History

 History In Brief

2800 BC    The beginning of the AEGEAN CIVILIZATION.
1500          Santorini's civilization is devastated by a volcanic eruption.
1300          The MINOAN CIVILIZATION and the ATHENIAN
kingdom co-exist.
1200          TROY is destroyed.
776            Greece holds the first Olympic Games.
447            The Parthenon is built.
323            Alexander The Great dies.
145            The Romans invade Greece.
330  AD    CONSTANTINOPLE is the capital of the Roman
                   Empire.                          
1453         The Turks conquer Constantinople, and
                   rename it Istanbul.
1480          RHODES is the last island to surrender to the    
                  Turks.
1821         The WAR OF INDEPENDENCE starts.
1827         Independence is won.
1843         Greece has its first Constitution.
1896         Athens holds the first Olympic
                  Games after almost 1,000 years.
1912         Balkan wars occur against Turkey.
1913         CRETE is united with Greece.
1922         Greece loses territory in Asia Minor;
                   1,500,000 REFUGEES from  Asia Minor
                   look for shelter in Greece, one of 
                   them ARISTOTLE ONASSIS.
1940         World War II starts. Italian troops are           
                  pushed out of Greece.
1941         GERMANS AND ITALIANS invade Greece.
1945        Greece is free. The Dodecanese islands
                 are united with Greece.
1950        Greece has almost the same
                 geographical area as in ancient times.
1967        A DICTATORSHIP is established in Greece.
1974        The dictatorship ends. The king is
                 expelled from Greece.
1981        Greece joins the European Community (EC).
2002        The Euro replaces the ancient drachma.
2004        After 108 years, Athens hosts the Olympic  
                 Games for second time.