Warfare

Timeline

• 2700 BCE - 1500 BCE

  The Minoan Civilization flourishes on Crete, Greece. King Minos establishes the first navy in the region.
• 2400 BCE

  First use of war chariots in Mesopotamia.
• c. 2240 BCE

  Naram-Sin of Akkad campaigns against the Amorites in northern Syria.
• 2193 BCE

  Gutian invasion destroys Akkadian empire.
• 1750 BCE

  Elam conquers Ur.
• 1595 BCE

  Hittites under Mursilli I sack Babylon, ending Amorite rule.
• c. 1457 BCE

  Battle of Megiddo: Thutmose III of Egypt defeats a coalition of Canaan, Kadesh, Mitanni, and Megiddo led by Durusha, king of Kadesh.
• c. 1450 BCE

  Kadesh and Megiddo lead a Canaanite alliance against the Egyptian invasion by Thutmose III.
• 1307 BCE - 1275 BCE

  Reign of Assyrian King Adad-Nirari I, Mitanni becomes vassal state.
• 1258 BCE

  First recorded peace treaty between Ramesses II of Egypt and Muwatalli II of the Hittites, after the battle of Kadesh.
• 1258 BCE

  The Treaty of Kadesh between Egyptians and Hittites. The world's first peace treaty.
• c. 1250 BCE

  Trojan War, according to Herodotus.
• c. 1200 BCE

  Sea Peoples invade the Levant.
• c. 1187 BCE

  Kadesh is destroyed by the Sea Peoples and subsequently vanishes from history.
• 1178 BCE

  Rameses III defends Egypt from the Sea Peoples on the shores at Xois, defeating them completely.
• 1115 BCE - 1076 BCE

  Reign of Tiglath-Pileser I of Assyria who conquers Phoenicia and revitalizes the empire.
• 721 BCE

  Israel is conquered by Assyria.
• c. 700 BCE

  Iron Age begins in Scotland.
• 671 BCE

  Egypt is conquered by Assyria.
• 671 BCE

  Second Egyptian Campaign, Assyrian army successfully captures Memphis and conquers Egypt.
• 667 BCE - 665 BCE

  Ashurbanipal wages war in Egypt to put down rebellions.
• 653 BCE

  Egypt expels Assyrians.
• c. 650 BCE - c. 350 BCE

  Hoplites are the major protagonists in Greek land warfare.
• 648 BCE

  War between Assyria and the Elamites.
• 585 BCE - 572 BCE

  Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon besieges Tyre, unsuccessfully.
• 28 May 585 BCE

  A battle between Media and Lydia broke off immediately as a result a total eclipse of the sun and the two armies made peace. The eclipse was successfully predicted by Thales of Miletus.
• 580 BCE - 376 BCE

  Carthage and Greece fight for dominance in Sicily.
• 547 BCE - 546 BCE

  Cyrus II of Persia conquers Lydia.
• 535 BCE

  Battle of Alalia. Carthaginian navy, in alliance with Etruscans, defeated Greek ships off the island of Corsica.
• 525 BCE

  Cambyses II of Persia takes the city of Pelusium, conquers Egypt.
• 525 BCE - 404 BCE

  Persia conquers Egypt.
• 512 BCE - 506 BCE

  The Wu Chu wars in China between the States of Wu and Chu.
• 506 BCE

  The Battle of Boju at which the Wu forces under Sun-Tzu defeated the Chu.
• 498 BCE - 493 BCE

  Rome defeats the Latins.
• 11 Sep 490 BCE

  A combined force of Greek hoplites defeat the Persians at Marathon.
• 485 BCE

  Babylon is destroyed by Xerxes, King of Persia.
• Aug 480 BCE

  Battle of Thermopylae. 300 Spartans under King Leonidas and other Greek allies hold back the Persians led by Xerxes I for three days but are defeated.
• Aug 480 BCE

  The indecisive battle of Artemision between the Greek and Persian fleets of Xerxes I. The Greeks withdraw to Salamis.
• Sep 480 BCE

  Battle of Salamis where the Greek naval fleet defeats the invading armada of Xerxes I of Persia.
• 479 BCE

  Xerxes' Persian forces are defeated by Greek forces at Plataea effectively ending Persia's imperial ambitions in Greece.
• 476 BCE - 221 BCE

  The Warring States Period in China, suggested time-period for composition of The Art of War.
• c. 475 BCE

  Celts defeat the Etruscans at the Ticino River.
• 460 BCE - 445 BCE

  First Peloponnesian War.
• 448 BCE

  Pericles leads the Athenian forces in the Battle of Delphi.
• 431 BCE - 404 BCE

  The 2nd Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta (the Delian League and the Peloponnesian League) which involved all of Greece.
• 425 BCE

  Pylos campaign, under Cleon and Demosthenes' command Athens defeats Sparta at Pylos.
• c. 415 BCE

  The Histories of Herodotus is published. The work is divided into nine chapters, each dedicated to one of the Muses.
• 414 BCE

  The Athenian expedition in Sicily ends in disastrous defeat and the Athenian generals Nikias and Demosthenes are executed.
• 410 BCE

  Alcibiades leads the Athenian fleet to victory over Sparta at Cyzicus.
• 406 BCE

  The Athenian fleet is defeated by Lysander of Sparta at Notium.
• 404 BCE

  End of the Peloponnesian war, Athens defeated By Sparta at Aigospotamoi, Rule of the Thirty Tyrants in Athens.
• 396 BCE

  Roman expansion begins with the capture of Veii from the Etruscans.
• 396 BCE

  Celts defeat the Etruscan army at the battle of Melpum. Afterwards the Celts heavily settle all over the Po Valley.
• 395 BCE - 386 BCE

  The Corinthian Wars between Sparta and an alliance of Athens, Corinth, Argos, Boeotia and Thebes.
• 387 BCE

  "Gallic Catastrophe:" Duke Brennus of the Celts defeats the Romans at Allia, and subsequently sacks Rome. Celts move off after ransom is paid.
• 343 BCE - 341 BCE

  First Samnite War (Rome vs. Samnites).
• 342 BCE

  Philip II leads a military expedition against the Scythians.
• 338 BCE

  The first battle of Chaeronea. Philip of Macedon defeated the Greek alliance directed against him, led by Athens and Thebes.
• 334 BCE - 323 BCE

  Period of the conquests of Alexander the Great.
• 5 Nov 333 BCE

  Battle of Issus. Alexander is victorious against Darius III of Persia.
• 330 BCE

  Persepolis is burned and looted by Alexander the Great.
• 326 BCE - 304 BCE

  Second Samnite War.
• 323 BCE

  Death of Alexander the Great.
• 300 BCE

  Sarmatians conquer the Scythians.
• 298 BCE - 290 BCE

  Third Samnite War. Victory for Rome, peace with the Etruscans.
• 297 BCE

  Celts and Samnites join forces and defeat the Romans at Camertium.
• c. 295 BCE

  In a battle lasting all day, Romans narrowly defeat a force of Celts and Samnites at Sentinum.
• 285 BCE - 282 BCE

  Rome defeats the Celts in Italy. Rome's dominance in central Italy is secured.
• 284 BCE

  Gauls of the Insubres and Boii tribes defeat the Romans at Arretium.
• 283 BCE

  Rome decisively defeats the Senones at Picenum.
• 282 BCE - 272 BCE

  Roman war against Tarentum. Rome conquers Tarentum. Rome’s dominance in lower Italy is secured.
• 264 BCE - 241 BCE

  First Punic War. Carthage cedes Sicily to Rome.
• c. 250 BCE - c. 200 CE

  Originally a Celtiberian weapon, the Gladius Hispaniensis was commonly used by Roman soldiers for more than four centuries.
• 229 BCE - 228 BCE

  Rome fights Illyrian pirates. Queen Teuta pays tribute to Rome.
• 222 BCE

  Rome conquers Cisalpine Gaul (modern-day Provence, France).
• 218 BCE - 201 BCE

  Second Punic War. Hannibal leads 50,000 foot soldiers, 9000 cavalry, and 37 war elephants over the Pyrennees and the Alps.
• 216 BCE

  Battle of Cannae. Worst defeat in Roman history, against Carthage.
• c. 2 Aug 216 BCE

  Hannibal defeats the Romans at the Battle of Cannae.
• 214 BCE - 205 BCE

  First Macedonian War: Rome defeats Philip V of Macedon.
• 207 BCE

  Battle of Metaurus. Carthage loses against Rome and loses control of Iberia (Spain).
• 206 BCE

  Chinese Qin empire collapses following the death of emperor Shi Huangti. Civil War begins.
• 204 BCE

  Scipio Africanus sails over to Africa.
• 202 BCE

  Battle of Zama. The Carthaginian army is defeated, Hannibal flees to Hadrumentum.
• 202 BCE

  The Battle of Gaixia in which the Han forces defeat the Chu.
• c. 200 BCE

  Beginning of the Greco-Bactrian conquests in India.
• 200 BCE - 196 BCE

  Second Macedonian War: Roman victory.
• 193 BCE

  The Boii are defeated by the Romans, suffering, according to Livy, 14,000 dead.
• 190 BCE

  Battle of Magnesia ad Sipylum, disastrous defeat for Antiochos III against Romans.
• 172 BCE - 168 BCE

  Third Macedonian War: Perseus of Macedon challenges Rome and is defeated.
• 168 BCE

  Rome defeats Macedon at Battle of Pydna.
• 149 BCE - 146 BCE

  Third Punic War.
• 146 BCE

  End of the Third Punic War. Carthage is destroyed and its lands become the Roman province Africa.
• 133 BCE

  Rome captures Numantia. End of Iberian resistance.
• 129 BCE

  Parthians conquer Mesopotamia. The Silk Road to China is now controlled by the Parthians.
• 113 BCE

  Romans defeated at Noreia by the Cimbri.
• 88 BCE - 63 BCE

  Mithridates of Pontus fights three wars to free Greece from Rome.
• 86 BCE

  The Roman general Sulla sacks Athens and the port of Piraeus.
• 64 BCE

  The Roman general Pompey defeats the Seleucid Antiochus XIII and incorporates Syria as a province of the Roman empire.
• 58 BCE

  Caesar attacks the Helvetii while on migration and defeats them.
• 58 BCE - 51 BCE

  Julius Caesar’s conquest of Gaul.
• 57 BCE

  A Roman army under Caesar narrowly defeats an army of Nervii, Atrebates, and Viromandui.
• 56 BCE

  The navies of Rome and the Veneti Gauls clash resulting in a Roman victory. This is the first recorded naval battle in the Atlantic Ocean.
• 55 BCE - 54 BCE

  Julius Caesar's expeditions in Britain.
• 52 BCE

  Caesar defeated at Gergovia by Vercingetorix.
• 52 BCE

  After becoming trapped and besieged at Alesia Vercingetorix surrenders to Caesar.
• 32 BCE - 31 BCE

  Battle of Actium: Octavian (the later Emperor Augustus) defeats Cleopatra of Egypt.
• 27 BCE - 19 BCE

  Cantabrian Wars: Roman conquest of the Iberian Penninsula.
• 9 CE

  The Rhine River is established as the boundary between the Latin and German speaking worlds, following the defeat of the Roman army, under the command of Varus, at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest.
• 43 CE

  Claudius commences the Roman conquest of Britain.
• 43 CE - 47 CE

  Romans conquer South Britain and claim the territory as part of Roman Empire.
• 60 CE - 61 CE

  Boudicca's Revolt in Britain.
• 75 CE - 77 CE

  Romans defeat the last of the Northern tribes; Roman conquest of Britain complete.
• 83 CE

  The Battle of Mons Graupius in which Agricola defeats Calgacus of the Picts.
• 101 CE - 106 CE

  Trajan conquers Dacia.
• 167 CE - 180 CE

  Marcomannic Wars.
• 192 CE

  Emperor Commodus is murdered, civil war ensues (until 197 CE).
• 195 CE

  First Parthian war.
• 197 CE - 198 CE

  Second Parthian war.
• 367 CE

  Picts, Scots, Saxons, and Franks attack the Roman Empire.
• 408 CE

  Alaric I the Visigoth besieges Rome. As ransom, Rome pays 5,000 pounds of gold, 30,000 pounds of silver, 4,000 silken tunics, 3,000 hides dyed scarlet, and 3,000 pounds of pepper.
• 455 CE

  Vandals sack Rome.
• 486 CE

  Clovis of the Franks defeats the Romans in Gaul. Founding of the Frankish kingdom.
• 488 CE - 493 CE

  Theodoric the Great of the Ostrogoths conquers Italy.
• 507 CE

  Clovis defeats the Visigoths and drives them into the Iberian peninsula.
• 534 CE

  Justinian of the Byzantine Empire conquers the Vandal kingdom in Africa.
• 536 CE - 562 CE

  The Byzantine Empire conquers Italy.
• 554 CE

  Byzantine Empire conquers southern Iberia.
• 607 CE - 627 CE

  East Rome defeats Sasanian Persia.
• 646 CE

  The Arab Muslims conquer Egypt under Caliph Umar.
• 712 CE

  Muslim general Muhammed bin Quasim conquers northern India.