Ancient Coin Stories

Approximate foundation of Knidos by Dorian settlers.

Approximate year for Dorian invasion of Kos, with settlers from Epidauros.

Colonists from Achaia and Rhodes settle Soloi.

Phaselis founded by settlers from Rhodes.

The poet Erinna is born on Telos.

Death of Erinna of Telos in Mytilene.

Lipara is colonized by settlers from Knidos.

The Persians under commander Harpagos conquer the area around Idyma.

Kaunos bitterly resists the Persians of Harpagos, but are defeated.

Eresos, Phokaia, Kaunos, and Gargara participate in the Ionian Revolt against Persian rule. The revolt fails, and Persian control over the area is reasserted.

The historian Herodotus is born in Halikarnassos.

Five ships from Nisyros accompany Artemisia of Halikarnassos, but they defect to the Greek side.

Aegina plays a significant role in the Greek naval victory against the Persian Empire in the Battle of Salamis. Byblos, Arados, Tyre, Halikarnassos under Artemisia, Kos, and Sidon support Darius. Chalkis and Kythnos support the Greek effort. Alexander I serves as a peace negotiator on behalf of the Persians.

The Persians are defeated at the Battle of Mykale. An alliance of Athens, Sparta, Samos, and Corinth. As a result, Chios, Kos, and Ephesos are liberated from Persian rule. The Greek fleet sets sail from Knidos.

Rhodes is liberated from Persia by soldiers from Athens.

The Athenian navy under Kiimon destroys the Persians at the Battle of the Eurymedon. As a result, Aspendos and Knidos join the Delian League.

The tyrant Lygdamis II puts to death the poet Panyasis, which causes the historian Herodotus to leave Halikarnassos.

The famed Athenian playwright Sophocles is named general against the Anaians.

Rhodes remains neutral, though still a member of the Delian League, during the Peloponnesian War.

Athenians, needing money for a siege of Mytilene, attempt to take it from Carian cities but are attacked and defeated by soldiers of Anaia.

Euromos and Phokaia are among the Carian cities that revolt against Athens during the Peloponnesian War.

Kos is devastated by an earthquake.

Chios sends ten vessels to Anaia in order to gain intelligence of Miletos and convince them to revolt.

Iasos is governed by Amorges, a Persian who had achieved independence from Persia. Iasos is attacked by Spartans, who deliver Amorges to Tissaphernes and plunder the city.

Sparta sets sail from Knidos and arrives at Kamiros with 94 ships. The inhabitants are at first terrified, but then the Spartans convince all of Rhodes to secede from Athens.

Athens attacks Knidos and nearly takes it, but the next day the inhabitants strengthen their fortifications and resist. The Athenians then return to Samos.

Kos is sacked by Spartan forces.

Kos is sacked again, this time by Athenians under Alkibiades, who then fortifies the city.

New city of Rhodes created from the main cities of the island, including Kamiros, Ialysos, and Lindos.

The Spartan Lysander takes Iasos, kills all men of fighting age, sells the women and children into slavery, and levels the city.

Hekatomnos becomes king of Caria, then including Halikarnassos, under the Persian Empire.

Euromos participates in the rebellion of the Persian satrap Cyrus the Younger against his brother, King Artaxerxes II.

Pharnabazos convinces Nisyros, Teos, Chios, Kos, Mytilene, Ephesos, and Erythrai to desert Sparta.

The Spartan admiral Peisander is defeated and killed by a fleet headed by Pharnabazos and former Athenian admiral Konon at the Battle of Knidos.

Birth of philosopher Eudoxos at Knidos.

Peace of Antalkidas, arranged by Artaxerxes II, is signed in Susa, ending the Corinthian War. Abydos, Aigai, Kalchedon, Kaunos, Klazomenai, Kyzikos, Parion, Samos, and Adramytteion become part of the Persian Empire.

Approximate birth of Memnon of Rhodes, presumably in Rhodes.

Eresos, Byzantion, Chios,Mytilene, Methymna, Rhodes, Thebes, Korkyra, Eretria, Kios, Samos, Naxos, Andros, Myrina (Lembos), Hephaistia, Imbros, and Thasos join the Second Athenian League, reaffirming its alliance with Athens in response to the growing threat of Persian interference and internal Greek conflicts.

Mausolos moves the capital of the Hekatomnid Satrapy from Mylasa to Halikarnassos.

Several cities on Kos combine to form the Kos harbor.

Kos commissions Praxiteles for a sculpture of Aphrodite. They reject a nude version, which is then taken by Knidos.

Phaselis concludes a treaty with Mausolos of Halikarnassos.

Chios, Paros, Rhodes, Kos, and Byzantion revolt against Athens in the Social War. Myrina and Hephaistia on Lemnos and Imbros (Athenian allies) are ravaged and Samos is besieged. After bungling by the Athenian general Chares, Persia demands Athens leave and Athens, running out of money, complies.

King Mausolos of Caria conquers Rhodes.

Construction of the Mausoleum of Halikarnassos, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Death of Mausolos at Halikarnassos and reign of his sister Artemisia II.

Death of Artemisia II at Halikarnassos and reign of her brother Idreios.

Death of Idreios at Halikarnassos and reign of his wife and sister Ada.

Ada is usurped by her brother Pixodaros in Halikarnassos.

Rhodes is conquered by Persia.

Alexander the Great besieges and eventually takes Halikarnassos, which is strongly defended by Memnon of Rhodes.

Alexander III attempts to take Myndos, but is repulsed.

The Battle of the Granicus, during which Alexander the Great defeated the Persians under Darius III, and after which Adramytteion and Kaunos come under his control. Kalas participates with the Thessalian cavalry under Parmenion. Perdikkas serves on the right.

A food crisis erupts in the Greek world that was likely caused by Alexander the Great’s campaigns in the East, which disrupted traditional trade routes. Kyrene sends grain to many cities including Athens, Sparta, Rhodes, Thebes, Argos, and Atrax.

Ptolemy II Philadelphos is born on Kos to Berenike I and Ptolemy I.

The painter Apelles, famous for his work at the Asklepion, dies on Kos.

Demetrios Poliorketes attempts to enlist the help of Rhodes, but fails.

Demetrios Poliorketes besieges Rhodes and invents many new siege engines for the purpose (earning him the title ‘besieger’) but he fails and is forced to leave them. Knossos provides troops to support Rhodes.

Patara is used as a naval base by Demetrios Poliorketes during his siege of Rhodes.

Eupolemos is believed to have served as a general under Pleistarchos in Mylasa.

Estimated death of Pleistarchos. Eupolemos succeeds him at Mylasa.

Kos comes under Antigonos II Gonatas.

An earthquake destroys Kamiros.

The Lyttian War is fought between an alliance led by Knossos and one led by Polyrhenion. On the side of Knossos were Rhodes, the Aetolian League, and Kydonia. On the side of Polyrhenion were Lyttos, Macedon, and the Achaian League.

Eleutherna triggers the Lyttian War by accusing Rhodes of murdering their leader Timarchos.

Mithridates II unsuccessfully attempts to take Sinope, which is helped by Rhodes.

Philip V convinces Hierapytna and Olous to declare war on Rhodes.

Pergamon, Kyzikos, and Byzantion join the Cretan War on the side of Rhodes.

Philip V takes Alabanda.

Philip V of Macedon winters his fleet at Bargylia while blockaded by the fleets of Pergamon and Rhodes.

Nisyros becomes a posession of Rhodes.

During the Second Macedonian War between Rome and Philip V of Macedon, Aegira, the Aetolian League, Corinth, Sikyon, Patrai, Athens, Pergamon, and Rhodes support Rome.

Andros captured by a fleet of Rome, Pergamon, and Rhodes. It becomes part of the Attalid Kingdom.

Rhodes re-takes Stratonikeia.

Philip V is forced to remove his garrisons from Iasos, Euromos, Pedasa, Bargylia, Abydos, Thasos, Myrina, and Perinthos.

Antiochos III is defeated by Scipio Asiaticus at the Battle of Magnesia. Through treaty, Ephesos comes under the Attalids. Alabanda comes under Roman control.

Livius is sent to Anatolia and the cities of Miletos, Myndos, Halikarnassos, Knidos, and Kos are friendly.

The Romans place Kaunos and Phaselis under the rule of Rhodes.

The consul Gnaeus Manlius Vulso defeats Tabai, who had blocked his path, and fines them.

Treaty of Apamea. Euromos, Laodikeia ad Lykon, Sestos, and Abydos returned to the Kingdom of Pergamon.

The cities that were loyal to Rome are given immunity by them. This includes Kyme, Mylasa, Klazomenai (who also received the island of Drymussa), Miletos, Ilion (who received Rhoition and Gergithos), Chios, Smyrna, and Erythrai.

Mylasa with the help of Alabanda takes Euromos from Rhodes and advances towards Orthosia, but are defeated.

Kaunos revolts against Rhodes. Rome remove Kaunos from Rhodes and place it in the Province of Asia.

Patara is occupied by Rhodes.

Lycia, including Phaselis, and Caria, including Stratonikeia, are given its freedom from Rhodes by Rome.

Rhodes becomes a permanent client state of Rome.

Stratonikeia leads a revolt of cities against Rome.

With the help of Mithridates VI, the inhabitants of Kaunos kill all Romans in their city.

The Roman general Lucullus convinces Kos and Knidos to defect to the Romans and join them against Samos. He also takes Chios easily and arrests the tyrant of Kolophon, Epigonos.

Kos is plundered by Mithridates VI of Pontus during his campaigns against Rome.

Mithridates VI stays for some time at Stratonikeia and marries one of its citizens.

The Romans place Kaunos back under Rhodes as punishment for the murder of Romans.

Julius Caesar travels to Rhodes to study with Apollonius Molon.

While on his way back from Rhodes, Julius Caesar is intercepted and ransomed by pirates.

Phanagoria, Nymphaion, Chersonesos, and Theodosia revolt against Mithridates VI.

Telos is conquered by the Romans.

Quintus Labienus takes Alabanda with a Parthian force. His men are then slaughtered by the inhabitants, but the Parthians then loot the city.

Labienus takes Mylasa during the Roman Civil War, causing great damage.

Quintus Labienus and his Parthian troops besiege Stratonikeia.

Construction of the Temple of Zeus Lepsinos begins in Euromos.

Claudius grants Kos immunitas, possibly due to the influence of his physician, who is from the island.

St. Paul visits Kos.

The Temple of Zeus Lepsinos in Euromos is completed during the reign of Emperor Domitian.

A major earthquake destroys Rhodes. Funds for is rebuilding are given by Antoninus Pius.

Kamiros destroyed for the second time by an earthquake.