The great tragedies and comedies by the inventors of theatre
Please note that this chronology lists only complete works, not fragments, and thus reflects only those plays which are still known to us today. There is also some doubling up of titles among these plays – authorship is specified under the title of each play listed to help clarify this.
Mythic Era
- Dates and events in this order are placed according to this Mythical Chronology of Greece. Please note that all dates are speculative, and relate only to the internal chronology of the myths themselves, not to actual history.
- Prometheus Bound
- Aeschylus
- The Suppliants
- Aeschylus
- The Bacchae
- Euripides
- Ion
- Euripides
Alcestis
- Euripides
- Herakles
- Euripides
- Medea
- Euripides
- Women of Trachis
- Sophocles
- Oedipus Rex
- Sophocles
- Oedipus at Colonus
- Sophocles
- Seven Against Thebes
- Aeschylus
- The Suppliants
- Euripides
- Antigone
- Sophocles
- The Phoenician Women
- Euripides
- Heracleidae
- Euripides
- Hippolytus
- Euripides
- Ajax
- Sophocles
- Philoctetes
- Sophocles
- Helen
- Euripides
- Iphigenia in Aulis
- Euripides
- The Trojan Women
- Euripides
- Hecuba
- Euripides
- Agamemnon
- Aeschylus
- Rhesusa
- Euripides
- Cyclops
- Euripides
- Electra
- Euripides
- Electra
- Sophocles
- Choēphóroi
- Aeschylus
- Orestes
- Euripides
- Iphigenia in Tauris
- Euripides
- Eumenides
- Aeschylus
- Andromache
- Euripides
1667 BCE
1488 BCE
1386 BCE
1330 BCE
1253 BCE
1246 BCE
1236 BCE
1226 BCE
1225 BCE
1223 BCE
1206 BCE
1182 BCE
1203 BCE
1193 BCE
1183 BCE
1184 BCE
1180 BCE
1175 BCE
1174 BCE
1173 BCE
Historical Era
- The Persians
- Aeschylus
- For simplicity’s sake, all of Aristophanes plays set during the Peloponnesian War are placed at this date unless otherwise noted:
- The Acharnians
- Aristophanes
- The Knights
- Aristophanes
- The Clouds
- Aristophanes
- The Wasps
- Aristophanes
- Peace
- Aristophanes
- The Birds
- Aristophanes
- Lysistrata
- Aristophanes
- Thesmophoriazusae
- Aristophanes
Parodies the original productions of Euripides’ Helen and Andromeda in this year.> - The Frogs
Must take place after the death of Euripides in 406 BCE. - Aristophanes
- Assemblywomen
- Aristophanes
Must take place after the end of the Peloponnesian War in 404 BCE.