TIMELINE OF EVENTS RELATING TO SOCRATES IN THE FIFTH CENTURY BC (500–399 BC)

NOTE ON CHRONOLOGY:

1.The Athenian year began in our month of July; so the Battle of Marathon in September 490 BC fell in the year 490–89 BC. For simplicity, dates in this book are given as single years; so Socrates was born in the year 469–8, but the date given is 469.

2.The symbol ~ below indicates that a date or event is conjectural.

500	Democracy in Athens following Cleisthenes’ reforms of 508.
490	Greco-Persian Wars: Darius’s army defeated at the Battle of Marathon.
480	Greco-Persian Wars: Xerxes’ fleet defeated at Battle of Salamis.
470	~Birth of Aspasia.
	469		Birth of Socrates.
460	Pericles leads Athens after the ostracism of Kimon in 461.
	Hostilities between Athens and Sparta: ‘First Peloponnesian War’.
	~455	Pericles divorces his wife Deinomache.
	~451	Birth of Alcibiades. Socrates visits Samos with Archelaus.
450	~Aspasia arrives in Athens with her father-in-law Axiochus.
	447	Battle of Coronea: ~Socrates’ earliest military service.
		Death of Cleinias, father of Alcibiades.
	~445	Pericles and Aspasia living together.
440	Pericles’ campaign to subjugate Samos (440–439).
	432	Socrates saves Alcibiades’ life at Battle of Potidaea.
430	The Peloponnesian War (431–404) enters its second year.
	Socrates and Alcibiades on military service in northern Greece.
	429	Death of Pericles from plague. Aspasia marries Lysicles.
	424	Socrates retreats at the Battle of Delium.
	423	Aristophanes’ Clouds performed, with Socrates present.
	421	Aristophanes’ comedy Peace. Peace of Nicias struck with Sparta.
420	Alcibiades in politics. Socrates in Xenophon’s Symposium.
	416	Agathon wins prize for tragedy.
		Socrates depicted in Plato’s Symposium.
	415–413	Sicilian Expedition; Alcibiades in exile from Athens.
410	Democracy restored after oligarchic coup (‘the Four Hundred’) of 411.
	406	Socrates on Council argues against mass execution of generals.
	404	Spartan victory in Peloponnesian War.
		Thirty Tyrants in Athens.
		Socrates refuses to arrest Leon of Salamis.
	403	Democracy restored in Athens.
400
	399	Trial and execution of Socrates.