{"slug": "megara", "label": "Megara", "wikipedia": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megara", "wikidata": "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q184864", "qid": "Q184864", "description": "city in western Attica, Greece", "entries": 14, "years": 14, "span": [-666, -242], "span_label": ["667 BCE", "243 BCE"], "topics": [{"title": "Conflict & Security", "count": 8}, {"title": "Exploration & Expansion", "count": 3}, {"title": "Geopolitics & Diplomacy", "count": 2}, {"title": "Economy & Finance", "count": 1}], "related": [{"slug": "athens", "label": "Athens", "shared": 6}, {"slug": "sparta", "label": "Sparta", "shared": 6}, {"slug": "ancient-corinth", "label": "Ancient Corinth", "shared": 6}, {"slug": "thebes-greece", "label": "Thebes, Greece", "shared": 3}, {"slug": "boeotia", "label": "Boeotia", "shared": 3}, {"slug": "delian-league", "label": "Delian League", "shared": 2}, {"slug": "socrates", "label": "Socrates", "shared": 2}, {"slug": "macedon", "label": "Macedon", "shared": 2}, {"slug": "ancient-greece", "label": "Ancient Greece", "shared": 2}, {"slug": "argos-peloponnese", "label": "Argos, Peloponnese", "shared": 1}, {"slug": "pericles", "label": "Pericles", "shared": 1}, {"slug": "egypt", "label": "Egypt", "shared": 1}], "items": [{"year": -666, "year_label": "667 BCE", "section": "Exploration & Expansion", "date": null, "text": "Byzantium (modern Istanbul) is founded by Megaran colonists under Byzas.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1370510245#Asia_Minor", "title": "667 BC", "revid": 1370510245, "section": "Events › By place › Asia Minor"}}, {"year": -639, "year_label": "640 BCE", "section": "Conflict & Security", "date": null, "text": "Theagenes becomes tyrant at Megara.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1370510228#Europe", "title": "640 BC", "revid": 1370510228, "section": "Events › Europe"}}, {"year": -459, "year_label": "460 BCE", "section": "Conflict & Security", "date": null, "text": "The First Peloponnesian War breaks out between the Delian League (led by Athens) and a Peloponnesian alliance (led by Sparta), caused in part by Athens' alliance with Megara and Argos and the subsequent reaction of Sparta. The Athenians have built long walls for the Megarans to their port at Nisaea, thereby earning the enmity of Megara's old rival Corinth.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1354173290#Greece", "title": "460 BC", "revid": 1354173290, "section": "Events › By place › Greece"}}, {"year": -458, "year_label": "459 BCE", "section": "Conflict & Security", "date": null, "text": "Athens allied itself with the city state of Megara which was under pressure from Corinth. This alliance leads to war between Corinth and Athens. The first battle of the war, at Haliesis in the Gulf of Argolis, resulted in a Corinthian victory, but the next battle, the battle of Cecryphalea (modern Angistrion), went Athens' way.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1354678972#Greece", "title": "459 BC", "revid": 1354678972, "section": "Events › By place › Greece"}}, {"year": -456, "year_label": "457 BCE", "section": "Conflict & Security", "date": null, "text": "Athens, the leader of the Delian League, comes into conflict with Corinth and its ally Sparta (leader of the Peloponnesian League) over Megara. Nicomedes of Sparta, regent for King Pleistoanax, leads an army of 11,500 hoplites into Boeotia to help Thebes put down a rebellion by Phocis.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1371321391#Greece", "title": "457 BC", "revid": 1371321391, "section": "Events › By place › Greece"}}, {"year": -445, "year_label": "446 BCE", "section": "Conflict & Security", "date": null, "text": "Megara joins the revolt against Athens. The strategic importance of Megara is immediately demonstrated by the appearance, for the first time in 12 years, of a Spartan army under King Pleistoanax in Attica. The threat from the Spartan army leads Pericles to arrange, by bribery and by negotiation, that Athens will give up its mainland possessions and confine itself to a largely maritime empire.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1372038982#Greece", "title": "446 BC", "revid": 1372038982, "section": "Events › By place › Greece"}}, {"year": -433, "year_label": "434 BCE", "section": "Economy & Finance", "date": null, "text": "Under the leadership of Pericles, Athens introduces a series of measures (the \"Megarian decree\") imposing an economic embargo on Megara for violations of land sacred to Demeter. According to the provisions of the decree, Megarian merchants are to be excluded from the market of Athens and the ports in its empire. This ban strangles the Megarian economy and strains the fragile peace between Athens and Sparta, which is allied with Megara.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1317718470#Greece", "title": "434 BC", "revid": 1317718470, "section": "Events › By place › Greece"}}, {"year": -432, "year_label": "433 BCE", "section": "Conflict & Security", "date": null, "text": "The Corinthians, upset by Athens' actions, lobby Sparta to take action against Athens. This appeal is backed by Megara (which is being severely affected by Pericles' economic sanctions) and by Aegina (which is being heavily taxed by Pericles and which has been refused home rule).", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1354173211#Greece", "title": "433 BC", "revid": 1354173211, "section": "Events › By place › Greece"}}, {"year": -423, "year_label": "424 BCE", "section": "Conflict & Security", "date": null, "text": "Demosthenes and Hippocrates attempt to capture Megara, but they are defeated by the Spartans under their general Brasidas. Demosthenes then marches to Naupactus to assist in a democratic revolution, and to gather troops for an invasion of Boeotia. However, Demosthenes and Hippocrates are unable to coordinate their attacks and Hippocrates is defeated at the Battle of Delium by Pagondas of Thebes. During the battle, Socrates is said to have saved the life of Alcibiades. Demosthenes attacks Sicyon and is defeated as well.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1231841566#Greece", "title": "424 BC", "revid": 1231841566, "section": "Events › By place › Greece"}}, {"year": -387, "year_label": "388 BCE", "section": "Exploration & Expansion", "date": null, "text": "Plato, having left Athens on Socrates' death to visit Megara and possibly Egypt, travels to Syracuse at the invitation of Dionysius I's brother-in-law Dion.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1210249612#Art", "title": "388 BC", "revid": 1210249612, "section": "Events › By topic › Art"}}, {"year": -337, "year_label": "338 BCE", "section": "Geopolitics & Diplomacy", "date": null, "text": "Athens arranges an alliance with Euboea, Megara, Achaea, Corinth, Acarnania and some other states in the Peloponnesus. However, the most desirable ally for Athens is Thebes. Therefore, the Athenian leader, Demosthenes, goes to the Boeotian city and secures an alliance with Thebes despite the efforts of a Macedonian deputation to persuade Thebes to join with Macedonia. In return, Athens agrees to Thebes controlling Boeotia, Thebes being in command solely on land and jointly at sea, and Athens paying two thirds of the campaign's cost.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1354172728#Macedonia", "title": "338 BC", "revid": 1354172728, "section": "Events › By place › Macedonia"}}, {"year": -307, "year_label": "308 BCE", "section": "Exploration & Expansion", "date": null, "text": "Ptolemy crosses from Asia Minor into Greece, where he takes possession of Corinth, Sicyon and Megara.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1358626493#Greece", "title": "308 BC", "revid": 1358626493, "section": "Events › By place › Greece"}}, {"year": -306, "year_label": "307 BCE", "section": "Geopolitics & Diplomacy", "date": null, "text": "Demetrius captures Megara and there he restores the old constitution as well.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1359452513#Greece", "title": "307 BC", "revid": 1359452513, "section": "Events › By place › Greece"}}, {"year": -242, "year_label": "243 BCE", "section": "Conflict & Security", "date": null, "text": "Without a declaration of hostilities, Greek statesman, Aratus of Sicyon, who has gradually built up the Achaean League into a major power in Greece, makes a surprise attack on Corinth and forces the withdrawal of the Macedonian occupation troops. Megara, Troezen, and Epidaurus also desert the Macedonian King Antigonus II.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1354172722#Greece", "title": "243 BC", "revid": 1354172722, "section": "Events › By place › Greece"}}]}