Classical Greece was the period in ancient Greece from about 500–323 BC. It had a civilisation and style which was considered by later observers to be outstanding. Politically, the classical period was dominated by Athens and the Delian League during the 5th century, or from the beginning of the Greco-Persian Wars to the Peloponnesian War in 404 BC. It is considered to have ended in 323 BC with the death of Alexander the Great and the subsequent collapse of the Macedonian Empire.
Classical Greece was followed by the Hellenistic period of history.