1. Pericles dies in plague - 429 bce
2. Mytilinian Debate - 428
3. Aristophanes' Knights produced in 424 - (took first place) first reference to followers of Socrates indulging in Spartan self-fashioning (boxing) 
4. Aristophanes' Clouds produces in 423 (parodied Socrates as a sophist/natural philosopher - took 3rd place; the 2nd place winner, Konnos, also parodied Socrates).
5. Melian Dialogue - 416 - Alcibiades urges slaughter of Melian men; fathers a child on Melian war widow/slave
6. Mutilation of Hermes & Profanation of the Mysteries- 415
• demos suspects symnomosiai of acts; pretext for recall of Alcibiades
• recall of Alcibiades; treachery of Alcibiades
7. Sicilian Expedition - 415
8. Defeat of Sicilian Expeditionary force - 413
• Peisander's treachery
• Spartan outpost at Declea (on advice of Alcibiades)
• loss of silver mine slaves
• establishment of board of 10 elders to advise the demos, supplants Boule for a period
9. Revolt of allies at urging of Alcibiades - 412
• Persians help Spartans pay for fleet
10. Revolution of 411 -
• role of symnomosiai; hetaireias [cf. IRA and Sinn Fein, "death squads" and right wing "legitimate" political parties in Latin America.
  • Symnomosiai assasinate leaders of the radical democratic party. Surviving members of the democratic party start to sell each other out to the symnomosiai.
• role of Alcibiades (promised Persian money to Athens if it would overthrow democracy)
• a council of 400 chosen - they were supposed to elect a council of 5000 - they never did, keeping all power in their hands
11. Restoration of Democracy -
• in-fighting among the 400
• Sailors in Athenian fleet threaten revolt unless 400 step down. The 400 send Theramenes to suppress the revolt but he joins with the sailors and leads the movement to overturn the 400.
• four months after revolution 400 step down; "moderate" oligarchy (of 5000) established; Alcibiades and other exiles restored
• Sailors threaten revolt unless  democracy restored. Democracy restored. Demos establishes a board of "law publishers" to establish a written code of Athenian law.
• Alcibiades leads rebuilt  fleet to victory over Sparta in 410. Spartans offer peace, but Athens refuses.
12. Trial of the Generals of the Arginousae -406
    • Theramenes had participated in Athenian naval victory. After the battle, a storm arose preventing the generals from collecting the bodies of the dead.
    • Theramenes high tailed it back to Athens and led a political movement urging the trial of the generals.
    • The generals who returned (some decided on voluntary exile rather than returning) were tried collectively (over Socrates' objections) and executed.
    • Sparta offers peace and Athens refuses.
13. Loss of Athenian Fleet at Argoipotmoi - 405. Sparta blockades Athens until she surrenders.
14. Revolution of 404
    • Law Publishers finish work on cause all laws to be inscribed on Stoa Basileios in the Agora.
    • Demos sends Theramenes to negotiate with Athens. Negotiations unavailing for 3 months while Athens starves. Sparta sends Theramenes to Athens to negotiate terms of Athenian surrender.
    • In wake of military defeat, the Assembly suspends the democracy.
    • Sparta installs a board of 30 to govern the city. The 30 include aristocrats who had fought for Sparta and/or been exiled by the demos, as well as Critias and Charmides, associates of Socrates, and finally "moderate" oligarchs (some would call them opportunists) like Theramenes.
    • The 30 remove the laws published by the law publishers.
    • The 30 conduct a "terror" for 8 months. During this period Critias and Theramenes split. Critias has Theramenes executed.
    • Demos, led by Anytus, revolt and drive 30 out. Sparta is unable to respond because of its own internal political problems.
15. Restoration of Democracy (Amnesty) - 403 (Anytus was a chief sponsor of the Amnesty) - no charges could be filed for actions occuring prior to 403. Demos establishes new process for codifying law.
16. Unsuccessful anti-democratic uprising - 401
17. Trial of Socrates - 399

Summary of trends

• Intellectual revolution - Sophists who were natural philosophers were challenging traditional mythological/religious accounts of the world (the sun is not a good, simply a ball of fire) based on empirical observation and reasoning from it. cf. the response to Darwin or Freud.
• Social revolution - "professionalization of rhetoric" (sophists); polarization of wealthiest and poorest segments of citizenry; alienation of elite youth culture (cf 60s)
• Profound external stresses (war with Sparta)

Charges against Socrates

• introducing new gods - his daimon. Note, as Socrates describes it, he and the daimon have a personal relationship which is not mediated by city cult/ritual
• Neglect of established gods - Socrates did what he was legally required to do; but where not specifically required, he probably ignored and did not participate in city religious festivals and rituals
• Corrupting youth

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