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. The dates after the author’s names are those of the composition and/or earliest known performance of each play.
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, uncertain date between 479 and 430 BCE
- The Suppliants
- Aeschylus, 463 BCE
- The Bacchae
- Euripides, 405 BCE
- Ion
- Euripides, 413 BCE (approx)
- Alcestis
- Euripides, 438 BCE
- Herakles
- Euripides, 416 BCE (approx)
- Medea
- Euripides, 431 BCE
- Women of Trachis
- Sophocles, uncertain date between 459 and 424 BCE
- Oedipus Rex
- Sophocles, 429 BCE (approx)
- Oedipus at Colonus
- Sophocles, 406 BCE
- Seven Against Thebes
- Aeschylus, 467 BCE
- The Suppliants
- Euripides, 423 BCE (approx)
- Antigone
- Sophocles, 441 BCE
- The Phoenician Women
- Euripides, 410 BCE (approx)
- Heracleidae
- Euripides, 430 BCE (approx)
- Hippolytus
- Euripides, 428 BCE
- Ajax
- Sophocles, 442 or 441 BCE
- Philoctetes
- Sophocles, 409 BCE
- Helen
- Euripides, 412 BCE
- Iphigenia in Aulis
- Euripides, 414 BCE (approx)
- The Trojan Women
- Euripides, 415 BCE
- Hecuba
- Euripides, 424 BCE
- Agamemnon
- Aeschylus, 458 BCE
- Rhesusa
- Euripides, date unknown
- Cyclops
- Euripides, date unknown
- Electra
- Euripides, 420 BCE (approx)
- Electra
- Sophocles, uncertain date between 420 and 406 BCE
- Choēphóroi
- Aeschylus, 458 BCE
- Orestes
- Euripides, 408 BCE
- Iphigenia in Tauris
- Euripides, 414 BCE (approx)
- The Eumenides
- Aeschylus, 458 BCE
- Andromache
- Euripides, 425 BCE (approx)
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, 472 BCE
- For simplicity’s sake, all the plays of Aristophanes that are set during the Peloponnesian War are placed at this date unless otherwise noted:
- The Acharnians
- Aristophanes, 425 BCE
- The Knights
- Aristophanes, 424 BCE
- The Clouds
- Aristophanes, original 423 BCE, uncompleted revised version from 419-416 BCE survives
- The Wasps
- Aristophanes, 422 BCE
- Peace
- Aristophanes, 421 BCE
- The Birds
- Aristophanes, 414 BCE
- Lysistrata
- Aristophanes, 411 BCE
- Thesmophoriazusae
- Aristophanes, 411 BCE
Parodies the original productions of Euripides’ Helen and Andromeda in this year. - The Frogs
- Aristophanes, 405 BCE
Must take place after the death of Euripides in 406 BCE. - The Assemblywomen
- Aristophanes, 392 BCE
Must take place after the end of the Peloponnesian War in 404 BCE.