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The Mycenaeans came from a group of people who migrated from India through the Middle East and into Greece around the year 2,000 B.C.

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the Minoans occupied the island of Crete that is south of the Greek mainland

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the Mycenaeans were in turn wiped out by another group known as the Dorians.

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Dark Age
During this time, economic activity ground to a halt, and literacy disappeared. Not much is known about this period in Greek history.

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Greece's mountainous terrain led to the development of the polis (city-state)

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King Cyrus expands the boundaries of Persia

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Persian Kings created a system of government for ruling large empires

King Darius rules over Persia

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King Darius takes over the north of Greece

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King Darius sends messengers to Greeks to join the Persian Empire. Greeks kill the messengers. Athens and Sparta unite to fight off Persian Army.

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First Persian invasion of Greece

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Persian Empire becomes the largest empire

Persians invade Greece for a second time.

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Peloponnesian War. Sparta and Athens gathered allies and fought on and off for decades because no single city-state was strong enough to conquer the others.

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Qin Dynasty

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Han Dynasty

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The Middle Ages
After conquering the Greeks, the ancient Romans spread Greek ideas throughout their empire, which included much of Europe.After the fall of the Roman Empire, these ideas lost their prominence in European society during most of the Middle Ages