Greece Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Greece appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 19 different states, among them Greece, Ottoman Empire, Byzantine Empire, Eastern Roman Empire, Roman Empire.
GreeceExplore the history of Greece in the interactive map
Compare 1000 with today · Greece as a state on the map
Who ruled the land of Greece, map by map
Share of sample points inside today's borders held by each state on each map. Areas with no organised state on the map are left out.
Historic cities in Greece
Famous people of Greece
| Lived | Person | |
|---|---|---|
| 495 BC – 429 BC | Pericles | Athenian statesman |
| c. 484 BC – 425 BC | Herodotus | Historian |
| 470 BC – 399 BC | Socrates | Philosopher |
| c. 428 BC – 348 BC | Plato | Philosopher |
| 384 BC – 322 BC | Aristotle | Philosopher |
| 356 BC – 323 BC | Alexander the Great | King of Macedon |
| 1881 – 1938 | Mustafa Kemal Atatürk | Founder of the Republic of Turkey |
Battles and historic sites
| Year | Battle or site |
|---|---|
| 480 BC | Battle of Thermopylae |
| 48 BC | Battle of Pharsalus |
| 1827 | Battle of Navarino |
Landmarks
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Greece?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Greece belonged to Greece, Ottoman Empire, Byzantine Empire, Eastern Roman Empire, Roman Empire, Greek city-states, along with 13 other states.
What was Greece part of in 1000?
On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's Greece lay within Byzantine Empire.
What was Greece part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Greece lay within Ottoman Empire.
What was Greece part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Greece lay within Greece.
Further reading
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.