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7000 BC
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First Stone Age settlements in mainland Greece.
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2500 BC
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The Bronze Age appears on mainland and some islands.
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2000-1500 BC
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The Minoan civilization begins to flourish on the island of Crete, spreads to other islands and begins to mix with the Mycenaeans on the mainland. Around 1500 BC the Mycenaeans eventually supplanted the Minoans. Both civilizations were the oldest in Europe.
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1500-1200 BC
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The flourishing and disappearance of Mycenaean culture. According to Homer it was the Mycenaean king Agamemnon who led the Greeks during the Trojan War around 1250 BC.
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1150 BC
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The Dorians spread to all of Greece, the islands, and Asia Minor. The beginning of the dark ages of Greek history, lasting until around 800 BC.
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800-600 BC
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First Greek city-states appear. Most famous of all city-states Athens and Sparta are among them.
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776 BC
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First official Olympic Games held in Greece.
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540 BC
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The Persian Empire begins to spread by conquering Greek cities in Asia Minor and Egypt.
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490 BC
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The Persians are thoroughly defeated by the Athenians in the battle of Marathon.
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480-479 BC
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The second wave of the Persian Empire’s invasion of mainland Greece. The Persians are again thoroughly defeated in the sea battle of Salamis (480 BC) and in the land battle of Platea (479)
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431-404 BC
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The Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta and their respective allies begins. Ends in Spartan victory and the eventual exhaustion of the classical Greek civilization.
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338 BC
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Philip II king of Macedonia conquers Greece. His son, Alexander the Great succeeds him and begins his series of conquests and massive empire building spanning three continents (334-323).
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0-300 AD
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Romans rule Greece.
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324 AD
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Emperor Constantine establishes the Byzantium with Constantinople as its capital.
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650 AD
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Slavic tribes invade Greece.
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800 AD
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Byzantium regains control of Greece.
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1200 AD
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Venetian crusaders gain control of Greece.
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1260 AD
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Byzantium regains control of Greece.
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1453 AD
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Ottomans conquer Constantinople. This marks the end of Byzantium.
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1460-1830 AD
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Ottomans take over the Greek mainland and islands. Occupy Greece until the 1821 revolt by the Greeks turns successful after the sea battle of Navarino (March 25 – Independence Day).
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1833 AD
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Russia, France and Britain impose non-Greek speaker Othon of Germany as the king of Greece.
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1864 AD
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Britain gives control of the Ionian islands to Greece.
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1881 AD
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Ottomans surrendered the region of Thessaly to Greece.
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1912 AD
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First Balkan war. Greece reclaims Thessaloniki, Ioanina and Chios.
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1913 AD
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Second Balkan war. Greece gains the islands of Crete, Lesbos and Ikaria.
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1914 AD
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World War I. An unsure and divided Greece finally joins the war on the side of Allied forces.
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1919 AD
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Britain and France convince Greece to annex the land at and around Smyrna (Izmir) in Turkey.
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1919-1923 AD
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The Ottoman Empire collapses. The newly formed nation of Turkey becomes the successor. A war between Greece and Turkey occurs. Greece loses the war. Greek population in Anatolia is exchanged with Turkish or Muslim population in Greece.
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1936 AD
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The defeat and the massive refugee settlement issue leads to a long period of political chaos culminating in General Metaxas staging of a coup d’etat. His dictatorship closely resembles that of Hitler, Mussolini, and Franco.
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1939 AD
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After the invasion of Albania, Italy demands access to Greek ports. Metaxas refuses (28th October commemorated ever since as a national holiday). Victorious battles against the Italians.
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1941-1944 AD
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World War II and the German invasion and occupation.
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1945-1949 AD
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Civil war breaks out between royalists and communists.
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1967 AD
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Military junta stages a coup and assumes control of political power.
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1974 AD
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Military junta supports a right-wing Greek coup in Cyprus. This leads to Turkey's invasion of the island. Turkey still occupies the Northern part of the island (hence the Cyprus problem). The Junta falls. Democracy returns. The Kingdom of Greece becomes a constitutional republic.
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1975-2000 AD
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The Junta falls. Socialist PASOK and right-wing New Democracy Party maintain the democratic process uninterruptedly since then. Presently, Greece is ruled by PASOK. In 1981 Greece becomes the 12th member of what is now called the European Union, a 15 nation supranational entity.
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2000- 2004 AD
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Greece hosts the 2004 Summer Olympic Games. The European Union expands to 25 members. Greece joins the euro zone as the Euro replaces the Drachma to become the country’s new currency in 2002
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