- 303 BCE
- Dura Europos Founded by Seleucids
- 150 BCE
- Dura is rebuilt as a great Hellenistic city, with a rectangular grid of streets arranged around a large central agora. Its location on a major crossroads makes it a very cosmopolitan city, as evidenced by inscriptions in many languages and the religious b
- 165 CE
- Romans capture Dura Europos
- 230 CE
- The house-church and synagogue of Dura Europos are constructed and decorated with murals.
- 256 CE
- A Sassanian siege brings the history of Dura to an end. In a last-ditch attempt to save the city, the synagogue is filled in to make a fortress, ensuring its preservation. Following the siege, the city is abandoned. It is soon covered in shifting sands an
- 1920
- Archaeological excavations are carried out by French and American teams.
- 30 Mar 1920
- During the Arab rebellion in the aftermath of World War I, a British soldier digging a trench uncovers beautifully preserved frescoes. The American archeologist James Henry Breasted, then at Baghdad, is alerted.
- 1922
- Franz Cumont publishes the first archaeological reports on the site, identifying it as Dura-Europos. A temple is uncovered before renewed hostilities in the area close it to archaeology.
- 1928
- Excavations at Dura Europos
- 1986
- Excavations resume at Dura Europos.