Timeline: 500-1 BC
Around 500 BC, the city-states
of Italy and Greece began experimenting with governmental forms. Athens
established a democracy, and Rome
established a republic. The Roman Republic soon began to expand, and gradually
took over all the other city-states in Italy. This was partly due to a
policy of letting the conquered people participate in the republican government.
By 275 BC, the Romans had taken over all of Italy.
Athens also expanded and took over many of the city-states of Greece.
This was the Golden Age of Greece. But the Athenians did not let anyone
but themselves participate in their democracy. By 400 BC, the Athenians
had lost their empire and became much weaker.
The Persian Empire did
very well through the 400's, and even took over Egypt.
But by the 300's, it was becoming weaker too.
During the 300's BC, Greece was taken over by Macedonians from the north.
One of these Macedonians, Alexander
the Great, then led a Greek and Macedonian army to take over the Persian
Empire. When Alexander died in 323 BC, his generals split West Asia into
several smaller kingdoms. India,
where Alexander had only begun to penetrate, also formed a large empire
under Chandragupta at this time. In China, the great Han
Dynasty established a regular trade route between China and Rome,
the Silk Road.
In the 200's BC the Romans took
over the Phoenician colonies in the southern Mediterranean, and then
during the 100's they were able to take
over the kingdoms of West Asia and Egypt as well. By 31 BC, the Romans
had conquered the entire Mediterranean coast and France. But their leader,
Augustus, was rapidly
transforming their Republic into an Empire.
0-500 AD
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