6th century BC

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• Mediterranean: Beginning of Greek philosophy
  Greek philosophy
  
  Greek philosophy focused on the role of reason and inquiry. Many philosophers today concede that Greek philosophy has shaped the entire Western thought since its inception....
  , flourishes during the 5th century BC.
• The late Hallstatt culture
  Hallstatt culture
  
  The Hallstatt culture was the predominant Central European culture from the 8th to 6th centuries BC , developing out of the Urnfield culture of the 12th century BC and followed in much of Central Europe by the La T?ne culture....
   period in Eastern
  Eastern Europe
  
  Eastern Europe is a term that applies to the geopolitical region encompassing the easternmost part of the Europe. Throughout history and to a lesser extent today, parts of Eastern Europe has been distinguishable from Western Europe and other regions due to cultural, religious, economic, and historical reasons, even though there i...
   and Central Europe
  Central Europe
  
  Central Europe is the region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern Europe and Western Europe Europe. In addition, Northern Europe, Southern Europe and Southeastern Europe may variously delimit or overlap into Central Europe....
  , the late Bronze Age
  Nordic Bronze Age
  
  The Nordic Bronze Age is the name given by Oscar Montelius to a period and a Bronze Age archaeological culture in Scandinavian pre-history, ca 1800 BCE - 500 BCE, with sites that reached as far east as Estonia....
   in Northern Europe
  Northern Europe
  
  Northern Europe is the northern part or region of Europe. The United Nations defines Northern Europe as including the following countries and dependent regions:...
  .
• East Asia
  East Asia
  
  East Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either Geography or cultural terms. Geography and geopolitically, it covers about 12,000,000 km?, or about 28 percent of the Asian continent, about 15 percent bigger than the area of Europe, though some categorize Tibet, Xinjiang, and Mongolia as Central Asia....
  : The Spring and Autumn Period
  Spring and Autumn Period
  
  The Spring and Autumn Period was a period in Chinese history, which roughly corresponds to the first half of the Eastern Zhou dynasty . Its name comes from the Spring and Autumn Annals, a chronicle of the state of Lu between 722 BC and 481 BC, which tradition associates with Confucius....
  . Chinese philosophy
  Chinese philosophy
  
  Chinese philosophy is philosophy written in the China Chinese culture of thought. Chinese philosophy has a history of several thousand years; its origins are often traced back to the I Ching , an ancient compendium of divination, which uses a system of 64 hexagrams to guide action....
   become the orthodoxy
  Orthodoxy
  
  The word orthodox, from Greek language orthodoxos "having the right opinion," from orthos + Doxa , is typically used to mean adhering to the accepted or traditional and established faith, especially in religion....
   of China
  China
  
  China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
  . Confucianism
  Confucianism
  
  Confucianism is a China Ethics and Philosophy developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius . It focuses on human morality and right action....
  , Legalism
  Legalism (Chinese philosophy)
  
  In History of China, Legalism was one of the four main philosophic schools during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period ....
   and Moism flourish. Laozi
  Laozi
  
  Laozi was a Chinese philosophy of Ancient history China and is a central figure in Taoism . Laozi literally means "Old Master" and is generally considered an honorific....
   founds Taoism
  Taoism
  
  Taoism refers to a variety of related philosophical and religious traditions and concepts. These traditions have influenced East Asia for over two thousand years and some have spread to the West....
  .
• Middle East
  Middle East
  
  File:GreaterMiddleEast1.pngThe Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia, western Asia, and northeastern Africa. It has no clear boundaries, often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East....
  : During the Persian empire
  Persian Empire
  
  The 'Persian Empire' was a series of successive Iranian or Persianization empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland, and beyond in Southwest Asia, South Asia, Central Asia and the Caucasus....
  , Zoroaster
  Zoroaster
  
  Zoroaster or Zarathushtra , also referred to as Zartosht , was an ancient Iranian peoples prophet and religious poet. The hymns attributed to him, the Gathas, are at the liturgical core of Zoroastrianism....
  , aka Zarathustra, founded Zoroastrianism
  Zoroastrianism
  
  Zoroastrianism is the religion and philosophy based on the teachings ascribed to the prophet Zoroaster, after whom the religion is named. The term Zoroastrianism is in general usage, essentially synonymous with Mazdaism, i.e., the worship of Ahura Mazda, exalted by Zoroaster as the supreme divine authority....
  , a dualistic philosophy
  Philosophy
  
  Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, truth, beauty, justice, validity, mind, and language....
  . This was also the time of the Babylonian captivity
  Babylonian captivity
  
  The Babylonian captivity, or Babylonian exile, is the name typically given to the deportation and exile of the Jews of the ancient Kingdom of Judah to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon in 586 BCE....
   of the ancient Jews.
• Ancient India
  Ancient India
  
  Ancient India may refer to:*The ancient History of India, which generally includes the ancient history of the whole Indian subcontinent ...
  : The Buddha
  Gautama Buddha
  
  Siddhartha Gautama was a Spirituality teacher in the northern region of the Indian subcontinent who founded Buddhism. He is generally seen by Buddhists as the Supreme Buddhahood of our age....
   and Mahavira
  Mahavira
  
  Mahavira is the name most commonly used to refer to the Indian sage Vardhamana who established what are today considered to be the central tenets of Jainism....
   found Buddhism
  Buddhism
  
  Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices considered by most to be a religionand is based on the teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as "The Buddha" , who was born in what is today Nepal....
   and Jainism
  Jainism
  
  Jainism is one of the oldest Indian religions that originated in India. Jains believe that every soul is divine and has the potential to achieve God-consciousness....
  .
• The decline of the Olmec
  Olmec
  
  The Olmec were an ancient Pre-Columbian people living in the tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico, in what are roughly the modern-day Mexican state of Veracruz and Tabasco....
   civilization in America
  South America
  
  South America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere....
  .

Events

• Mid-6th century BC — Foundation of Temple of Olympian Zeus (Athens) is made.
• 598 BC — Jehoiachin succeeds Jehoiakim
  Jehoiakim
  
  Jehoiakim was king of Judah. He was the second son of king Josiah by Zebidah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. His birth name was Eliakim....
   as King of Judah
  Kingdom of Judah
  
  The Kingdom of Judah existed at two periods in Jewish history. According to the Hebrew Bible, a kingdom emerged in Judah after the death of Saul, when the tribe of Judah elevated David to rule over it....
  .
• March 16, 597 BC — Babylonia
  Babylonia
  
  Babylonia was a state in Lower Mesopotamia , Babylon as its franklin. Babylonia emerged when Hammurabi created an empire out of the territories of the former kingdoms of Sumer and Akkad....
  ns capture Jerusalem
  Jerusalem
  
  Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and its List of Israeli cities in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of if Positions on Jerusalem East Jerusalem is included....
  , replace Jehoiachin with Zedekiah
  Zedekiah
  
  Zedekiah was the last king of Judah before the destruction of the kingdom by Babylon. He was the third son of Josiah, and his mother was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah, thus he was the brother of Jehoahaz ....
   as king.
• 595 BC — Psammetichus II
  Psammetichus II
  
  Psamtik II was a king of the Saite based Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt . His prenomen, Neferibre, means "Beautiful is the Heart of Re." He was the son of Necho II....
   succeeds Necho II
  Necho II
  
  Necho II was a king of the Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt , and the son of Psammetichus I by his Great Royal Wife Mehtenweskhet. His prenomen or royal name Wahemibre means "Carrying out the Wish of Ra Forever." Necho played a significant role in the histories of the Assyrian Empire, Babylonia and the Kingdom of Judah....
   as king of Egypt
  History of Ancient Egypt
  
  The History of ancient Egypt spans the period from the early Predynastic Egypt settlements of the northern Nile Valley to the History of Roman Egypt in 30 BC....
  .
• 594 BC — Solon
  Solon
  
  Solon was an Athens statesman, lawmaker, and lyric poetry. He is remembered particularly for his efforts to legislate against political, economic and moral decline in Archaic period in Greece Athens....
   appointed archon
  Archon
  
  Archon is a Greek language word that means "ruler", frequently used as the title of a specific public office. It is the masculine present participle of the verb stem ???-, meaning "to rule", derived from the same root as monarch, hierarchy and anarchism....
   of Athens
  Athens
  
  Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
  ; institutes democratic reforms.
• 590 BC — Egypt
  Egypt
  
  Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about , Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west....
  ian army sacks Napata
  Napata
  
  Napata was a city-state on the west bank of the Blue Nile River, some 400 km north of Khartoum, the present capital of Sudan. It was built around 1345 BC by the Nubians....
  , compelling the Cushite court
  Court
  
  A court is a body, often a government institution, with the authority to adjudication legal disputes and dispense private law, criminal justice, or administrative law justice in accordance with rules of law....
   to move to a more secure location at Meroe
  Meroë
  
  Mero? is the name of an ancient city on the east bank of the Nile about 6 km north-east of the Kabushiya station near Shendi, Sudan, approximately 200 km north-east of Khartoum....
   near the sixth Cataract .
• 589 BC — Apries
  Apries
  
  Apries is the name by which Herodotus and Diodorus designate Wahibre Haibre, ??af??? , a pharaoh of Egypt , the fourth king of the Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt....
   succeeds Psammetichus II
  Psammetichus II
  
  Psamtik II was a king of the Saite based Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt . His prenomen, Neferibre, means "Beautiful is the Heart of Re." He was the son of Necho II....
   as king of Egypt
  History of Ancient Egypt
  
  The History of ancient Egypt spans the period from the early Predynastic Egypt settlements of the northern Nile Valley to the History of Roman Egypt in 30 BC....
  .
• 588 BC — Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon begins siege of Jerusalem
  Jerusalem
  
  Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and its List of Israeli cities in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of if Positions on Jerusalem East Jerusalem is included....
  ; some sources set the date at 587 BC.
• 587/586 BC — Jerusalem
  Jerusalem
  
  Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and its List of Israeli cities in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of if Positions on Jerusalem East Jerusalem is included....
   falls to the Babylonia
  Babylonia
  
  Babylonia was a state in Lower Mesopotamia , Babylon as its franklin. Babylonia emerged when Hammurabi created an empire out of the territories of the former kingdoms of Sumer and Akkad....
  ns, ending the Kingdom of Judah
  Kingdom of Judah
  
  The Kingdom of Judah existed at two periods in Jewish history. According to the Hebrew Bible, a kingdom emerged in Judah after the death of Saul, when the tribe of Judah elevated David to rule over it....
  . The conquerors destroy the Temple of Jerusalem
  Jerusalem
  
  Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and its List of Israeli cities in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of if Positions on Jerusalem East Jerusalem is included....
   and exile the land's remaining inhabitants. Babylonian Captivity
  Babylonian captivity
  
  The Babylonian captivity, or Babylonian exile, is the name typically given to the deportation and exile of the Jews of the ancient Kingdom of Judah to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon in 586 BCE....
   for the Jews began.
• 586 BC — reincarnation of King Ding of Zhou
  King Ding of Zhou
  
  King Ding of Zhou or King Ting of Chou was the twenty-first sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty and the ninth of Eastern Zhou Dynasty....
  , King of the Zhou Dynasty
  Zhou Dynasty
  
  The Zhou Dynasty was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. The Zhou dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in China history?though the actual political and military control of China by the dynasty only lasted during the Western Zhou....
   of China
  China
  
  China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
  .
• May 28, 585 BC — A solar eclipse
  Solar eclipse
  
  A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth so that the Sun is wholly or partially obscured. This can only happen during a new moon, when the Sun and Moon are in conjunction as seen from the Earth....
   occurs as predicted by Thales
  Thales
  
  Thales of Miletus , was a Pre-Socratic philosophy Greek philosophy from Miletus in Asia Minor, and one of the Seven Sages of Greece. Many, most notably Aristotle, regard him as the first philosopher in the Greek philosophy....
  , while Alyattes II
  Alyattes II
  
  Alyattes , king of Lydia , the real founder of the Lydian empire, was the son of Sadyattes, of the house of the Mermnadae.For several years he continued the war against Miletus begun by his father, but was obliged to turn his attention to the Medes and Babylonians....
   is battling Cyaxares
  Cyaxares
  
  Cyaxares, Hvakhshathra,Xasro or Kayxosrew , the son of King Phraortes, was the first king of Medes .He reorganized and modernized the Median Army, then joined with King Nabopolassar of Babylon....
  . This leads to a truce. This is one of the cardinal dates from which other dates can be calculated.
• 585/584 BC — Astyages
  Astyages
  
  Astyages ; spelled by Herodotus as Astyages; by Ctesias as Astyigas; by Diodorus as Aspadas; Akkadian language: I?tumegu), was the last king of the Medes, r....
   succeeds Cyaxares
  Cyaxares
  
  Cyaxares, Hvakhshathra,Xasro or Kayxosrew , the son of King Phraortes, was the first king of Medes .He reorganized and modernized the Median Army, then joined with King Nabopolassar of Babylon....
   as King of the Medes
  Medes
  
  The Medes were an Ancient Iranian peoples who lived in the northwestern portions of present-day Iran. This area was known in Greek as Media or Medea ....
  .
• 585 BC — King Jian of Zhou
  King Jian of Zhou
  
  King Jian of Zhou or King Chien of Chou was the twenty-second sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty and the tenth of Eastern Zhou Dynasty....
   becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty
  Zhou Dynasty
  
  The Zhou Dynasty was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. The Zhou dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in China history?though the actual political and military control of China by the dynasty only lasted during the Western Zhou....
   of China
  China
  
  China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
  .
• 582 BC — Pythian Games
  Pythian Games
  
  The Pythian Games were one of the four Panhellenic Games of Ancient Greece, a forerunner of the modern Olympic Games, held every four years at the sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi....
   founded at Delphi
  Delphi
  
  Delphi is an archaeology site and a modern town in Greece on the south-western spur of Mount Parnassus in the valley of Phocis. Delphi was the site of the Pythia, the most important oracle in the classical Greek world, when it was a major site for the worship of the god Apollo after he slew the Python , a deity who lived there and protecte...
  . (traditional date)
• 580 BC — Cambyses I
  Cambyses I of Anshan
  
  Cambyses I, Old Persian: Kambujiya, 'the Elder was King of Anshan from c. 580 to 559 BC and was the father of Cyrus the Great . His name in Greek language was ?a???s??, whence the Latin Cambyses....
   succeeds Cyrus I
  Cyrus I of Anshan
  
  Cyrus I , was King of Anshan from c. 600 to 580 BC or, according to others, from c. 652 to 600 BC. His name in Modern Persian language is ?????, while in Greek language he was called ?????....
   as king of Anshan
  Anshan (Persia)
  
  Anshan , a site on the Iranian plateau, 36 km northwest of modern Shiraz, Iran in the Zagros mountains of the Fars province, southwestern Iran, was one of the early capitals of Elam, from the 3rd millennium BC....
   and head of the Achaemenid dynasty. (approximate date)
• 580 BC — Isthmian Games
  Isthmian Games
  
  The Isthmian Games or Isthmia were one of the Panhellenic Games of Ancient Greece, and were named after the Isthmus of Corinth of Corinth, where they were held....
   founded at Corinth. (traditional date)
• 579 BC — Servius Tullius
  Servius Tullius
  
  Servius Tullius was the sixth legendary Roman king of ancient Rome and the second king of the Etruria dynasty. The traditional dates of his reign are 578-535 BC....
   succeeds the assassinated Lucius Tarquinius Priscus as king of Rome
  King of Rome
  
  The King of Rome was the chief magistrate of the Roman Kingdom. The kings, excluding Romulus who held office by his virtue as the city's founder, were all elected by the people of Rome to serve for life, with none of the kings relying on military force to gain the throne....
  . (traditional date)
• 573 BC — Nemean Games
  Nemean Games
  
  The Nemean Games were one of the four Panhellenic Games of Ancient Greece, and were held at Nemea every two years.With the Isthmian Games, the Nemean Games were held both the year before and the year after the Olympic Games and the Pythian Games in the third year of the Olympiad cycle....
   founded at Nemea
  Nemea
  
  For other articles related to Nemea see Nemea 'Nemea is an ancient site near the head of the valley of the River Elissos in the northeastern part of the Peloponnese, in Greece....
  . (traditional date)
• 572 BC — Death of King Jian of Zhou
  King Jian of Zhou
  
  King Jian of Zhou or King Chien of Chou was the twenty-second sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty and the tenth of Eastern Zhou Dynasty....
  , King of the Zhou Dynasty
  Zhou Dynasty
  
  The Zhou Dynasty was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. The Zhou dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in China history?though the actual political and military control of China by the dynasty only lasted during the Western Zhou....
   of China
  China
  
  China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
  .
• 571 BC — King Ling of Zhou
  King Ling of Zhou
  
  King Ling of Zhou or King Ling of Chou was the twenty-third sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty and the eleventh of Eastern Zhou Dynasty....
   becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty
  Zhou Dynasty
  
  The Zhou Dynasty was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. The Zhou dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in China history?though the actual political and military control of China by the dynasty only lasted during the Western Zhou....
   of China
  China
  
  China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
  .
• 570 BC — Amasis II
  Amasis II
  
  Amasis II was a pharaoh of the Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt, the successor of Apries at Sais, Egypt. He was the last great ruler of Ancient Egypt before the Persian Empire conquest....
   succeeds Apries
  Apries
  
  Apries is the name by which Herodotus and Diodorus designate Wahibre Haibre, ??af??? , a pharaoh of Egypt , the fourth king of the Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt....
   as king of Egypt
  History of Ancient Egypt
  
  The History of ancient Egypt spans the period from the early Predynastic Egypt settlements of the northern Nile Valley to the History of Roman Egypt in 30 BC....
  .
• 568 BC — Amtalqa succeeds his brother Aspelta
  Aspelta
  
  Aspelta was a ruler of the kingdom of Kush . More is known about him and his reign than most of the rulers of Kush. He left several stelae carved with accounts of his reign....
   as king of Kush.
• 562 BC — Amel-Marduk
  Amel-Marduk
  
  Amel-Marduk , called Evil-merodach in the Hebrew Bible, was the son and successor of Nebuchadrezzar II, king of Babylon. He reigned only two years ....
   succeeds Nebuchadnezzar as king of Babylon
  Babylon
  
  Babylon was a city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, sometimes considered an empire, the remains of which can be found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Governorate, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad....
  .
• 560 BC — Neriglissar
  Neriglissar
  
  Nergal-sharezer or Neriglissar was Kings of Babylon from 560 to 556 BC. He was the son-in-law of Nebuchadrezzar II, whose son and heir, Amel-Marduk, Nergal-sharezer murdered and succeeded....
   succeeds Amel-Marduk
  Amel-Marduk
  
  Amel-Marduk , called Evil-merodach in the Hebrew Bible, was the son and successor of Nebuchadrezzar II, king of Babylon. He reigned only two years ....
   as king of Babylon
  Babylon
  
  Babylon was a city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, sometimes considered an empire, the remains of which can be found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Governorate, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad....
  .
• 560/561 BC — Croesus
  Croesus
  
  Croesus was the Monarch of Lydia from 560/561 BC until his defeat by the Persian Empire in about 547 BC. The fall of Croesus made a profound impact on the Greeks, providing a fixed point in their calendar....
   becomes king of Lydia
  Lydia
  
  Lydia was an Iron Age kingdom of western Asia Minor located generally east of ancient Ionia in the modern Turkey provinces of Manisa Province and inland Izmir Province....
  .
• 560 BC — Pisistratus
  Peisistratos (Athens)
  
  Peisistratus was a tyrant of Athens from 546 to 527/8 BCE. His legacy lies primarily in his institution of the Panathenaic Festival and the consequent first attempt at producing a definitive version for Homeric epics....
   seizes the Acropolis
  Acropolis
  
  Acropolis literally means city on the edge . For purposes of defense, early settlers naturally chose elevated ground, frequently a hill with precipitous sides....
   of Athens and declares himself tyrant
  Tyrant
  
  This article is about the political ruler. For other uses see Tyrant and Tyranny In modern usage, a tyrant is a single ruler holding absolute political power over a state or within an organization....
  . He is deposed in the same year.
• 550s BC — Carthage
  Carthage
  
  Carthage refers both to an ancient city in present-day Tunisia, and a modern-day suburb of Tunis. The civilization that developed within the city's sphere of influence is referred to as Punic or Carthaginian....
   conquers Sicily
  Sicily
  
  Sicily is an Autonomous regions with special statute of Italy. Of all the regions of Italy, Sicily covers the largest land area at 25,708 km? and currently has just over five million inhabitants....
  , Sardinia
  Sardinia
  
  Sardinia is the Mediterranean islands#By area island in the Mediterranean Sea . The area of Sardinia is . The island is surrounded by the France island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Tunisia and the Balearic Islands....
   and Corsica
  Corsica
  
  Corsica is the Mediterranean islands#By area in the Mediterranean Sea . It is located west of Italy, southeast of the France mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
  .
• 559 BC — King Cambyses I of Anshan
  Cambyses I of Anshan
  
  Cambyses I, Old Persian: Kambujiya, 'the Elder was King of Anshan from c. 580 to 559 BC and was the father of Cyrus the Great . His name in Greek language was ?a???s??, whence the Latin Cambyses....
   dies and is succeeded by his son Cyrus II the Great
  Cyrus the Great
  
  Cyrus the Great , , also known as Cyrus II of Persia and Cyrus the Elder, was a Persian people Shah . He was the founder of the Persian Empire under the Achaemenid dynasty, an empire, perhaps the most wealthy and magnificent in history....
  .
• 558 BC — Hegesias
  Hegesias
  
  Hegesias may refer to:* Hegesias of Cyrene, Cyrenaic philosopher, c. 300 BC* Hegesias of Magnesia, Greek rhetorician and historian, c. 300 BC...
   removed as Archon of Athens
  Athens
  
  Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
  .
• 558 BC — The Chinese
  China
  
  China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
   state of Jin
  Jin (state)
  
  Jin was one of the most powerful states in the Spring and Autumn Period, based in Shanxi, China. Jin was founded by Tang Shuyu, a descendant of the Zhou Dynasty royal family....
   defeats its rival Qin in battle.
• 556 BC — Pisistratus
  Peisistratos (Athens)
  
  Peisistratus was a tyrant of Athens from 546 to 527/8 BCE. His legacy lies primarily in his institution of the Panathenaic Festival and the consequent first attempt at producing a definitive version for Homeric epics....
   is exiled from Athens to Euboea
  Euboea
  
  For the Greek mythology figure, see Euboea Euboea is the second largest of the Greece Aegean Islands and the second largest List of islands of Greece overall in area and population, after Crete....
  .
• 556 BC — Labashi-Marduk
  Labashi-Marduk
  
  Labashi-Marduk, Chaldean king of Babylon , and son of Neriglissar. Labashi-Marduk succeeded his father when still only a boy, after the latter's four-year reign....
   succeeds Neriglissar
  Neriglissar
  
  Nergal-sharezer or Neriglissar was Kings of Babylon from 560 to 556 BC. He was the son-in-law of Nebuchadrezzar II, whose son and heir, Amel-Marduk, Nergal-sharezer murdered and succeeded....
   as king of Babylon
  Babylon
  
  Babylon was a city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, sometimes considered an empire, the remains of which can be found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Governorate, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad....
  .
• 556/555 BC — Nabonidus
  Nabonidus
  
  Nabonidus was the last king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, reigning from 556-539 BCE....
   succeeds Labashi-Marduk
  Labashi-Marduk
  
  Labashi-Marduk, Chaldean king of Babylon , and son of Neriglissar. Labashi-Marduk succeeded his father when still only a boy, after the latter's four-year reign....
   as king of Babylon
  Babylon
  
  Babylon was a city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, sometimes considered an empire, the remains of which can be found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Governorate, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad....
  .
• 550 BC — Abdera
  Abdera, Thrace
  
  Abdera was a town on the coast of Thrace 17 km east-northeast of the mouth of the Nestos, and almost opposite Thasos. At coordinates , the site now lies in the Xanthi Prefecture of modern Greece....
   is destroyed by the Thracians
  Thrace
  
  Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. Today the name Thrace designates a region spread over southern Bulgaria , northeastern Greece , and European Turkey ....
  .
• 550 BC — Cyrus I of Anshan
  Cyrus I of Anshan
  
  Cyrus I , was King of Anshan from c. 600 to 580 BC or, according to others, from c. 652 to 600 BC. His name in Modern Persian language is ?????, while in Greek language he was called ?????....
   overthrows Astyages
  Astyages
  
  Astyages ; spelled by Herodotus as Astyages; by Ctesias as Astyigas; by Diodorus as Aspadas; Akkadian language: I?tumegu), was the last king of the Medes, r....
   of the Medes
  Medes
  
  The Medes were an Ancient Iranian peoples who lived in the northwestern portions of present-day Iran. This area was known in Greek as Media or Medea ....
  , establishing the Persian Empire
  Persian Empire
  
  The 'Persian Empire' was a series of successive Iranian or Persianization empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland, and beyond in Southwest Asia, South Asia, Central Asia and the Caucasus....
  .
• 550 BC — The Late Mumun Period
  Mumun pottery period
  
  The Mumun pottery period is an archaeological era in Prehistoric Korea that dates to approximately 1500-300 BC. This period is named after the Korean name for undecorated or plain cooking and storage vessels that form a large part of the pottery assemblage over the entire length of the period, but especially 850-550 B.C....
   begins in the Korean peninsula
  Korean Peninsula
  
  The Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. It extends southwards for about 684 miles from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan on the east, the East China Sea to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two bodies of water....
  .
• 547 BC — Croesus
  Croesus
  
  Croesus was the Monarch of Lydia from 560/561 BC until his defeat by the Persian Empire in about 547 BC. The fall of Croesus made a profound impact on the Greeks, providing a fixed point in their calendar....
  , Lydia
  Lydia
  
  Lydia was an Iron Age kingdom of western Asia Minor located generally east of ancient Ionia in the modern Turkey provinces of Manisa Province and inland Izmir Province....
  n king, is defeated by Cyrus
  Cyrus the Great
  
  Cyrus the Great , , also known as Cyrus II of Persia and Cyrus the Elder, was a Persian people Shah . He was the founder of the Persian Empire under the Achaemenid dynasty, an empire, perhaps the most wealthy and magnificent in history....
   of Persia
  Persian Empire
  
  The 'Persian Empire' was a series of successive Iranian or Persianization empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland, and beyond in Southwest Asia, South Asia, Central Asia and the Caucasus....
   near the River Halys.
• 546 BC — Cyrus of Persia completes his conquest of Lydia
  Lydia
  
  Lydia was an Iron Age kingdom of western Asia Minor located generally east of ancient Ionia in the modern Turkey provinces of Manisa Province and inland Izmir Province....
  , and makes Pasargadae
  Pasargadae
  
  'Pasargadae' was a city in ancient Iran, and is today an archaeological site and one of Iran's five UNESCO World Heritage Sites. According to the Elamite cuneiform of the Persepolis fortification tablets the name was rendered as Batrakata?, and the name in current usage derives from a Greek Language transliteration of an Old Persian P?th...
   his capital.
• 544 BC — People of Teos
  Teos
  
  Teos or Teo was a maritime city of Ionia, on a peninsula between Chytrium and Myonnesus, colonized by Orchomenus Minyans, Ionians, and Boeotians....
   migrate to Abdera, Thrace
  Abdera, Thrace
  
  Abdera was a town on the coast of Thrace 17 km east-northeast of the mouth of the Nestos, and almost opposite Thasos. At coordinates , the site now lies in the Xanthi Prefecture of modern Greece....
   to escape the yoke of Persia
  Iran
  
  Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran and formerly known internationally as Persian Empire until 1935, is a country in Central Eurasia, located on the northeastern shore of the Persian Gulf and the southern shore of the Caspian Sea....
  .
• 544 BC — King Jing of Zhou
  King Jing of Zhou (Ji Gui)
  
  King Jing of Zhou, Chinese language: ???, pinyin: zhou jing w?ng, wg: King Ching of Chou, was the twenty-fourth sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty and the twelfth of Eastern Zhou Dynasty....
   becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty
  Zhou Dynasty
  
  The Zhou Dynasty was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. The Zhou dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in China history?though the actual political and military control of China by the dynasty only lasted during the Western Zhou....
   of China
  China
  
  China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
  .
• 543 BC — North Indian Prince
  Prince
  
  Prince, from the Latin root princeps, is a general term for a monarch, for a member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in some members of Europe's highest nobility....
   Vijaya
  Vijaya
  
  Vijaya was the first king of Sri Lanka mentioned in the ancient Sri Lankan Pali chronicles, but he is also a figure in medieval Sri Lankan Tamil literature....
   invades Ceylon and establishes a Sinhalese dynasty. (Wrong. Vijaya invaded Sri Lanka 45 years after enlightnment of buddha.)

• 543 BC — Pisistratus
  Peisistratos (Athens)
  
  Peisistratus was a tyrant of Athens from 546 to 527/8 BCE. His legacy lies primarily in his institution of the Panathenaic Festival and the consequent first attempt at producing a definitive version for Homeric epics....
  , tyrant of Athens
  Athens
  
  Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
  , purifies the island of Delos
  Delos
  
  The island of Delos , isolated in the centre of the roughly circular ring of islands called the Cyclades, near Mykonos, is one of the most important mythological, historical and archaeological sites in Greece....
   (approximate date).
• 540 BC — Greek
  Ancient Greece
  
  The term Ancient Greece refers to the period of History of Greece lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca. 1100 BC and the Dorian invasion, to 146 BC and the Roman Republic conquest of Greece after the Battle of Corinth ....
   city of Elea
  Elea
  
  Elea may refer to:* Velia , Italy* Elea, Kyrenia, Cyprus* Elea, Nicosia, Cyprus...
   of southern Italy founded (approximate date).
• 540 BC — Persians conquer Lycian
  Lycian
  
  Lycian may refer to:* Anything related to Lycia* Lycian Apollo, a type of ancient Greek statuary* Lycian language, the language of Lycia* Lycian script, the writing system of Lycian language...
   city of Xanthos
  Xanthos
  
  Xanthos was the name of a city in ancient Lycia, the site of present day Kinik,Antalya, Turkey, and of the river on which the city is situated....
   now in southern Turkey (approximate date).
• 539 BC — Babylon
  Babylon
  
  Babylon was a city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, sometimes considered an empire, the remains of which can be found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Governorate, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad....
   is conquered by Cyrus the Great
  Cyrus the Great
  
  Cyrus the Great , , also known as Cyrus II of Persia and Cyrus the Elder, was a Persian people Shah . He was the founder of the Persian Empire under the Achaemenid dynasty, an empire, perhaps the most wealthy and magnificent in history....
  , defeating Nabonidus
  Nabonidus
  
  Nabonidus was the last king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, reigning from 556-539 BCE....
  .
• c. 538 BC — Return of some Jews from Babylonian exile who build the Second Temple
  Second Temple
  
  The Second Temple was the reconstructed Temple in Jerusalem which stood between 516 BCE and 70 CE. During this time, it was the center of Judaism worship, which focused on the sacrifices known as the korbanot....
   about seventy years after the destruction of the First Temple, from 520 BC–516 BC.
• 537 BC — Jew
  Jew
  
  A Jew is a member of the Jewish people, an ethnoreligious group that traces its ancestry to the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East....
  s transported to Babylon
  Babylon
  
  Babylon was a city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, sometimes considered an empire, the remains of which can be found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Governorate, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad....
   are allowed to return to Jerusalem
  Jerusalem
  
  Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and its List of Israeli cities in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of if Positions on Jerusalem East Jerusalem is included....
  , bringing to a close the Babylonian captivity
  Babylonian captivity
  
  The Babylonian captivity, or Babylonian exile, is the name typically given to the deportation and exile of the Jews of the ancient Kingdom of Judah to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon in 586 BCE....
  .
• 536 BC — According to tradition, the Biblical prophet
  Prophet
  
  In religion, a prophet is a person who has claimed to have encountered the supernatural or the Divinity, often one who serves as an intermediary with humanity....
   Daniel
  Daniel
  
  Daniel is a figure appearing in the Hebrew Bible and the central protagonist of the Book of Daniel. The name "Daniel" means "Judged by El ". "Dan" = judge and "i" = a suffix conjugating the verb such that its action applies to the speaker....
   receives an angelic visitor. see
• 534 BC — Lucius Tarquinius Superbus
  Lucius Tarquinius Superbus
  
  Lucius Tarquinius Superbus was the last of the seven legendary kings of Rome, son of Tarquinius Priscus and son-in-law of Servius Tullius, the sixth king....
   becomes king of Rome
  Rome
  
  Rome is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city, with 2,724,347 residents in an urban area of some ....
  .
• 534 BC — Competitions for tragedy
  Tragedy
  
  Tragedy is a form of The arts based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific Poetic tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of Western culture....
   are instituted at the City Dionysia festival
  Festival
  
  A festival is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on some unique aspect of that community.Among many religions, a feast or festival is a set of celebrations in honour of God or Polytheism....
   in Athens
  Athens
  
  Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
  .
• 530 BC — Cambyses II succeeds Cyrus as King of Persia.
• 528 BC — Gautama Buddha
  Gautama Buddha
  
  Siddhartha Gautama was a Spirituality teacher in the northern region of the Indian subcontinent who founded Buddhism. He is generally seen by Buddhists as the Supreme Buddhahood of our age....
   attained Enlightenment, and began his ministry. Gautama Buddha
  Gautama Buddha
  
  Siddhartha Gautama was a Spirituality teacher in the northern region of the Indian subcontinent who founded Buddhism. He is generally seen by Buddhists as the Supreme Buddhahood of our age....
   founds Buddhism
  Buddhism
  
  Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices considered by most to be a religionand is based on the teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as "The Buddha" , who was born in what is today Nepal....
   in India
  India
  
  India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
  . It becomes a major world religion.
• 526 BC — Psammetichus III
  Psammetichus III
  
  Psamtik III was the last Pharaoh of the Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt of History of Ancient Egypt from 526 BC – 525 BC. Most of what we know about his reign and life was documented by the Greek historian Herodotus in the 5th century....
   succeeds Amasis II
  Amasis II
  
  Amasis II was a pharaoh of the Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt, the successor of Apries at Sais, Egypt. He was the last great ruler of Ancient Egypt before the Persian Empire conquest....
   as king of Egypt
  History of Ancient Egypt
  
  The History of ancient Egypt spans the period from the early Predynastic Egypt settlements of the northern Nile Valley to the History of Roman Egypt in 30 BC....
  .
• 525 BC — Cambyses II, ruler of Persia
  Iran
  
  Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran and formerly known internationally as Persian Empire until 1935, is a country in Central Eurasia, located on the northeastern shore of the Persian Gulf and the southern shore of the Caspian Sea....
  , conquers Egypt
  History of Ancient Egypt
  
  The History of ancient Egypt spans the period from the early Predynastic Egypt settlements of the northern Nile Valley to the History of Roman Egypt in 30 BC....
  , defeating Psammetichus III
  Psammetichus III
  
  Psamtik III was the last Pharaoh of the Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt of History of Ancient Egypt from 526 BC – 525 BC. Most of what we know about his reign and life was documented by the Greek historian Herodotus in the 5th century....
  . This is considered the end of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty
  Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt
  
  The Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt was the last native dynasty to rule Ancient Egypt before the History of Persian Egypt in 525 BC Before Christ ....
  , and the start of the Twenty-seventh Dynasty.
• 522 BC — Smerdis
  Smerdis of Persia
  
  Smerdis, Bardiya or Bardia was a son of Cyrus the Great and the younger brother of Cambyses II, whose name was allegedly usurped by an impostor, a magi reportedly named Gaumata ....
   succeeds Cambyses II as ruler of Persia
  Iran
  
  Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran and formerly known internationally as Persian Empire until 1935, is a country in Central Eurasia, located on the northeastern shore of the Persian Gulf and the southern shore of the Caspian Sea....
  .
• 522 BC — Babylon
  Babylon
  
  Babylon was a city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, sometimes considered an empire, the remains of which can be found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Governorate, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad....
   rebels against Persian
  Persian Empire
  
  The 'Persian Empire' was a series of successive Iranian or Persianization empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland, and beyond in Southwest Asia, South Asia, Central Asia and the Caucasus....
   rule.
• 521 BC — Darius I succeeds Smerdis as ruler of Persia
  Iran
  
  Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran and formerly known internationally as Persian Empire until 1935, is a country in Central Eurasia, located on the northeastern shore of the Persian Gulf and the southern shore of the Caspian Sea....
  .
• 521 BC — The Babylonian rebellion against Persian
  Persian Empire
  
  The 'Persian Empire' was a series of successive Iranian or Persianization empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland, and beyond in Southwest Asia, South Asia, Central Asia and the Caucasus....
   rule is suppressed.
• 520 BC — King Dao of Zhou
  King Dao of Zhou
  
  King Dao of Zhou, Chinese language: ???, pinyin: zhou d?o w?ng, wg: King Tao of Chou, was the twenty-fifth sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty and the thirteenth of Eastern Zhou Dynasty....
   becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty
  Zhou Dynasty
  
  The Zhou Dynasty was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. The Zhou dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in China history?though the actual political and military control of China by the dynasty only lasted during the Western Zhou....
   of China
  China
  
  China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
   but dies before the end of the year.
• 520 BC — Cleomenes I
  Cleomenes I
  
  Cleomenes , was an Agiad Kings of Sparta in the 6th century BC and 5th century BC. During his reign, which started around 520 BC, he pursued an adventurous and at times unscrupulous foreign policy aimed at crushing Argos and extending Sparta's influence both inside and outside the Peloponnese....
   succeeds Anaxandridas as king of Sparta
  Sparta
  
  Sparta was a city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the Eurotas River in the southern part of the Peloponnese. From circa 650 BC it rose to become the dominant military power in the region and as such was recognized as the overall leader of the combined Greek forces during the Greco-Persian Wars....
  . (approximate date).
• 519 BC — King Jing of Zhou
  King Jing of Zhou (Ji Gai)
  
  King Jing of Zhou, Chinese language: ???, pinyin: zhou j?ng w?ng, wg: King Ching of Chou, was the twenty-sixth sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty and the fourteenth of Eastern Zhou Dynasty....
   becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty
  Zhou Dynasty
  
  The Zhou Dynasty was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. The Zhou dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in China history?though the actual political and military control of China by the dynasty only lasted during the Western Zhou....
   of China
  China
  
  China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
  .
• 516 BC — Indian subcontinent
  Indian subcontinent
  
  The Indian subcontinent is a large section of the Asian continent consisting of the land lying substantially on the Indian Plate. The subcontinent includes parts of various countries in South Asia, including those on the continental crust , an Island#Continental islands country on the continental shelf , and an Island#Oceanic islands countr...
   — Occupation of Punjab
  Punjab region
  
  Punjab , also Panjab , is a region straddling the border between India and Pakistan. The "Five Rivers" are Beas River, Ravi River, Sutlej, Chenab and Jhelum River; all these are tributaries of the Indus river, Jhelum being the biggest one....
   is completed by the Persian
  Persian Empire
  
  The 'Persian Empire' was a series of successive Iranian or Persianization empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland, and beyond in Southwest Asia, South Asia, Central Asia and the Caucasus....
   King Gustasp.
• March 12, 515 BC — Construction is completed on the Temple in Jerusalem
  Temple in Jerusalem
  
  The Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple , refers to a series of structures located on the Temple Mount in the old city of Jerusalem. Historically, two temples were built at this location, and a The Third Temple features in Jewish eschatology....
  .
• 514 BC — King Helu of Wu establishes "Great City of Helu", the ancient name for Suzhou
  Suzhou
  
  Suzhou is a city on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Lake Taihu in the province of Jiangsu, China. The city is renowned for its beautiful stone bridges, pagodas, and meticulously designed Chinese garden which have contributed to its status as a great tourist attraction....
  , as his capital in China
  China
  
  China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
  .
• 513 BC — Darius the Great
  Darius I of Persia
  
  Darius I or Darius the Great was the son of Hystaspes and Persian Empire from 522 BC to 486 BC. Darius is the dominant Latin language spelling used by the Roman historians....
   subdues the Getae
  Dacia
  
  In ancient geography, Dacia was the land of the Dacians. It was named by the ancient Greeks "Getae". Dacia was a large district of East-Central Europe, bounded on the north by the Carpathian Mountains, on the south by the Danube, on the west by the Tisia or Tisza, on the east by the Tyras or Dniester, now in eastern Moldova....
   and east Thrace
  Thrace
  
  Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. Today the name Thrace designates a region spread over southern Bulgaria , northeastern Greece , and European Turkey ....
   in his war against the Scythians.
• 510 BC — Hippias
  Hippias (son of Pisistratus)
  
  Hippias of Athens was one of the sons of Peisistratos , and was tyrant of Athens in the 6th century BC.Hippias succeeded Peisistratus in 527 BC, and in 525 BC he introduced a new system of coinage in Athens....
  , son of Pisistratus
  Peisistratos (Athens)
  
  Peisistratus was a tyrant of Athens from 546 to 527/8 BCE. His legacy lies primarily in his institution of the Panathenaic Festival and the consequent first attempt at producing a definitive version for Homeric epics....
   and tyrant
  Tyrant
  
  This article is about the political ruler. For other uses see Tyrant and Tyranny In modern usage, a tyrant is a single ruler holding absolute political power over a state or within an organization....
   of Athens
  Athens
  
  Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
  , is expelled by a popular revolt supported by Cleomenes I
  Cleomenes I
  
  Cleomenes , was an Agiad Kings of Sparta in the 6th century BC and 5th century BC. During his reign, which started around 520 BC, he pursued an adventurous and at times unscrupulous foreign policy aimed at crushing Argos and extending Sparta's influence both inside and outside the Peloponnese....
  , King of Sparta
  Sparta
  
  Sparta was a city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the Eurotas River in the southern part of the Peloponnese. From circa 650 BC it rose to become the dominant military power in the region and as such was recognized as the overall leader of the combined Greek forces during the Greco-Persian Wars....
   and his forces.
• 510 BC — End of reign of Lucius Tarquinius Superbus
  Lucius Tarquinius Superbus
  
  Lucius Tarquinius Superbus was the last of the seven legendary kings of Rome, son of Tarquinius Priscus and son-in-law of Servius Tullius, the sixth king....
  , last king of the traditional seven Kings of Rome.
• 510 BC — Establishment of the Roman Republic
  Roman Republic
  
  The Roman Republic was the phase of the Ancient Rome characterized by a republican form of government; a period which began with the overthrow of the Roman Roman Kingdom, c....
  .
• 510 BC — Demaratus
  Demaratus
  
  Demaratus was a king of Sparta from 515 until 491 BC, of the Kings of Sparta#Eurypontid, successor to his father Ariston . As king, he is known chiefly for his opposition to the other, co-ruling Spartan king, Cleomenes I....
   succeeds Ariston as king of Sparta
  Kings of Sparta
  
  Sparta was an important Ancient Greece polis in the Peloponnesus. It was unusual among Greek city-states in that it maintained its kingship past the Archaic period in Greece....
  . (approximate date)
• September 13, 509 BC — The temple
  Temple
  
  A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A ??templum?? constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur....
   of Jupiter
  Jupiter (mythology)
  
  In Roman mythology, Jupiter or Jove was the king of the gods,and the god of sky and thunder. He is the equivalent of Zeus in the Greek pantheon....
   on Rome's Capitoline Hill is dedicated on the ides of September.
• 508 BC — Office of pontifex maximus
  Pontifex Maximus
  
  The Pontifex Maximus was the high priest of the Ancient Rome College of Pontiffs. This was the most important position in the Ancient Roman religion, open only to patricians until 254 BC, when a plebeian first occupied this post....
   created in Rome
  Rome
  
  Rome is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city, with 2,724,347 residents in an urban area of some ....
  .
• 507 BC — Cleisthenes
  Cleisthenes
  
  Cleisthenes was a noble Athens of the Alcmaeonidae family. He is credited with reforming the constitution of ancient Athens and setting it on a Athenian democracy footing in 508 BC or 507 BC....
  , Greek
  Ancient Greece
  
  The term Ancient Greece refers to the period of History of Greece lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca. 1100 BC and the Dorian invasion, to 146 BC and the Roman Republic conquest of Greece after the Battle of Corinth ....
   reformer
  Reformer
  
  Reformer may refer to:*Catalytic reformer, a unit in an oil refinery that reforms lighter hydrocarbons into higher octane molecules and hydrogen...
  , takes power and increases democracy
  Democracy
  
  Democracy is a form of government in which power is held directly or indirectly by citizens under a free electoral system. It is derived from the Greek language d?????at?a , "popular government" which was coined from d???? , "people" and ???t?? , "rule, strength" in the middle of the 5th-4th century BC to denote the political syst...
  .
• 506 BC — Battle of Bai ju: Forces of the Kingdom of Wu under Sun Tzu
  Sun Tzu
  
  Sun Tzu , also called Sun Wu , is traditionally believed to be the author of The Art of War, sometimes called the Sun Tzu, an influential ancient China book on military strategy considered to be a prime example of Taoism strategy....
   defeat the forces of Chu
  Chu (state)
  
  Chu was a monarchy in what is now central and southern China during the Spring and Autumn period and Warring States Period . Its ruling house had the Chinese surname mi , and clan name xiong , and originally was of the noble rank of Chinese nobility#Princehood and Peerage, roughly comparable to a viscount....
  .
• 505 BC — First pair of Roman
  Roman Republic
  
  The Roman Republic was the phase of the Ancient Rome characterized by a republican form of government; a period which began with the overthrow of the Roman Roman Kingdom, c....
   consul
  Consul
  
  Consul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Roman Empire. The title was also used in other city states, and revived in modern states, notably French Republic before the Napoleon I of Franceic counter-revolution....
  s elected.
• December 4, 502 BC — Solar eclipse
  Solar eclipse
  
  A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth so that the Sun is wholly or partially obscured. This can only happen during a new moon, when the Sun and Moon are in conjunction as seen from the Earth....
   darkens Egypt
  Egypt
  
  Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about , Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west....
  . (computed, no clear historical record of observation)
• 502 BC — The Latin League
  Latin league
  
  The Latin League was a confederation of about 30 villages and tribes in the region of Latium near ancient Rome organized for mutual defense. The term "Latin League" is one coined by modern historians with no precise Latin equivalent....
   defeats the Etruscan
  Etruscan civilization
  
  Etruscan civilization is the modern English name given to the culture and way of life of a people of ancient Italy and Corsica whom the ancient Romans called Etrusci or Tusci....
  s under Lars Porsena
  Lars Porsena
  
  Lars Porsena was an Etruscan civilization king known for his war against the city of Rome. He ruled over the city of Clusium, sometimes referred to as Clevsin....
   at Aricia
  Aricia
  
  Aricia can refer to:*Aricia, a genus of gossamer-winged butterflies usually included in Plebejus*Aricia , historical figure in ancient Britain...
  .
• 502 BC — Naxos rebels against Persia
  Iran
  
  Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran and formerly known internationally as Persian Empire until 1935, is a country in Central Eurasia, located on the northeastern shore of the Persian Gulf and the southern shore of the Caspian Sea....
  n domination sparking the Ionian Revolt
  Ionian Revolt
  
  The Ionian Revolts were triggered by the actions of Aristagoras, the tyrant of the Ionian city of Miletus at the end of the 6th century BC and beginning of the 5th century BC....
  .
• 501 BC — Cleisthenes
  Cleisthenes
  
  Cleisthenes was a noble Athens of the Alcmaeonidae family. He is credited with reforming the constitution of ancient Athens and setting it on a Athenian democracy footing in 508 BC or 507 BC....
   reforms democracy
  Democracy
  
  Democracy is a form of government in which power is held directly or indirectly by citizens under a free electoral system. It is derived from the Greek language d?????at?a , "popular government" which was coined from d???? , "people" and ???t?? , "rule, strength" in the middle of the 5th-4th century BC to denote the political syst...
   in Athens
  Athens
  
  Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
  .
• 501 BC — Naxos is attacked by the Persian Empire
  Persian Empire
  
  The 'Persian Empire' was a series of successive Iranian or Persianization empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland, and beyond in Southwest Asia, South Asia, Central Asia and the Caucasus....
  .
• 501 BC — In response to threats by the Sabines, Rome
  Ancient Rome
  
  Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC....
   creates the office of dictator
  Roman dictator
  
  Dictator was a political office of the Roman Republic. The dictator was above the three branches of government in the constitution of the Roman Republic as no other body or officer could check his power....
  .
• 501 BC — Confucius
  Confucius
  
  This articles talks about a Chinese thinker and social philosopher. For a food company in China with its brand name "Master Kong", please refer to Tingyi Holding Corporation....
   is appointed governor of Chung-tu.
• 501 BC — Gadir (present-day Cádiz
  Cádiz
  
  C?diz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the province of C?diz, one of eight which make up the Autonomous communities of Spain of Andalusia....
  ) is captured by Carthage
  Carthage
  
  Carthage refers both to an ancient city in present-day Tunisia, and a modern-day suburb of Tunis. The civilization that developed within the city's sphere of influence is referred to as Punic or Carthaginian....
  . (approximate date)
• 500 BC — Bantu
  Bantu languages
  
  The Bantu languages constitute a grouping belonging to the Niger-Congo languages family. This grouping is deep down in the genealogical tree of the Bantoid grouping, which in turn is deep down in the Niger-Congo tree....
  -speaking people migrate into south-west Uganda
  Uganda
  
  The Republic of Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by Tanzania....
   from the west
  West
  
  West is most commonly a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction or geography.West is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points....
  . (approximate date)
• 500 BC — Refugee
  Refugee
  
  Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, a refugee is a person who flees to a foreign country or power to escape danger or persecutionOwing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of their nationality,...
  s from Teos
  Teos
  
  Teos or Teo was a maritime city of Ionia, on a peninsula between Chytrium and Myonnesus, colonized by Orchomenus Minyans, Ionians, and Boeotians....
   resettle Abdera
  Abdera, Thrace
  
  Abdera was a town on the coast of Thrace 17 km east-northeast of the mouth of the Nestos, and almost opposite Thasos. At coordinates , the site now lies in the Xanthi Prefecture of modern Greece....
  .
• 500 BC — Darius I of Persia
  Iran
  
  Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran and formerly known internationally as Persian Empire until 1935, is a country in Central Eurasia, located on the northeastern shore of the Persian Gulf and the southern shore of the Caspian Sea....
   proclaims that Aramaic
  Aramaic language
  
  Aramaic is a Semitic languages with a 3,000-year history. It has been the language of administration of empires and the language of divine worship....
   be the official language
  Official language
  
  An official language is a language that is given a special legal status in a particular country, state, or other territory. Typically a nation's official language will be the one used in that nation's courts, parliament and administration....
   of the western half of his empire.
• 500 BC — Signifies the end of the Nordic Bronze Age
  Nordic Bronze Age
  
  The Nordic Bronze Age is the name given by Oscar Montelius to a period and a Bronze Age archaeological culture in Scandinavian pre-history, ca 1800 BCE - 500 BCE, with sites that reached as far east as Estonia....
   civilization in Oscar Montelius
  Oscar Montelius
  
  Oscar Montelius was a Sweden archaeologist who refined the concept of seriation , a relative chronological dating method. Seriation is the procedure of working out a chronology by arranging material remains of a cultural tradition in the order that produces the most consistent patterning of their cultural traits....
   periodization system and begins the Pre-Roman Iron Age
  Pre-Roman Iron Age
  
  The Pre-Roman Iron Age of Northern Europe designates the earliest part of the Iron Age in Scandinavia, northern Germany, and the Netherlands north of the Rhine River....
  .
• 500 BC — Foundation of first republic
  Republic
  
  A republic is a state or country that is not led by a hereditary monarch but in which the people have an impact on its government. The word originates from the Latin term res publica....
   in Vaishali
  Vaishali
  
  Vaishali may refer to:*A colony in north west Delhi*Vaishali District, in Bihar state, India.*Vaishali , an ancient democratic city of India, currently located in Vaishali District, Bihar, India....
   Bihar
  Bihar
  
  Bihar is a States and territories of India in East India. Bihar is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size 38,202 square mile and 3rd largest by population....
   India
  India
  
  India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
  . (This is not right. Vaishali was a republic in the time of buddha.)
• Persians begin to seize power.
• Persians dominate eastern Mediterranean
  Eastern Mediterranean
  
  Eastern Mediterranean is a region that borders the Eastern Flank of the Mediterranean sea, which includes the following modern nations of Syria, Lebanon, Cyprus, Israel, Jordan and Egypt, and the territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip....
  .
• The Persians
  Iran
  
  Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran and formerly known internationally as Persian Empire until 1935, is a country in Central Eurasia, located on the northeastern shore of the Persian Gulf and the southern shore of the Caspian Sea....
   under Darius I and later Cyrus invade Transoxiana
  Transoxiana
  
  Transoxiana is the ancient name used for the portion of Central Asia corresponding approximately with modern-day Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and southwest Kazakhstan....
  .
• Carthage
  Carthage
  
  Carthage refers both to an ancient city in present-day Tunisia, and a modern-day suburb of Tunis. The civilization that developed within the city's sphere of influence is referred to as Punic or Carthaginian....
  's merchant
  Merchant
  
  Merchants function as professionals who deal with trade, dealing in commodities that they do not produce themselves, in order to produce profit....
  

Significant persons

• Mahavira
  Mahavira
  
  Mahavira is the name most commonly used to refer to the Indian sage Vardhamana who established what are today considered to be the central tenets of Jainism....
   of Vaishali
  Vaishali
  
  Vaishali may refer to:*A colony in north west Delhi*Vaishali District, in Bihar state, India.*Vaishali , an ancient democratic city of India, currently located in Vaishali District, Bihar, India....
  , the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism
  Jainism
  
  Jainism is one of the oldest Indian religions that originated in India. Jains believe that every soul is divine and has the potential to achieve God-consciousness....
  , (599 BC–527 BC)
• 580s BC — Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon
  Babylon
  
  Babylon was a city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, sometimes considered an empire, the remains of which can be found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Governorate, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad....
  
• Anaximenes of Miletus
  Anaximenes of Miletus
  
  Anaximenes of Miletus was a Greece Pre-Socratic philosopher from the latter half of the 6th century BC, probably a younger contemporary of Anaximander, whose pupil or friend he is said to have been....
  , Greek
  Ancient Greece
  
  The term Ancient Greece refers to the period of History of Greece lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca. 1100 BC and the Dorian invasion, to 146 BC and the Roman Republic conquest of Greece after the Battle of Corinth ....
   philosopher (585 BC–525 BC)
• Pythagoras
  Pythagoras
  
  Pythagoras of Samos was an Ionians Ancient Greeks mathematician and founder of the religious movement called Pythagoreanism. He is often revered as a great mathematician, mysticism and scientist; however some have questioned the scope of his contributions to mathematics and natural philosophy....
   of Samos
  Samos Island
  
  Samos is a Greece island in the North Aegean sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese, and off the Ionian coast of Turkey....
  , Greek mathematician and discoverer of the Pythagorean theorem
  Pythagorean theorem
  
  In mathematics, the Pythagorean theorem or Pythagoras' theorem is a relation in Euclidean geometry among the three sides of a triangle#Types of triangles....
   (c. 580 BC– c. 500 BC)
• 580 BC — Death of Cyrus I of Anshan
  Cyrus I of Anshan
  
  Cyrus I , was King of Anshan from c. 600 to 580 BC or, according to others, from c. 652 to 600 BC. His name in Modern Persian language is ?????, while in Greek language he was called ?????....
   (approximate date)
• Cyrus the Great
  Cyrus the Great
  
  Cyrus the Great , , also known as Cyrus II of Persia and Cyrus the Elder, was a Persian people Shah . He was the founder of the Persian Empire under the Achaemenid dynasty, an empire, perhaps the most wealthy and magnificent in history....
  , king of Persia
  Iran
  
  Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran and formerly known internationally as Persian Empire until 1935, is a country in Central Eurasia, located on the northeastern shore of the Persian Gulf and the southern shore of the Caspian Sea....
   (576 BC–July, 529 BC, reigned 559 BC–July, 529 BC)
• Ezra
  Ezra
  
  Ezra was a Jewish priestly scribe who led about 5,000 Babylonian captivity living in Babylon to their home city of Jerusalem in 459 BC. Ezra reconstituted the dispersed Jewish community on the basis of the Torah and with an emphasis on the law....
   and Nehemiah
  Nehemiah
  
  Nehemiah or Nechemya is a major figure in the Babylonian captivity history of the Jews as recorded in the Bible, and is believed to be the primary author of the Book of Nehemiah....
  , leaders of the Jew
  Jew
  
  A Jew is a member of the Jewish people, an ethnoreligious group that traces its ancestry to the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East....
  s returning from the Babylonian Exile
• May, 563 BC — Birth of Siddhartha Gautama, later known as Gautama Buddha
  Gautama Buddha
  
  Siddhartha Gautama was a Spirituality teacher in the northern region of the Indian subcontinent who founded Buddhism. He is generally seen by Buddhists as the Supreme Buddhahood of our age....
   in Lumbini
  Lumbini
  
  Lumbini is a Buddhist pilgrimage site in the Kapilavastu district of Nepal, near the Indian border. It is the place where Queen Mayadevi is said to have given birth to Siddhartha Gautama, who in turn, as the Gautama Buddha, gave birth to the Buddhism....
  , Nepal
  Nepal
  
  Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia and is the world's youngest republic. It is bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by India....
   (d. May, 483 BC
• 563 BC — Queen Maya, mother of Siddhartha Gautama, dies seven days after giving birth
• c. 562 BC — Death of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon
  Babylon
  
  Babylon was a city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, sometimes considered an empire, the remains of which can be found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Governorate, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad....
  
• Pisistratus
  Peisistratos (Athens)
  
  Peisistratus was a tyrant of Athens from 546 to 527/8 BCE. His legacy lies primarily in his institution of the Panathenaic Festival and the consequent first attempt at producing a definitive version for Homeric epics....
  , Tyrant of Athens
  Athens
  
  Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
   in 561 BC, 559 BC–556 BC and 546 BC–528 BC (d. 527 BC)
• Solon
  Solon
  
  Solon was an Athens statesman, lawmaker, and lyric poetry. He is remembered particularly for his efforts to legislate against political, economic and moral decline in Archaic period in Greece Athens....
   of Athens
  Athens
  
  Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
  , one of the Seven Sages of Greece
  Seven Sages of Greece
  
  The Seven Sages or Seven Wise Men was the title given by ancient Greece tradition to seven early 6th century B.C. philosophers, statesmen and law-givers who were renowned in the following centuries for their wisdom....
   (638 BC–558 BC)
• c. 556 BC — Birth of Simonides of Ceos
  Simonides of Ceos
  
  Simonides of Ceos , Greek Lyric poetry poet, was born at Ioulis on Kea . He was included, along with Sappho and Pindar, in the canonical list of nine lyric poets by the scholars of Hellenistic Alexandria....
  
• 553 BC — Emperor
  Emperor
  
  An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress is the female equivalent. As a title, "empress" may indicate the wife of an emperor or a woman who rules in her own right ....
   Itoku in Japan appeared
• Stesichorus
  Stesichorus
  
  Stesichorus was a Ancient Greece lyric poetry from Himera in Sicily, one of the nine lyric poets esteemed by the scholars of Hellenistic Alexandria as worthy of study....
   of Sicily
  Sicily
  
  Sicily is an Autonomous regions with special statute of Italy. Of all the regions of Italy, Sicily covers the largest land area at 25,708 km? and currently has just over five million inhabitants....
  , lyric
  Lyric poetry
  
  Lyric poetry refers to a usually short poem that expresses personal feelings, which may or may not be set to music. Aristotle, in Poetics , contrasted lyric poetry with drama and epic poetry....
   poet
  Poet
  
  A poet is a person who writes poetry....
   (c. 640 BC–555 BC)
• c. 551 BC — Death of Zoroaster
  Zoroaster
  
  Zoroaster or Zarathushtra , also referred to as Zartosht , was an ancient Iranian peoples prophet and religious poet. The hymns attributed to him, the Gathas, are at the liturgical core of Zoroastrianism....
  
• Confucius
  Confucius
  
  This articles talks about a Chinese thinker and social philosopher. For a food company in China with its brand name "Master Kong", please refer to Tingyi Holding Corporation....
  , founding figure of Confucianism
  Confucianism
  
  Confucianism is a China Ethics and Philosophy developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius . It focuses on human morality and right action....
   (551 BC–479 BC)
• Thales
  Thales
  
  Thales of Miletus , was a Pre-Socratic philosophy Greek philosophy from Miletus in Asia Minor, and one of the Seven Sages of Greece. Many, most notably Aristotle, regard him as the first philosopher in the Greek philosophy....
  , Greek mathematician (635 BC–543 BC), predicts solar eclipse in 585 BC
• Darius I
  Darius I of Persia
  
  Darius I or Darius the Great was the son of Hystaspes and Persian Empire from 522 BC to 486 BC. Darius is the dominant Latin language spelling used by the Roman historians....
  , King of Persia (born 549 BC; reigned 521–485 BC)
• 547 BC — Death of Croesus
  Croesus
  
  Croesus was the Monarch of Lydia from 560/561 BC until his defeat by the Persian Empire in about 547 BC. The fall of Croesus made a profound impact on the Greeks, providing a fixed point in their calendar....
  
• 546 BC — Death of Anaximander
  Anaximander
  
  Anaximander was a pre-Socratic Ancient Greece philosopher who lived in Miletus, a city of Ionia. He belonged to the Milesian school and learned the teachings of his master Thales....
  , Greek
  Ancient Greece
  
  The term Ancient Greece refers to the period of History of Greece lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca. 1100 BC and the Dorian invasion, to 146 BC and the Roman Republic conquest of Greece after the Battle of Corinth ....
   philosopher (approximate date).
• 545 BC — Death of King Ling of Zhou
  King Ling of Zhou
  
  King Ling of Zhou or King Ling of Chou was the twenty-third sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty and the eleventh of Eastern Zhou Dynasty....
  , King of the Zhou Dynasty
  Zhou Dynasty
  
  The Zhou Dynasty was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. The Zhou dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in China history?though the actual political and military control of China by the dynasty only lasted during the Western Zhou....
   of China
  China
  
  China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
  .
• Sun Tzu
  Sun Tzu
  
  Sun Tzu , also called Sun Wu , is traditionally believed to be the author of The Art of War, sometimes called the Sun Tzu, an influential ancient China book on military strategy considered to be a prime example of Taoism strategy....
  , author of The Art of War
  The Art of War
  
  The Art of War is a China military science treatise that was written during the 6th century BC by Sun Tzu. Composed of 13 chapters, each of which is devoted to one aspect of warfare, it has long been praised as the definitive work on military strategy and Military tactics of its time....
   (c. 544 BC–496 BC)
• 543 BC((To be verified)) — Death of Gautama Buddha
  Gautama Buddha
  
  Siddhartha Gautama was a Spirituality teacher in the northern region of the Indian subcontinent who founded Buddhism. He is generally seen by Buddhists as the Supreme Buddhahood of our age....
   (traditionally in Thailand
  Thailand
  
  The Kingdom of Thailand is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Laos and Myanmar, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and Myanmar....
   and elsewhere — basis of the Thai solar calendar
  Thai solar calendar
  
  The Thai solar calendar, Suriyakati , has been the official and prevalent calendar in Thailand since it was adopted by King Chulalongkorn in 1888, although the Western calendar year is sometimes used in business, and quite often in banking....
  ).
• c. 540 BC — Amyntas I
  Amyntas I of Macedon
  
  Amyntas I, king of Macedon , was atributary vassal of Darius Hystaspes of Iran. With him the history of Macedon may be said to begin. He was the first of its rulers to have relations with other countries; he entered into an alliance with Hippias of Athens, and when Hippias was driven out of Athens he offered him the territory of Anthemus o...
   becomes king of Macedon
  Macedon
  
  Macedon or Macedonia was the name of a monarchy centred in the northernmost part of ancient Greece. The homeland of the ancient Macedonians, it was bordered by the kingdom of Epirus to the west and the region of Thrace to the east....
  ia.
• 539 BC/538 BC — Death of Nabonidus
  Nabonidus
  
  Nabonidus was the last king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, reigning from 556-539 BCE....
  , the last King of Babylon
  Babylon
  
  Babylon was a city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, sometimes considered an empire, the remains of which can be found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Governorate, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad....
  
• c. 535 BC — Birth of Heraclitus
  Heraclitus
  
  Heraclitus of Ephesus was a Pre-Socratic philosophy Greeks philosopher, a native of Ephesus, Ionia, on the coast of Asia Minor.Heraclitus is known for his doctrine of change being central to the universe, and that the Logos is the fundamental order of all....
   of Ephesus
  Ephesus
  
  Ephesus was an ancient Greek city on the west coast of Anatolia, in the region known as Ionia during the period known as Classical Greece. It was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League....
  , Greek philosopher
• c. 531 BC — Death of Laozi
  Laozi
  
  Laozi was a Chinese philosophy of Ancient history China and is a central figure in Taoism . Laozi literally means "Old Master" and is generally considered an honorific....
  , founder of Taoism
  Taoism
  
  Taoism refers to a variety of related philosophical and religious traditions and concepts. These traditions have influenced East Asia for over two thousand years and some have spread to the West....
  
• Aeschylus
  Aeschylus
  
  Aeschylus was an Ancient Greece playwright. He is often recognized as the father or the founder of tragedy, and is the earliest of the three Greek tragedy whose Play survive extant, the others being Sophocles and Euripides....
  , author
  Author
  
  An author is defined both as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created....
   of Greek tragedies, (525 BC–456 BC)
• 525 BC — Death of Psammetichus III
  Psammetichus III
  
  Psamtik III was the last Pharaoh of the Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt of History of Ancient Egypt from 526 BC – 525 BC. Most of what we know about his reign and life was documented by the Greek historian Herodotus in the 5th century....
  , the last Pharaoh
  Pharaoh
  
  Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. In antiquity this title began to be used for the ruler who was the religious and political leader of united ancient Egypt, only during the New Kingdom, specifically, during the middle of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt....
   of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty
  Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt
  
  The Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt was the last native dynasty to rule Ancient Egypt before the History of Persian Egypt in 525 BC Before Christ ....
   of Egypt
  History of Ancient Egypt
  
  The History of ancient Egypt spans the period from the early Predynastic Egypt settlements of the northern Nile Valley to the History of Roman Egypt in 30 BC....
  
• 522 BC — Birth of Pindar
  Pindar
  
  Pindar , was an Ancient Greek Lyric poetry poet.Of the canonical nine lyric poets of ancient Greece, Pindar is the one whose work is by far the best preserved, and critics in antiquity tended to regard him as the greatest....
  , Greek
  Hellenic Greece
  
  Ancient Greece in the eighth through fourth centuries BC, between the Greek Dark Ages and the Hellenistic period, is referred to as Hellenic Greece. It is made up of two epochs:...
   poet
  Poet
  
  A poet is a person who writes poetry....
  
• March, 521 BC — Death of Cambyses II, ruler of ancient Persia
  Persian Empire
  
  The 'Persian Empire' was a series of successive Iranian or Persianization empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland, and beyond in Southwest Asia, South Asia, Central Asia and the Caucasus....
   (suicide)
• October, 521 BC — Death of Smerdis
  Smerdis of Persia
  
  Smerdis, Bardiya or Bardia was a son of Cyrus the Great and the younger brother of Cambyses II, whose name was allegedly usurped by an impostor, a magi reportedly named Gaumata ....
  , ruler of ancient Persia
  Persian Empire
  
  The 'Persian Empire' was a series of successive Iranian or Persianization empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland, and beyond in Southwest Asia, South Asia, Central Asia and the Caucasus....
  
• c. 519 BC — Birth of Xerxes I of Persia
• Epimenides
  Epimenides
  
  Epimenides of Knossos was a semi-Greek mythology 6th century BC Greeks prophet and philosopher-Poetry, who is said to have fallen asleep for fifty-seven years in a Cretan cave sacred to Zeus, after which he reportedly awoke with the gift of prophecy....
   of Knossos
  Knossos
  
  Knossos , also known as the Knossos Palace is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete and probably the ceremonial and political center of the Minoan civilization and culture....
  , a famous Cretian
  Crete
  
  Crete is the largest of the Greek islands and the List of islands in the Mediterranean largest island in the Mediterranean Sea at 8,336 km? ....
   seer
  Prophet
  
  In religion, a prophet is a person who has claimed to have encountered the supernatural or the Divinity, often one who serves as an intermediary with humanity....
   and philosopher-poet
  Poetry
  
  Poetry is a form of literature art in which language is used for its aesthetics and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning ....
  , associated with the Epimenides paradox
  Epimenides paradox
  
  The Epimenides paradox is a problem in logic. It is named after the Crete philosopher Epimenides of Knossos , who stated , "Cretans, always liars"....
  
• Lehi, legendary figure, first prophet recorded in the Book of Mormon
  Book of Mormon
  
  The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the churches of the Latter Day Saint Movement. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr....
  
• Thespis
  Thespis
  
  Thespis of Icaria is claimed to be the first person ever to appear on stage as an actor in a Play , although the reality is undoubtedly more complex....
  , founder of Greek theatre.

Inventions, discoveries, introductions

• First archaeological surveys of the Arabian peninsula
  Arabian Peninsula
  
  The Arabian Peninsula , Arabia, Arabistan, and the Arabian subcontinent is a peninsula in Southwest Asia at the junction of Africa and Asia. The area is an important part of the Middle East and plays a critically important geopolitics role because of its vast reserves of petroleum and natural gas....
   by Babylonian king Nabonidus
  Nabonidus
  
  Nabonidus was the last king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, reigning from 556-539 BCE....
  .
• Sunshu Ao
  Sunshu Ao
  
  Sunshu Ao was an ancient Chinese people court minister serving the administration of Duke Zhuang of Chu during the reign of King Ding of Zhou , during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty....
  , China's first hydraulic engineer, creates an enormous artificial reservoir by damming a river for a massive irrigation
  Irrigation
  
  Irrigation is an artificial application of water to the soil usually for assisting in growing crops. In crop production it is mainly used in dry areas and in periods of rainfall shortfalls, but also to protect plants against frost....
   project while employed in the service of King Zhuang of Chu
  King Zhuang of Chu
  
  King Zhuang of Chu was leader in the state of Chu and one of the Five Hegemons in the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history. His name was Mi Lu ....
   (d. 591 BC).
• Lost-wax casting is spread to Ancient Greece
  Ancient Greece
  
  The term Ancient Greece refers to the period of History of Greece lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca. 1100 BC and the Dorian invasion, to 146 BC and the Roman Republic conquest of Greece after the Battle of Corinth ....
  .

Decades and years