Greece timeline A chronology of key events: 1924 - Greeks vote for abolition of the monarchy, country becomes republic. Figures on Acropolis Hill survey Athens, a teeming metropolis 486 BC: Parthenon completed 88 BC: Romans sack Athens 1456: Turks occupy city 1833: Athens becomes capital of kingdom of Greece 2004: The real story of the Elgin Marbles BBC History: Greeks 1935 - Monarchy restored. 1936 - General Metaxas appointed prime minister by king, establishes right-wing dictatorship. 1940 - Mussolini's forces attack Greece from Italian-held Albania, but are repelled. 1941 - Metaxas dies. Greece falls to Germany. More than 100,000 die in famine. King George II and government flee to Egypt. 1942 - 1944 - Fierce resistance to the occupation by communist and royalist factions alike. 1944 - British and Greek forces combine to force Nazi withdrawal. With backing from Britain, Georgios Papandreou becomes prime minister. Communists protest. Tensions rise and there is sporadic violence.