Rulers of Greece and Rome

[Dates reflect the Julian year in which the various reigns began and ended. Since the new year began in different months in different regions, co-regencies were arbitrarily included or excluded, and the various regimes sometimes used accession and sometimes non-accession reckoning, these tables cannot accurately reflect the various rulers' official regnal years.]

ARCHONS OF ATHENS
Athens abolished the monarchy completely in 683/682. The king's religious duties were now performed by a king archon (archon basileus). Six thesmothetai were created to be judges and interpreters of law. These officials, along with the civil archon, the king archon and the polemarch ("war leader") were known as the Nine Archons. Each year was named for the chief or "eponymous" archon." They were chosen each year from among the aristocracy by the Areopagus, the council of ruling aristocrats, which ran the state. Some of the more important archons and other rulers of Athens are listed below.
682	Creon	First Eponymous Archon of Athens.
628-620	Draco	One of the thesmothetai; issued Athens' first written laws.
623	Cylon	Attempted to establish a tyranny in Athens, but the people did not support him.
595-591	Solon	Made sole archon in 595, with special legislative powers. In 592, he was appointed "reformer of the constitution."
561-527	Peisistratus	Tyrant. Expelled from Athens in 560 and again in 556-546.
527-514	Hippias and Hipparchus	Sons of Peisistratus; succeeded their father. Hipparchus was assassinated in 514.
514-510	Hipparchus	Overthrown by Cleomenes I, king of Sparta, in 510. From this point on, a more radical form of democracy takes hold in Athens.
510-507	Cleisthenes, Isagoras	Struggle for power. Cleisthenes' democratic reforms are passed between 510-506.
501		Beginning at this time, the Athenians elect ten strategoi or "generals" each year.
448-429	Pericles	First elected strategos in 448, then again 443-429. After his death, Athens slipped into political turmoil.
421-404	Alcibiades	Prominent statesman, orator, and strategos. Defected to Sparta 415-412.
404-402	The Thirty Tyrants	A pro-Spartan oligarchy.
351-322	Demosthenes	Statesman and orator.
338		Greece conquered at the Battle of Chaeronea by Philip of Macedonia, who gave Athens very lenient terms. Athens' form of government continued into the Roman era.

THE AGIAD DYNASTY OF SPARTA
Sparta was ruled by a dual kingship, with both lines claiming descent from Herakles. The rationale seems to have been that, if one king were slain in battle, the state would not be left without a leader. Dates for kings before the mid-sixth century are disputed.
c. 560-520	Anaxandridas II	Son of Leon
c. 520-490	Cleomenes I	Son of Anaxandridas.
490-480	Leonidas I	Half-brother and son-in-law of Cleomenes I. Died at Thermopylae.
480-459	Pleistarchus	Son of Leonidas I.
459-409	Pleistoanax
409-395	Pausanias
395-380	Agesipolis I	Son of Pausanias.
380-371	Cleombrotus I
371-370	Agesipolis II
370-309	Cleomenes II
309-265	Areus I
265-262	Acrotatus
262-254	Areus II
254-235	Leonidas II
235-222	Cleomenes III	Son of Leonidas II. Exiled to Egypt.
222-219		Sparta was a republic during these years.
219-215	Agesipolis III

THE EURYPONTID DYNASTY OF SPARTA
c. 550-515	Ariston	Son of Agesicles
c. 515-491	Demaratus	Son of Ariston.
491-469	Leotychidas
469-427	Archidamus II	Son of Zeuxidamus, son of Leotychidas.
427-400	Agis II	Son of Archidamus II.
399-360	Agesilaus II	Son of Archidamus II.
360-338	Archidamus III	Son of Agesilaus II.
338-331	Agis III	Son of Archidamus III.
331-c. 305	Eudamidas I	Son-in-law of Archidamus III.
c. 305-275	Archidamus IV	Son of Eudamidas I.
c. 275-244	Eudamidas II
c. 244-241	Agis IV	Son of Eudamidas II.
241-c. 228	Eudamidas III
228-227	Archidamus V	Son of Eudamidas II.
227-221	Eucleidas	Son of Leonidas II. Eucleidas was actually an Agiad. His brother Cleomenes III deposed his Eurypontid colleague and installed his brother as co-king.
219-c. 212	Lycurgus
c. 212-c. 200	Pelops	Ruled under the guardianship of Machanidas and, from c. 206 on, Nabis.
bef. 195-192	Nabis	Usurper.

 

ARGEAD DYNASTY OF MACEDONIA
c. 670-652	Perdiccas I
652-621	Argaeus I	Son of Perdiccas I.
621-588	Philip I	Son of Argaeus I.
588-568	Aeropus I	Son of Philip I.
568-540	Alcetas	Son of Aeropus I.
540-498	Amyntas I	Son of Alcetas.
498-454	Alexander I	Son of Amyntas I.
454-413	Perdiccas II	Son of Alexander I.
413-399	Archelaus	Son of Perdiccas II.
399-396	Orestes	Son of Archelaus. Ruled under the guardianship of Aeropus II.
396-393	Aeropus II	Usurper.
393	Pausanias	Son of Aeropus II.
393	Amyntas II	Son of Menelaus, son of Alexander I.
392-370	Amyntas III	Son of Arrhidaeus, grandson of Alexander I.
390	Argaeus II
370-368	Alexander II	Son of Amyntas III.
368-365	Ptolemaeus of Alorus	Usurper.
365-359	Perdiccas III	Son of Amyntas III.
359-336	Philip II	Son of Amyntas III.
336-323	Alexander III "the Great"	Son of Philip II.
323-316	Philip III Arrhidaeus	Half-brother of Alexander III.
323-309	Alexander IV Aegeus	Posthumous son of Alexander III.

ANTIGONID DYNASTY OF MACEDONIA
306-301	Antigonus I
306-283	Demetrius I Poliorcetes
283-239	Antigonus II Gonatas
239-229	Demetrius II
229-221	Antigonus III Doson
221-179	Philip V
179-168	Perseus