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| 466 |
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| In Sicily, Thrasybulus succeeded his brother Hieron as tyrant of Syracuse but was soon expelled and a democracy set up. The attempt of Tyndaridas to establish a tyranny led to the introduction of petalism, similar to Athenian ostracism. | 1 |
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| 465–463 |
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| Cimon crushed the revolt of Thasos, which had attempted to leave the Delian League. After his return to Athens, he was charged by Ephialtes, the head of the popular party, with taking a bribe from Alexander, the king of Macedon, but he was acquitted. | 2 |
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| c. 465–461 |
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| The Third Messenian War. A serious earthquake set off a revolt of the Messenian helots. Defeated in battle by the Spartans, the Messenians retreated to Mt. Ithome. Unable to take the stronghold, the Spartans summoned the Hellenic League, including Athens. In 462, Cimon led an Athenian force to the Peloponnese, but the Spartans sent it home. This insult marked the end of the Spartan-Athenian alliance. The fall of Ithome in 461 ended the helots' revolt. | 3 |
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| 463–454 |
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| In the aftermath of a series of conflicts the mercenaries of the deposed Sicilian tyrants were left in possession of Messana (formerly Zancle). Ducetius united the Sicels and defeated the former mercenaries. He established the federal capital of a Sicel state at Menaenum (c. 454), which was later moved to Palice. | 4 |
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| 462 |
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| Megara, involved in a border war with Corinth, appealed to Sparta for help; rebuffed, the Megarians allied themselves with Athens. Athenian alliances with Thessaly and Argos soon followed. | 5 |
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| 461 |
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| The Athenians, blaming Cimon for the Spartan insult of rejecting their help, ostracized him. Led by Ephialtes, the assembly deprived the Areopagus council of all its powers except jurisdiction in homicide cases. The 6,000-member popular court (heliaea) was then divided into several panels, or juries, of 201 or more. Soon after instituting these reforms, Ephialtes was murdered, probably by his political opponents. Pericles (c. 500–429) replaced Ephialtes as head of the popular party. | 6 |
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| c. 461–457 |
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| Using the money collected from the allies' tribute, the Athenians connected Piraeus with Athens by the Long Walls, four miles long. | 7 |
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