander (tradition), throws himself out 'like true Cynic'
ID: 299
322 BC
ID: 300
Wars of the Diadochi begin - Alexander's generals fight for empire, Hellenistic kingdoms emerge
ID: 300
322 BC
ID: 301
Death of Aristotle - flees Athens after Alexander dies, 'lest Athens sin twice against philosophy'
ID: 301
322 BC
ID: 302
Death of Demosthenes - takes poison rather than capture, spent life warning against Macedon
ID: 302
322 BC
ID: 3673
Chandragupta Maurya overthrows Nanda dynasty - with help of Chanakya, founds Mauryan Empire from Magadha
ID: 3673
321 BC
ID: 303
Chandragupta Maurya founds Mauryan Empire - unites India, possibly inspired by Alexander
ID: 303
321 BC
ID: 318
Menander's first comedy performed - New Comedy replaces political satire with domestic situations
ID: 318
321 BC
ID: 2654
Disaster at Caudine Forks - Roman army trapped in defile, forced to pass under yoke in humiliation, worst defeat yet
ID: 2654
320s BC (3 events)
320 BC
ID: 304
Kautilya writes Arthashastra - Indian Machiavelli, treatise on statecraft, economics, military strategy
ID: 304
312 BC
ID: 313
Via Appia begun - first Roman road, 'Queen of Roads,' empire connected by roads
ID: 313
312 BC
ID: 2655
Via Appia begun - Appius Claudius builds first great Roman road, 'Queen of Roads' to Capua, empire connected by roads
ID: 2655
310s BC (7 events)
310 BC
ID: 312
Pyrrho develops skepticism - suspension of judgment, nothing can be known for certain
ID: 312
310 BC
ID: 315
Agathocles invades Africa - Syracuse tyrant brings war to Carthage itself, new strategic thinking
ID: 315
306 BC
ID: 307
Epicurus founds Garden school - pleasure as absence of pain, atoms and void, death is nothing
ID: 307
305 BC
ID: 3674
Treaty with Seleucus - Chandragupta gains Afghanistan and Baluchistan, gives 500 war elephants, marries Seleucid princess
ID: 3674
302 BC
ID: 3675
Megasthenes arrives at Pataliputra - Greek ambassador writes Indica, describes Mauryan administration and society
ID: 3675
301 BC
ID: 308
Zeno founds Stoicism in Athens - virtue only good, cosmic determinism, live according to nature
ID: 308
301 BC
ID: 311
Battle of Ipsus - war elephants decide battle, Antigonus dies, Hellenistic kingdoms stabilized
ID: 311
300s BC (6 events)
300 BC
ID: 309
Euclid writes Elements in Alexandria - most influential textbook ever, geometric proofs, 'no royal road'
ID: 309
300 BC
ID: 361
Euclid's Elements establishes the axiomatic method of mathematical proof, demonstrating systematic deduction from axioms and definitions
ID: 361
300 BC
ID: 3691
Arkamani establishes Meroitic dynasty - new royal line, intensive pyramid building at Meroe begins
ID: 3691
300 BC
ID: 5353
Archimedes screw invented - revolutionizes mine drainage, later used throughout Roman mines for water lifting
ID: 5353
300 BC
ID: 5372
Celtic coinage begins - imitating Greek and Macedonian coins, especially Philip II gold staters, shows economic sophistication
ID: 5372
300 BC
ID: 5384
Celts invent chainmail - revolutionary armor technology later adopted by Romans, made from 20,000+ iron rings
ID: 5384