• 315 BC Establishment of Thessaloniki by King of Macedonia Kassandros, in Thermaikos Bay, by joining 26 small towns. In the new city was named after the King’s wife and half-sister of Alexander the Great.


• 168 BC The Macedonians are defeated at the battle of Pydna and the Roman rule is enforced. Thessaloniki is the capital of the province of Macedonia included between the rivers Strymon and Axios.


• 148 BC Creation of the Roman province of Macedonia (Provincia Macedonia) with Thessaloniki as a capital. By 27 BC, South Greece is also subject thereto.


• 146-120 BC Egnatia Road is manufactured, starting from Durres and ending in Evros. The city becomes a crossroads of important commercial, military and cultural movement.


• 44 AD Proclamation of Thessaloniki as a “free city”, after the victory of Emperors Antony and Octavian against Brutus and Cassius at Philippi.


• 50 AD Preaching of Christianity in Thessaloniki by the Apostle Paul.


• 293-305 AD Landscaping of Thessaloniki from Caesar Gaius Valerius Galerius Maximianus August with great monumental complex: Rotonda, Palace, Racetrack, Arc de Triumph and Octagon


• 303 or 305 AD, October 26th Martyrdom of St Dimitrios after persecution by the Emperor Diocletian. Saint Dimitrios is inextricably linked to the fate of the city and becomes its Protector Saint. The city honors the Saint dedicating him the Demetria celebrations.


• 324 AD Construction of the artificial harbor of Constantine, which he used as a basis against his son in law, Licinius. With his victory and the transfer of the capital Empire in Istanbul, Thessaloniki becomes “reigning” of the state.


• 390 AD Rebellion of Thessalonians against Emperor Theodosius the Great and slaughter of thousands of innocent civilians at the Racetrack, while watching the show.


• 5th, 6th, 7th century AD Successive Arab-Slavic raids disrupt the region but without the capture of Thessaloniki.


• 9th century AD Christianization of Slavs in the Balkans, from brothers Cyril and Methodius, from Thessaloniki, who contributed to the spiritual and cultural development and the creation of an alphabet based on the Greek one.


• 9th and 10th century AD City occupation by Saracen pirates (904 AD), Bulgarian invasions (late 9th to mid10th century.), Occupancy and widespread destruction by the Normans (1185) and Franks (1204).


• 1224 Liberation of Thessaloniki by the Greek ruler of Epirus, Theodore Komnenos Doukas. The city became the capital of the Despotate for 22 years.


• 1246 Occupation by the emperor of Nicaea Ioannis Vatatsis the 3rd .Back to the reconstituted Byzantine Empire (1261) after the Fourth Crusade.


• 1342-1349 The Zealots come to power, after a revolution of the popular classes. They proclaim the “Independent republic of Thessaloniki”, a unique phenomenon in the medieval Europe.


• 14th century Reformation of the State and the society. Despite civil wars, religious strife and social unrest, Thessaloniki experiences its own Golden century, through developing arts, letters and commerce. The last 50 years were marked by new invasions and occupations, this time by the Turks (1387) and the Venetians (1423).


• 1430, March 29. City conquered by the Turks of Murad II and launch of the long period of Turkish rule, until 1912.


• 1821 The citizens are horrified due to the Greek revolution and the uprising in the neighboring Halkidiki. Collective arrests and executions take place, while many Thessalonians abandon the city.


• 1871 Rail link the city with Skopje. Until 1895, the city shall be also connected with Belgrade and the European network.


• 1881 Birth of Mustafa Kemal in Thessaloniki, where the Turkish Consulate is to date.


• 1904-1908 Guidance of the Macedonian struggle by the Greek Consulate in Thessaloniki of the conflicts of Greeks and Bulgarians in the countryside of Macedonia.


• 1908 Outbreak of the Young Turk movement in Thessaloniki against Sultan Abdul Hamid, who is arrested and imprisoned.


• 1912, October 26th Liberation of Thessaloniki by the Greek army.  Turkish General Hasan Tahsin Pasha signed the city delivery protocol, ending 482 years of Ottoman rule.


• 1917, August 5th A devastating fire burns the historic city center. The new urban plan is drawn up by a scientific committee headed by French city planner Ernest Emprar.


• 1922-1923. Thousands of refugees from Pontus and Asia Minor Disembark arrive to Thessaloniki, upon signature of the population exchange treaty.


• 1936, October 3rd The 1st International Fair of Thessaloniki opens its doors, starting a landmark in the city’s history.


• 1943 45.000 Jews of Thessaloniki are killed in the concentration camps of Auschwitz Birkenau, Bergen-Belsen the German troops (1941- 1944).


• 1978, June 20th A strong earthquake hits Thessaloniki, with casualties, wounded people and numerous material damages. Several buildings across the city are restored. Already earlier, many neoclassical buildings of the historic center and Queen Olga area were demolished and replaced by high-rise buildings.


• 1997 Thessaloniki declared European Capital of Culture.


• 2008 Renovation of “Nea Paralia”, the new waterfront of Thessaloniki


• 2012 Thessaloniki magnificently celebrates 100 years since its release.


• 2014 Thessaloniki as “European Youth Capital”, an important distinction for the city