• ca. 800

First Greek appearances in the Levant, at a place they called Poseideion in what is now Syria, near the ancient town of Al Mina (Ugarit) and the later town Laodicea.

• 776

Traditional date of the founding of the OLYMPIAN GAMES (also founded by Pelops, the great-grandfather of Agamemnon, by Heracles, and by Lycurgus the semi-mythical regent of Sparta). The earliest winners are from Pisa, Elis and the neighborhood of the northwest Peloponnesus.

• 756 trad.

First colonizing ventures, to the west (Ischia). Cumae founded.

• 753

The life-archonship in Athens is made decennial. There were seven aristocratic holders (Eupatridai) of the office. The office became annual in 683. Basileus, Polemarchos, Archon, 6 Thesmothetai

• ca. 750-700

Homer (in western Asia Minor, Turkey) Hesiod (in Boeotia, central Greece)

• 735

Foundation of Naxos (on island of Sicily)

• 734

Foundation of Corcyra (Corfu)

• 735-710 ?

First War between the Spartans and the Messenian Kingdom (semi-mythical). A Second Messenian War and a Third Messenian War (ca. 700-635, on and off) are historical

• ca. 720 ?

Surviving examples of `hoplite armor' (Argos) [A. Snodgrass, The Arms and Armour of the Greeks (London 1967), and Archaeology and the Rise of the Greek State (Cambridge 1977)].

• ca. 710

LELANTINE WAR, over a plain on the island of Euboea, desired both by Eretria and Chalcis, two neighboring towns (Miletus and Eretria, and Samos and Chalcis on opposite sides: first real naval war, international alliances across the Aegean. Samos seems to have invaded or raided Aegina, which was a natural enemy of Corinth. The tyrants of Corinth, from ca. 650, the Cypselids [Cypselus and Peridander] were later allied with Miletus) Discussed by the historians Herodotus and Thucydides. See A.R. Burn, The Lyric Age of Greece.

• ca. 700

King Midas in Phrygia (Lydia) King Gyges of Lydia (678-652)

• ca. 710

Oldest surviving piece of writing in Greek alphabet

• 669

BATTLE OF HYSIAE, between Sparta and Argos. Sparta lost.

• 668-626

Assurbanipal, King of Assyria

• 664

Battle at sea between Corinth and Corcyra

• 632 ?

CONSPIRACY OF CYLON in Athens, with aid from his father-in-law heagenes, who was tyrant of Megara

• 620

FIRST ATHENIAN WRITTEN LAW CODE compiled by Drakon (Draco).

• 612

FALL OF NINEVEH (Assyrian capital) to Cyaxares, king of Media, and Nabopolassar, king of Babylon

• 600 ca.

The invention of coinage, in Lydia in the kingdom of Alyattes.

• 594-592

SOLON: archonship and nomothesia