The Classical Age

The Classical Age began as the Eastern Mediterranean recovered from the dark ages after the invasions of the Sea Peoples. It was a time dominated by the rising power of Greece. Greek migrants would colonize all parts of the Mediterranean, as would their cousins the Phoenicians, Philistines, and Etruscans. Greece itself was divided into mutually hostile city states torn by constant war, but her vibrant culture and wide trading contacts set the tone for the age. Greece would be the only civilization in the area that succeeded in holding off conquest by the Persian Empire. Greece would finally find unity by the sword under Philip of Macedon and his more famous son, Alexander. Alexander the Great carried Greek civilization all the way to India by force, creating an inseparable link between the Near East and Mediterranean. Greek influence would wane only when a people who at once admired and despised them, the Romans, rose to replace them as the paramount power in Europe. To use this page, click on underlined text to access the maps of The Classical Age.

• The Height of the Assyrian Empire, 650 B.C. Map
• The City Staes of Greece, 650 B.C. Map
• The Greek Colonisation of the Medeterranean, 650 B.C. Map
• The Aftermath of the Collapse of the Assyrian Empire, 612 B.C. Map
• The Rise of the Etruscans in Italy, 600 B.C Map
• The Furthest Extent of the Etruscan League, 530 B.C. Map
• The Furthest Extent of the Persian Empire, 518 B.C. Map
• The Defeat of the Second Persian Invasion of Greece, 480 B.C. Map
• Europe during the Defeat of Persia by Greece, 480 B.C. Map
• The Empire of Athens, 450 B.C. Map
• The Decline of the Etruscan League and the Rise of Rome, 380 B.C. Map
• The Rise of Macedon, 337 B.C. Map
• The Conquests of Alexander the Great, 323 B.C. Map
• The Breakup of Alexander's Empire, 310 B.C. Map
• The Hellenistic Kingdoms, 300 B.C. Map
• The Rise of Roman Power in the Medeterranean, 270 B.C. Map

Questions, comments, and corrections are welcome! Direct comments and such toTony Belmonte