Temporal evolution of electrical and plasma parameters over 300 mm-diameter electrodes during the pre-ignition, ignition, and post-ignition phases of a pulsed capacitively coupled radio-frequency (RF) argon discharge is investigated by multi-fold experimental diagnostics. The electron density, n e, and the optical emission intensity (OEI) at different radial positions are measured time-resolved by using a hairpin probe and an optical probe, respectively. A B-dot probe is employed to determine the waveforms of the azimuthal magnetic field at different radii, from which the waveforms of the axial current density at corresponding radial positions are derived based on Ampere’s law. Then, the time evolution of the power density at various radii can be calculated, provided that the voltage drop across the electrodes is independent of radius. Meanwhile, the time-dependent total power deposited into the reactor is calculated with the voltage and the current waveforms measured by a voltage and a current probe at the power feeding point. It was found that during pre-ignition phase, the OEI and n e cannot be measurable due to extremely low power deposition when the system exhibits pure capacitive impedance. During the ignition phase, the OEI, the power density, and the current density exhibit the most significant increase at the electrode center, while time evolution of n e seems to exhibit a relatively weak radial dependence. In particular, at small radii, i.e. r ≤ 8 cm, the OEI was observed to change with time in the same manner as the power density during the ignition phase, because the RF power is absorbed primarily by electrons, which dissipate their energy via inelastic collisions. The more drastic ignition at the center is possibly associated with a center-high profile of Ar metastable density at the beginning of each pulse. Shortly, the profile of n e becomes edge-high during the post-ignition phase and remains thereafter until the end of the pulse-on periods. Methodologically, the synergistic diagnostics lay the foundation for extensive studies on spatiotemporal evolution of plasma ignition process under broader conditions, e.g. low gas pressure and very high frequency, widely used by practical etching process.