1st millennium BC
Encyclopedia
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
and sees the rise of many successive empires, and spanned from 1000 BC to 1 BC
1 BC
Year 1 BC was a common year starting on Friday or Saturday of the Julian calendar and a leap year starting on Thursday of the Proleptic Julian calendar...
.
The Neo-Assyrian Empire, followed by the Achaemenids. In Greece, Classical Antiquity
Classical antiquity
Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, collectively known as the Greco-Roman world...
begins with the colonization of Magna Graecia
Magna Graecia
Magna Græcia is the name of the coastal areas of Southern Italy on the Tarentine Gulf that were extensively colonized by Greek settlers; particularly the Achaean colonies of Tarentum, Crotone, and Sybaris, but also, more loosely, the cities of Cumae and Neapolis to the north...
and peaks with the rise of Hellenism
Hellenistic civilization
Hellenistic civilization represents the zenith of Greek influence in the ancient world from 323 BCE to about 146 BCE...
. The close of the millennium sees the rise of the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. In South Asia, the Vedic civilization blends into the Maurya Empire
Maurya Empire
The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in ancient India, ruled by the Mauryan dynasty from 321 to 185 BC...
. The early Celts dominate Central Europe while Northern Europe is in 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. These regions feature many extensive archaeological excavation sites, which have yielded a wealth of artifacts...
. The Scythians dominate Central Asia. In China, the Spring and Autumn Period sees the rise of Confucianism
Confucianism
Confucianism is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius . Confucianism originated as an "ethical-sociopolitical teaching" during the Spring and Autumn Period, but later developed metaphysical and cosmological elements in the Han...
. Towards the close of the millennium, the Han Dynasty
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
extends Chinese power towards Central Asia, where it borders on Indo-Greek and Iranian
Iranian peoples
The Iranian peoples are an Indo-European ethnic-linguistic group, consisting of the speakers of Iranian languages, a major branch of the Indo-European language family, as such forming a branch of Indo-European-speaking peoples...
states. Yayoi period
Yayoi period
The is an Iron Age era in the history of Japan traditionally dated 300 BC to 300 AD. It is named after the neighbourhood of Tokyo where archaeologists first uncovered artifacts and features from that era. Distinguishing characteristics of the Yayoi period include the appearance of new...
in Japanese islands. The Maya civilization
Maya civilization
The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...
rises in Central America, while in Africa, Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
begins its decline, rise of the Nubian Empire
Kingdom of Kush
The native name of the Kingdom was likely kaš, recorded in Egyptian as .The name Kash is probably connected to Cush in the Hebrew Bible , son of Ham ....
, and Aksum
Aksumite Empire
The Kingdom of Aksum or Axum, also known as the Aksumite Empire, was an important trading nation in northeastern Africa, growing from the proto-Aksumite Iron Age period ca. 4th century BC to achieve prominence by the 1st century AD...
's birth. The religions of Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of prophet Zoroaster and was formerly among the world's largest religions. It was probably founded some time before the 6th century BCE in Greater Iran.In Zoroastrianism, the Creator Ahura Mazda is all good, and no evil...
, Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
(Vedic religion
Historical Vedic religion
The religion of the Vedic period is a historical predecessor of Hinduism. Its liturgy is reflected in the mantra portion of the four Vedas, which are compiled in Sanskrit. The religious practices centered on a clergy administering rites...
and Vedanta
Vedanta
Vedānta was originally a word used in Hindu philosophy as a synonym for that part of the Veda texts known also as the Upanishads. The name is a morphophonological form of Veda-anta = "Veda-end" = "the appendix to the Vedic hymns." It is also speculated that "Vedānta" means "the purpose or goal...
), Jainism
Jainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
and Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
develop. Graeco-Roman Europe, India and China see the rise of literature
Ancient literature
The history of literature begins with the history of writing, in Bronze Age Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt.Writing develops out of proto-literate sign systems by the 30th century BC, although the oldest literary texts that have come down to us are several centuries younger, dating to the 27th or...
.
World population
World population
The world population is the total number of living humans on the planet Earth. As of today, it is estimated to be billion by the United States Census Bureau...
greatly increases in the course of the millennium, reaching some 170 to 400 million people at its close depending on the estimates used.
Events
The events in this section are organized according to the United Nations geoscheme| Africa | America | Asia | Europe | Oceania | |
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| 10th century BC 10th century BC The 10th century BC started the first day of 1000 BC and ended the last day of 901 BC.- Overview :This period followed the Bronze Age collapse in the Near East, and the century saw the Early Iron Age take hold there. The Greek Dark Ages which had come about in 1200 BC continued. The Neo-Assyrian... |
1000 BC rise of Nok culture 1000 B.C. decline of Tichit -Walata Ghana Empire The Ghana Empire or Wagadou Empire was located in what is now southeastern Mauritania, and Western Mali. Complex societies had existed in the region since about 1500 BCE, and around Ghana's core region since about 300 CE... 1000 Beginning of East/South Bantu expansion Bantu expansion The Bantu expansion or the Bantu Migration was a millennia-long series of migrations of speakers of the original proto-Bantu language group... |
1000 BC rise of Chavín de Huántar Chavín de Huantar Chavín de Huántar is an archaeological site containing ruins and artifacts constructed beginning at least by 1200 BCE and occupied by later cultures until around 400-500 BCE by the Chavín, a major pre-Inca culture. The site is located north of Lima, Peru, at an elevation of , east of the... in Peru 1000 BC Settlement of Poverty Point Poverty Point Poverty Point is a prehistoric earthworks of the Poverty Point culture, now a historic monument located in the Southern United States. It is from the current Mississippi River, and situated on the edge of Maçon Ridge, near the village of Epps in West Carroll Parish, Louisiana.Poverty Point... , Louisiana reached its height |
967 BC Solomon anointed king of Israel 925 BC Judah secedes from Israel |
1000 BC Helladic period ended in Ancient Greece Ancient Greece Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the... |
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| 9th century BC 9th century BC The 9th century BC started the first day of 900 BC and ended the last day of 801 BC.- Overview :The 9th century BC was a period of great changes in civilizations. In Africa, Carthage is founded by the Phoenicians... |
872 BC Nile floods the Temple of Luxor 836 BC Civil war in Egypt 814 BC Carthage Carthage Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC... founded |
900 BC La Venta La Venta La Venta is a pre-Columbian archaeological site of the Olmec civilization located in the present-day Mexican state of Tabasco. Some of the artifacts have been moved to the museum "Parque - Museo de La Venta", which is in Villahermosa, the capital of Tabasco.... replaces San Lorenzo San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán is the collective name for three related archaeological sites -- San Lorenzo, Tenochtitlán, and Potrero Nuevo -- located in the southeast portion of the Mexican state of Veracruz. From 1200 BCE to 900 BCE, it was the major center of Olmec culture... (Olmec) 900 BC Rise of Tres Zapotes Tres Zapotes Tres Zapotes is a Mesoamerican archaeological site located in the south-central Gulf Lowlands of Mexico in the Papaloapan River plain. Tres Zapotes is sometimes referred to as the third major Olmec capital , although Tres Zapotes' Olmec phase constitutes only a portion of the site’s history, which... 850 BC Rise of Zapotec civilization Zapotec civilization The Zapotec civilization was an indigenous pre-Columbian civilization that flourished in the Valley of Oaxaca of southern Mesoamerica. Archaeological evidence shows their culture goes back at least 2500 years... in Mexico |
863 BC Bath founded | ||
| 8th century BC 8th century BC The 8th century BC started the first day of 800 BC and ended the last day of 701 BC.-Overview:The 8th century BC was a period of great changes in civilizations. In Egypt, the 23rd and 24th dynasties led to rule from Nubia in the 25th Dynasty... |
740 BC Kushite Piye begins reign 727 BC Kush Kingdom of Kush The native name of the Kingdom was likely kaš, recorded in Egyptian as .The name Kash is probably connected to Cush in the Hebrew Bible , son of Ham .... conquers Egypt Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh... , 25 dynasty 701 BC Kushites repels Assyrians from Jerusalem |
800 BC Kaminaljuyu Kaminaljuyu Kaminaljuyu is a Pre-Columbian site of the Maya civilization that was primarily occupied from 1500 BC to AD 1200. Kaminaljuyu has been described as one of the greatest of all archaeological sites in the New World by Michael Coe, although its remains today - a few mounds only - are far less... established (Maya) 800 BC Rise of Adena culture Adena culture The Adena culture was a Pre-Columbian Native American culture that existed from 1000 to 200 BC, in a time known as the early Woodland Period. The Adena culture refers to what were probably a number of related Native American societies sharing a burial complex and ceremonial system... in Ohio 800 BC Beginning of corn Maize Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable... cultivation on Amazon flood plain |
738 BC Assyria invades Israel 727 BC Babylonia secedes from Assyria 722 BC Israel is conquered by Assyria |
800 BC rise of Etruscan civilization Etruscan civilization Etruscan civilization is the modern English name given to a civilization of ancient Italy in the area corresponding roughly to Tuscany. The ancient Romans called its creators the Tusci or Etrusci... 776 BC first Olympiad 753 BC Rome founded |
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| 7th Century BC 7th century BC The 7th century BC started the first day of 700 BC and ended the last day of 601 BC.The Assyrian Empire continued to dominate the Near East during this century, exercising formidable power over neighbors like Babylon and Egypt. In the last two decades of the century, however, the empire began to... |
700 BC Pre-Aksumite 674 BC Taharqa Taharqa Taharqa was a pharaoh of the Ancient Egyptian 25th dynasty and king of the Kingdom of Kush, which was located in Northern Sudan.Taharqa was the son of Piye, the Nubian king of Napata who had first conquered Egypt. Taharqa was also the cousin and successor of Shebitku. The successful campaigns of... defeats Assyrian invasion 671 BC Kushites expelled from Egypt by Assyrians |
700 BC Poverty Point Poverty Point Poverty Point is a prehistoric earthworks of the Poverty Point culture, now a historic monument located in the Southern United States. It is from the current Mississippi River, and situated on the edge of Maçon Ridge, near the village of Epps in West Carroll Parish, Louisiana.Poverty Point... (Louisiana) abandoned 700 BC Many temple centres abandoned on coast of Peru |
700 BC Upanishads written 631 BC End of the Assyrian Empire |
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| 6th century BC 6th century BC The 6th century BC started the first day of 600 BC and ended the last day of 501 BC.Pāṇini, in India, composed a grammar for Sanskrit, in this century or slightly later... |
592 BC Psamtik II sack Napata 600 BC Iron making around Great Lakes region 600 BC circa, Nok culture iron smelting |
600 BC Rise of Paracas culture Paracas culture The Paracas culture was an important Andean society between approximately 800 BCE and 100 BCE, with an extensive knowledge of irrigation and water management. It developed in the Paracas Peninsula, located in what today is the Paracas District of the Pisco Province in the Ica Region... (Peru) 600 BC writing system appears in Mexico 600 BC Ball courts Mesoamerican ballgame The Mesoamerican ballgame or Tlatchtli in Náhuatl was a sport with ritual associations played since 1,000 B.C. by the pre-Columbian peoples of Ancient Mexico and Central America... appear in Olmec centres |
539 BC Persians conquer Babylon 528 BC Buddhism Buddhism Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th... founded |
509 BC Roman Republic Roman Republic The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and... established |
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| 5th century BC 5th century BC The 5th century BC started the first day of 500 BC and ended the last day of 401 BC.-Overview:This century saw the beginning of a period of philosophical brilliance among Western civilizations, particularly the Greeks which would continue all the way through the 4th century until the time of... |
500 BC Trans-saharan trade in full bloom from Morocco to Senegal River 500 BC Meroe Meroë Meroë Meroitic: Medewi or Bedewi; Arabic: and Meruwi) is 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 site are a group of villages called Bagrawiyah... becomes center of iron production 500 BC Development of Ge'ez alphabet Ge'ez alphabet Ge'ez , also called Ethiopic, is a script used as an abugida for several languages of Ethiopia and Eritrea but originated in an abjad used to write Ge'ez, now the liturgical language of the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Church... |
500 BC Northwest Coast native peoples Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast The Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Pacific Northwest Coast, their descendants, and many ethnic groups who identify with those historical peoples. They are now situated within the Canadian Province of British Columbia and the U.S... begin to flourish 500 BC Hieroglyphic inscriptions produced in Zapotec centre of Monte Albán Monte Albán Monte Albán is a large pre-Columbian archaeological site in the Santa Cruz Xoxocotlán Municipality in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca... 450 BC 450 BC Year 450 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Second year of the decemviri... Mound building in eastern North America |
450 BC 450 BC Year 450 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Second year of the decemviri... Tanakh compiled Tanakh The Tanakh is a name used in Judaism for the canon of the Hebrew Bible. The Tanakh is also known as the Masoretic Text or the Miqra. The name is an acronym formed from the initial Hebrew letters of the Masoretic Text's three traditional subdivisions: The Torah , Nevi'im and Ketuvim —hence... 486 BC 486 BC Year 486 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Viscellinus and Rutilus... Grand Canal begun |
490 BC 490 BC Year 490 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Camerinus and Flavus... Battle of Marathon Battle of Marathon The Battle of Marathon took place in 490 BC, during the first Persian invasion of Greece. It was fought between the citizens of Athens, aided by Plataea, and a Persian force commanded by Datis and Artaphernes. It was the culmination of the first attempt by Persia, under King Darius I, to subjugate... 480 BC 480 BC Year 480 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Vibulanus and Cincinnatus... Battle of Thermopylae Battle of Thermopylae The Battle of Thermopylae was fought between an alliance of Greek city-states, led by King Leonidas of Sparta, and the Persian Empire of Xerxes I over the course of three days, during the second Persian invasion of Greece. It took place simultaneously with the naval battle at Artemisium, in August... 431 BC 431 BC Year 431 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Cincinnatus and Mento... Peloponnesian War Peloponnesian War The Peloponnesian War, 431 to 404 BC, was an ancient Greek war fought by Athens and its empire against the Peloponnesian League led by Sparta. Historians have traditionally divided the war into three phases... |
500 BC Austronesian peoples settle Western Polynesia |
| 4th century BC 4th century BC The 4th century BC started the first day of 400 BC and ended the last day of 301 BC. It is considered part of the Classical era, epoch, or historical period.-Overview:This century marked the height of Classical Greek civilization in all of its aspects... |
343 BC 343 BC Year 343 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Corvus and Arvina... Persia conquers Egypt 338 338 Year 338 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Ursus and Polemius... Khabash Khabash Khabash, also Khababash or Chababash, resided at Sais in the fifth nome of Lower Egypt in the fourth century BC. During the second Persian occupation of Egypt he led a revolt against the Persian rule in concert with his eldest son, from ca. 338 to 335 BC , a few years before the conquest of... revolts against Persian occupation 332 BC 332 BC Year 332 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Calvinus and Arvina... Alexander conquers Egypt |
400 BC 400 BC Year 400 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Tribunate of Esquilinus, Capitolinus, Vulso, Medullinus, Saccus and Vulscus... Emergence of Moche Moche 'The Moche civilization flourished in northern Peru from about 100 AD to 800 AD, during the Regional Development Epoch. While this issue is the subject of some debate, many scholars contend that the Moche were not politically organized as a monolithic empire or state... civilisation in Peru 350 BC 350 BC Year 350 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Laenas and Scipio... Beginnings of Nasca culture in southern Peru 350 BC 350 BC Year 350 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Laenas and Scipio... Inca metal work |
334 BC 334 BC Year 334 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Caudinus and Calvinus... Greece conquers Persia 321 BC 321 BC Year 321 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Calvinus and Caudinus... Rise of the Mauryan Empire |
395 BC 395 BC Year 395 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Tribunate of Cossus, Medullinus, Scipio, Fidenas, Ambustus and Lactucinus... Corinthian War Corinthian War The Corinthian War was an ancient Greek conflict lasting from 395 BC until 387 BC, pitting Sparta against a coalition of four allied states; Thebes, Athens, Corinth, and Argos; which were initially backed by Persia. The immediate cause of the war was a local conflict in northwest Greece in which... |
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| 3rd century BC 3rd century BC The 3rd century BC started the first day of 300 BC and ended the last day of 201 BC. It is considered part of the Classical era, epoch, or historical period.-Overview:... |
300 BC 300 BC Year 300 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Corvus and Pansa... Tifinagh Tifinagh Tifinagh is a series of abjad and alphabetic scripts used by some Berber peoples, notably the Tuareg, to write their language.A modern derivate of the traditional script, known as Neo-Tifinagh, was introduced in the 20th century... script developed 300 BC 300 BC Year 300 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Corvus and Pansa... Meroe Meroë Meroë Meroitic: Medewi or Bedewi; Arabic: and Meruwi) is 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 site are a group of villages called Bagrawiyah... becomes capital of Kush Kingdom of Kush The native name of the Kingdom was likely kaš, recorded in Egyptian as .The name Kash is probably connected to Cush in the Hebrew Bible , son of Ham .... 202 BC 202 BC Year 202 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Geminus and Nero... Battle of Zama Battle of Zama The Battle of Zama, fought around October 19, 202 BC, marked the final and decisive end of the Second Punic War. A Roman army led by Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus defeated a Carthaginian force led by the legendary commander Hannibal... |
250 BC 250 BC Year 250 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Regulus and Longus... First Mayan hieroglyphics Maya script The Maya script, also known as Maya glyphs or Maya hieroglyphs, is the writing system of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization of Mesoamerica, presently the only Mesoamerican writing system that has been substantially deciphered... 300 BC 300 BC Year 300 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Corvus and Pansa... The double-spout-and-bridge bottle Double spout and bridge vessel The double spout and bridge was a form of usually ceramic drinking vessel developed sometime before 500 BC by Indigenous peoples of the Americas groups on the Peruvian coast. True to its name, this type of bottle is distinguished by two spouts with a handle bridging them. First used by the Paracas... becomes widespread 250 BC 250 BC Year 250 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Regulus and Longus... Grave Creek Mound Grave Creek Mound At high and in diameter, the Grave Creek Mound is one of the largest conical type burial mounds in the United States. The builders of the site moved more than 60,000 tons of dirt to create it. It is located in Moundsville, West Virginia near the banks of the Ohio River. The first recorded... built in West Virginia |
221 BC 221 BC Year 221 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Asina and Rufus/Lepidus... China unified Qin Dynasty The Qin Dynasty was the first imperial dynasty of China, lasting from 221 to 207 BC. The Qin state derived its name from its heartland of Qin, in modern-day Shaanxi. The strength of the Qin state was greatly increased by the legalist reforms of Shang Yang in the 4th century BC, during the Warring... |
264 BC 264 BC Year 264 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Caudex and Flaccus... First Punic War First Punic War The First Punic War was the first of three wars fought between Ancient Carthage and the Roman Republic. For 23 years, the two powers struggled for supremacy in the western Mediterranean Sea, primarily on the Mediterranean island of Sicily and its surrounding waters but also to a lesser extent in... 218 BC 218 BC Year 218 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Scipio and Longus... Second Punic War Second Punic War The Second Punic War, also referred to as The Hannibalic War and The War Against Hannibal, lasted from 218 to 201 BC and involved combatants in the western and eastern Mediterranean. This was the second major war between Carthage and the Roman Republic, with the participation of the Berbers on... |
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| 2nd century BC 2nd century BC The 2nd century BC started the first day of 200 BC and ended the last day of 101 BC. It is considered part of the Classical era, although depending on the region being studied, other terms may be more proper .-Overview:Fresh from its victories in the Second Punic War, the... |
200 BC 200 BC Year 200 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Maximus and Cotta... Djenné Djenné Djenné is an Urban Commune and town in the Inland Niger Delta region of central Mali. In the 2009 census the commune had a population of 32,944. Administratively it is part of the Mopti Region.... settled 200 BC 200 BC Year 200 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Maximus and Cotta... Meroitic script Meroitic script The Meroitic script is an alphabetic script originally derived from Egyptian hieroglyphs, used to write the Meroitic language of the Kingdom of Meroë/Kush. It was developed in the Napatan Period , and first appears in the 2nd century BCE. For a time, it was also possibly used to write the Nubian... in completed form 146 BC 146 BC Year 146 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Lentulus and Achaicus... Carthage final defeat, Roman province of Africa |
200 BC 200 BC Year 200 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Maximus and Cotta... Zapotec Zapotec civilization The Zapotec civilization was an indigenous pre-Columbian civilization that flourished in the Valley of Oaxaca of southern Mesoamerica. Archaeological evidence shows their culture goes back at least 2500 years... state develops in Mexico 200 BC 200 BC Year 200 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Maximus and Cotta... Great temple complex declines at Chavín de Huántar Chavín de Huantar Chavín de Huántar is an archaeological site containing ruins and artifacts constructed beginning at least by 1200 BCE and occupied by later cultures until around 400-500 BCE by the Chavín, a major pre-Inca culture. The site is located north of Lima, Peru, at an elevation of , east of the... , Peru 200 BC 200 BC Year 200 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Maximus and Cotta... Elite Calima burials with rich grave-goods deposited in Malagana Malagana Malagana, also known as the Malagana Treasure is an archaeological site of Colombia named after the same name sugarcane estate where it was accidentally discovered in 1992... , Colombia |
185 BC 185 BC Year 185 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Pulcher and Puditanus... Fall of the Maurya Empire Maurya Empire The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in ancient India, ruled by the Mauryan dynasty from 321 to 185 BC... |
149 BC 149 BC Year 149 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Censorinus and Manilius... Third Punic War Third Punic War The Third Punic War was the third and last of the Punic Wars fought between the former Phoenician colony of Carthage, and the Roman Republic... |
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| 1st century BC 1st century BC The 1st century BC, also known as the last century BC or 1st century BCE, started on the first day of 100 BC and ended on the last day of 1 BC. The AD/BC notation does not use a year zero; however, astronomical year numbering does use a minus sign, so "2 BC" is equal to "year -1"... |
100 BC 100 BC Year 100 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Marius and Flaccus... Aksum develops its Indian, Red Sea trade links 31 BC 31 BC Year 31 BC was either a common year starting on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday or a leap year starting on Tuesday or Wednesday of the Julian calendar and a common year starting on Tuesday of the Proleptic Julian calendar... Rome conquers Egypt 20 BC 20 BC Year 20 BC was either a common year starting on Wednesday or Thursday or a leap year starting on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday of the Julian calendar and a common year starting on Tuesday of the Proleptic Julian calendar... Meroites thwart Roman conquest |
100 BC 100 BC Year 100 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Marius and Flaccus... Rise of the Hopewell exchange system along the Mississippi 100 BC 100 BC Year 100 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Marius and Flaccus... Rise of Teotihuacán Teotihuacan Teotihuacan – also written Teotihuacán, with a Spanish orthographic accent on the last syllable – is an enormous archaeological site in the Basin of Mexico, just 30 miles northeast of Mexico City, containing some of the largest pyramidal structures built in the pre-Columbian Americas... in Mexico 50 BC 50 BC Year 50 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Paullus and Marcellus... Rise of the Iputiak Ipiutak Site The Ipiutak Site is a large archaeological site at Point Hope in northwest Alaska.It is the type site for the Ipiutak culture, which arose possibly as early as 100–200 BCE and collapsed around 800 CE... in Alaska |
146 BC 146 BC Year 146 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Lentulus and Achaicus... Battle of Corinth Battle of Corinth (146 BC) The Battle of Corinth was a battle fought between the Roman Republic and the Greek state of Corinth and its allies in the Achaean League in 146 BC, that resulted in the complete and total destruction of the state of Corinth which was previously so famous for its fabulous wealth... 31 BC 31 BC Year 31 BC was either a common year starting on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday or a leap year starting on Tuesday or Wednesday of the Julian calendar and a common year starting on Tuesday of the Proleptic Julian calendar... Battle of Actium Battle of Actium The Battle of Actium was the decisive confrontation of the Final War of the Roman Republic. It was fought between the forces of Octavian and the combined forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII. The battle took place on 2 September 31 BC, on the Ionian Sea near the city of Actium, at the Roman... |
Significant people
The people in this section are organized according to the United Nations geoscheme| Africa | America | Asia | Europe | Oceania | |
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| 10th century BC 10th century BC The 10th century BC started the first day of 1000 BC and ended the last day of 901 BC.- Overview :This period followed the Bronze Age collapse in the Near East, and the century saw the Early Iron Age take hold there. The Greek Dark Ages which had come about in 1200 BC continued. The Neo-Assyrian... |
Psusennes I Psusennes I Psusennes I, or Greek Ψουσέννης], Pasibkhanu or Hor-Pasebakhaenniut I Egyptian ḥor-p3-sib3-ḫˁỉ--niwt] was the third king of the Twenty-first dynasty of Egypt who ruled from Tanis between 1047 – 1001 BC... Psusennes II Psusennes II Titkheperure or Tyetkheperre Psusennes II Greek Ψουσέννης] or Hor-Pasebakhaenniut II Egyptian ḥr-p3-sb3-ḫˁỉ--nỉwt], was the last king of the Twenty-first dynasty of Egypt. His royal name means "Image of the transformation of Re" in Egyptian. Psusennes II is often considered the same person as... Shoshenq I |
King David of Israel David David was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible and, according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, an ancestor of Jesus Christ through both Saint Joseph and Mary... Zoroaster Zoroaster Zoroaster , also known as Zarathustra , was a prophet and the founder of Zoroastrianism who was either born in North Western or Eastern Iran. He is credited with the authorship of the Yasna Haptanghaiti as well as the Gathas, hymns which are at the liturgical core of Zoroastrianism... |
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| 9th century BC 9th century BC The 9th century BC started the first day of 900 BC and ended the last day of 801 BC.- Overview :The 9th century BC was a period of great changes in civilizations. In Africa, Carthage is founded by the Phoenicians... |
Osorkon I Osorkon I The son of Shoshenq I and his chief consort, Karomat A, Osorkon I was the second king of Egypt's 22nd Dynasty and ruled around 922 BC – 887 BC. He succeeded his father Shoshenq I who probably died within a year of his successful 923 BC campaign against the kingdoms of Israel and Judah... Takelot II Takelot II Hedjkheperre Setepenre Takelot II Si-Ese was a pharaoh of the Twenty-Third Dynasty of Ancient Egypt in Middle and Upper Egypt. He has been identified as the High Priest of Amun Takelot F, son of the High Priest of Amun Nimlot C at Thebes and, thus, the son of Nimlot C and grandson of king Osorkon... Shoshenq II Shoshenq II Heqakheperre Shoshenq II was an Egyptian king of the 22nd dynasty of Egypt. He was the only ruler of this Dynasty whose tomb was not plundered by tomb robbers. His final resting place was discovered within Psusennes I's tomb at Tanis by Pierre Montet in 1939. Montet removed the coffin lid of... |
Homer Homer In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is... |
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| 8th century BC 8th century BC The 8th century BC started the first day of 800 BC and ended the last day of 701 BC.-Overview:The 8th century BC was a period of great changes in civilizations. In Egypt, the 23rd and 24th dynasties led to rule from Nubia in the 25th Dynasty... |
Alara Alara of Nubia Alara was a King of Kush who is generally regarded as the founder of the Napatan royal dynasty by his 25th Dynasty Nubian successors and was the first recorded prince of Nubia. He unified all of Upper Nubia from Meroë to the Third Cataract and is possibly attested at the Temple of Amun at Kawa.... Piye Piye Piye, was a Kushite king and founder of the Twenty-fifth dynasty of Egypt who ruled Egypt from 747 BCE to 716 BCE according to Peter Clayton. He ruled from the city of Napata, located deep in Nubia, Sudan... Kashta Kashta Kashta was a king of the Kushite Dynasty and the successor of Alara. His name translates literally as "The Kushite".-Family:Kashta is thought to be a brother of his predecessor Alara. Both Alara and Kashta were thought to have married their sisters... |
Isaiah Isaiah Isaiah ; Greek: ', Ēsaïās ; "Yahu is salvation") was a prophet in the 8th-century BC Kingdom of Judah.Jews and Christians consider the Book of Isaiah a part of their Biblical canon; he is the first listed of the neviim akharonim, the later prophets. Many of the New Testament teachings of Jesus... |
Romulus and Remus Romulus and Remus Romulus and Remus are Rome's twin founders in its traditional foundation myth, although the former is sometimes said to be the sole founder... |
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| 7th century BC 7th century BC The 7th century BC started the first day of 700 BC and ended the last day of 601 BC.The Assyrian Empire continued to dominate the Near East during this century, exercising formidable power over neighbors like Babylon and Egypt. In the last two decades of the century, however, the empire began to... |
Taharqa Taharqa Taharqa was a pharaoh of the Ancient Egyptian 25th dynasty and king of the Kingdom of Kush, which was located in Northern Sudan.Taharqa was the son of Piye, the Nubian king of Napata who had first conquered Egypt. Taharqa was also the cousin and successor of Shebitku. The successful campaigns of... Tantamani Tantamani Tantamani or Tanwetamani or Tementhes was a Pharaoh of Egypt and the Kingdom of Kush located in Northern Sudan and a member of the Nubian or Twenty-fifth dynasty of Egypt... Psamtik I |
Jeremiah Jeremiah Jeremiah Hebrew：יִרְמְיָה , Modern Hebrew:Yirməyāhū, IPA: jirməˈjaːhu, Tiberian:Yirmĭyahu, Greek:Ἰερεμίας), meaning "Yahweh exalts", or called the "Weeping prophet" was one of the main prophets of the Hebrew Bible... |
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| 6th century BC 6th century BC The 6th century BC started the first day of 600 BC and ended the last day of 501 BC.Pāṇini, in India, composed a grammar for Sanskrit, in this century or slightly later... |
Aspelta Aspelta Aspelta was a ruler of the kingdom of Kush .Aspelta used titles based on those of the Egyptian Pharaohs.Horus name: Neferkha Nebty Name: Neferkha... Psamtik II Apries Apries Apries is the name by which Herodotus and Diodorus designate Wahibre Haaibre, Ουαφρης , a pharaoh of Egypt , the fourth king of the Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt. He was equated with the Waphres of Manetho, who correctly records that he reigned for 19 years... |
Mahavira Mahavira Mahāvīra is the name most commonly used to refer to the Indian sage Vardhamāna who established what are today considered to be the central tenets of Jainism. According to Jain tradition, he was the 24th and the last Tirthankara. In Tamil, he is referred to as Arukaṉ or Arukadevan... Lao Zi Cyrus the Great Cyrus the Great Cyrus II of Persia , commonly known as Cyrus the Great, also known as Cyrus the Elder, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire. Under his rule, the empire embraced all the previous civilized states of the ancient Near East, expanded vastly and eventually conquered most of Southwest Asia and much... |
Leonidas | ||
| 5th century BC 5th century BC The 5th century BC started the first day of 500 BC and ended the last day of 401 BC.-Overview:This century saw the beginning of a period of philosophical brilliance among Western civilizations, particularly the Greeks which would continue all the way through the 4th century until the time of... |
Baskakeren Baskakeren Baskakeren was a king of Kush . He was likely a son of King Malewiebamani and the younger brother of King Amanineteyerike. He succeeded King Amanineteyerike to the throne.... Harsiotef Harsiotef Harsiotef was a Kushite King of Meroe .Harsiotef took on a full set of titles based on those of the Egyptian Pharaohs.Horus name: Kanakht Khaemnepet... Hanno II Hanno the Navigator Hanno the Navigator was a Carthaginian explorer c. 500 BC, best known for his naval exploration of the African coast... |
Gautama Buddha Gautama Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian... Confucius Confucius Confucius , literally "Master Kong", was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher of the Spring and Autumn Period.... Darius I of Persia Darius I of Persia Darius I , also known as Darius the Great, was the third king of kings of the Achaemenid Empire... |
Pericles Pericles Pericles was a prominent and influential statesman, orator, and general of Athens during the city's Golden Age—specifically, the time between the Persian and Peloponnesian wars... Socrates Socrates Socrates was a classical Greek Athenian philosopher. Credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy, he is an enigmatic figure known chiefly through the accounts of later classical writers, especially the writings of his students Plato and Xenophon, and the plays of his contemporary ... Plato Plato Plato , was a Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the... |
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| 4th century BC 4th century BC The 4th century BC started the first day of 400 BC and ended the last day of 301 BC. It is considered part of the Classical era, epoch, or historical period.-Overview:This century marked the height of Classical Greek civilization in all of its aspects... |
Khabash Khabash Khabash, also Khababash or Chababash, resided at Sais in the fifth nome of Lower Egypt in the fourth century BC. During the second Persian occupation of Egypt he led a revolt against the Persian rule in concert with his eldest son, from ca. 338 to 335 BC , a few years before the conquest of... Nastasen Nastasen Nastasen was a king of the North African Nubian civilisation of Kush . According to a stela from Dongola his mother was named Queen Pelkha and his father may have been King Harsiotef. His successor was Aryamani.-Monuments:... Mago II Mago II of Carthage Mago the second was Shofet of Carthage from 396 to 375 BCE, and was a member of the Magonid dynasty. He became Shofet after the suicide of Himilco II in 396 BCE and was succeeded by Mago the third in 375.... |
Pāṇini Chandragupta Chandragupta Maurya Chandragupta Maurya , was the founder of the Maurya Empire. Chandragupta succeeded in conquering most of the Indian subcontinent. Chandragupta is considered the first unifier of India and its first genuine emperor... Mencius Mencius Mencius was a Chinese philosopher who was arguably the most famous Confucian after Confucius himself.-Life:Mencius, also known by his birth name Meng Ke or Ko, was born in the State of Zou, now forming the territory of the county-level city of Zoucheng , Shandong province, only thirty kilometres ... |
Aristotle Aristotle Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology... Alexander the Great |
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| 3rd century BC 3rd century BC The 3rd century BC started the first day of 300 BC and ended the last day of 201 BC. It is considered part of the Classical era, epoch, or historical period.-Overview:... |
Hannibal Aktisanes Aktisanes Aktisanes is a Nubian king who is mentioned by the Greek historian Hecataeus of Abdera. He is perhaps identical with Menmaatre-Setepenamun Gatisen known from Nubian sources.-Titles:*Horus name: Kanakht Merymaat... Amanislo Amanislo Amanislo was a king of Kush dating to the middle of the third century BC.-Titles:*Prenomen: Ankh-nefribre *Nomen: Amanislo, epithet Meryamun -Monuments and Inscriptions:... |
Ashoka Ashoka Ashok Maurya or Ashoka , popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was an Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty who ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent from ca. 269 BC to 232 BC. One of India's greatest emperors, Ashoka reigned over most of present-day India after a number of military conquests... Pingala Pingala Pingala is the traditional name of the author of the ' , the earliest known Sanskrit treatise on prosody.Nothing is known about Piṅgala himself... Qin Shi Huang Qin Shi Huang Qin Shi Huang , personal name Ying Zheng , was king of the Chinese State of Qin from 246 BC to 221 BC during the Warring States Period. He became the first emperor of a unified China in 221 BC... |
Euclid Euclid Euclid , fl. 300 BC, also known as Euclid of Alexandria, was a Greek mathematician, often referred to as the "Father of Geometry". He was active in Alexandria during the reign of Ptolemy I... Archimedes Archimedes Archimedes of Syracuse was a Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor, and astronomer. Although few details of his life are known, he is regarded as one of the leading scientists in classical antiquity. Among his advances in physics are the foundations of hydrostatics, statics and an... |
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| 2nd century BC 2nd century BC The 2nd century BC started the first day of 200 BC and ended the last day of 101 BC. It is considered part of the Classical era, although depending on the region being studied, other terms may be more proper .-Overview:Fresh from its victories in the Second Punic War, the... |
Hasdrubal the Boeotarch Hasdrubal the Boeotarch -Biography:Little is known about Hasdrubal the Boeotarch, the general who lost the Third Punic War to Scipio Aemilianus, Consul of the Roman Republic at the Siege of Carthage in 146 BC... Shanakdakhete Shanakdakhete Shanakdakheto or Shanakdakhete was a Black African ruling queen of Kush, when the Kingdom was centered at Meroë. She is the earliest known ruling queen of Nubia, and reigned from about 177 to 155 BC... Masinissa Masinissa Masinissa — also spelled Massinissa and Massena — was the first King of Numidia, an ancient North African nation of ancient Libyan tribes. As a successful general, Masinissa fought in the Second Punic War , first against the Romans as an ally of Carthage an later switching sides when he saw which... |
Jonathan Maccabaeus Jonathan Maccabaeus Jonathan Apphus was leader of the Hasmonean Dynasty of Judea from 161 to 143 BCE. The name Apphus could mean = "the dissembler", "the Wary", or "the diplomat", in allusion to a trait prominent in him -Leader of the Jews:... Emperor Wu of Han Emperor Wu of Han Emperor Wu of Han , , personal name Liu Che , was the seventh emperor of the Han Dynasty of China, ruling from 141 BC to 87 BC. Emperor Wu is best remembered for the vast territorial expansion that occurred under his reign, as well as the strong and centralized Confucian state he organized... |
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| 1st century BC 1st century BC The 1st century BC, also known as the last century BC or 1st century BCE, started on the first day of 100 BC and ended on the last day of 1 BC. The AD/BC notation does not use a year zero; however, astronomical year numbering does use a minus sign, so "2 BC" is equal to "year -1"... |
Amanitore Amanitore Amanitore was a Nubian Kandake of the ancient Kushitic Kingdom of Meroë, which also is referred to as Nubia in many ancient sources. An alternate spelling is Kandace, Kandake, or Kentake. In Egyptian hieroglyphics the throne name of Amanitore reads as Merkare... Amanirenas Amanirenas Amanirenas was a warrior-queen of Kingdom Kush.Her full name and title was Amnirense qore li kdwe li .... Cleopatra |
Herod the Great Herod the Great Herod , also known as Herod the Great , was a Roman client king of Judea. His epithet of "the Great" is widely disputed as he is described as "a madman who murdered his own family and a great many rabbis." He is also known for his colossal building projects in Jerusalem and elsewhere, including his... Sima Qian Sima Qian Sima Qian was a Prefect of the Grand Scribes of the Han Dynasty. He is regarded as the father of Chinese historiography for his highly praised work, Records of the Grand Historian , a "Jizhuanti"-style general history of China, covering more than two thousand years from the Yellow Emperor to... |
Cicero Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief... Julius Caesar Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire.... Virgil Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro, usually called Virgil or Vergil in English , was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He is known for three major works of Latin literature, the Eclogues , the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid... |
Inventions, discoveries, introductions
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Geometry Geometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers .... Pythagorean theorem In mathematics, the Pythagorean theorem or Pythagoras' theorem is a relation in Euclidean geometry among the three sides of a right triangle... Eratosthenes Eratosthenes of Cyrene was a Greek mathematician, poet, athlete, geographer, astronomer, and music theorist.He was the first person to use the word "geography" and invented the discipline of geography as we understand it... Democritus Democritus was an Ancient Greek philosopher born in Abdera, Thrace, Greece. He was an influential pre-Socratic philosopher and pupil of Leucippus, who formulated an atomic theory for the cosmos.... Water clock A water clock or clepsydra is any timepiece in which time is measured by the regulated flow of liquid into or out from a vessel where the amount is then measured.Water clocks, along with sundials, are likely to be the oldest time-measuring instruments, with the only exceptions... |
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Trireme A trireme was a type of galley, a Hellenistic-era warship that was used by the ancient maritime civilizations of the Mediterranean, especially the Phoenicians, ancient Greeks and Romans.The trireme derives its name from its three rows of oars on each side, manned with one man per oar... History of crossbows This history of crossbows documents the historical development and use of the crossbow.It is not clear exactly where and when the crossbow originated, but there is undoubted evidence that it was used for military purposes from the second half of the 4th century BC onwards.- Europe :The earliest... Siege engine A siege engine is a device that is designed to break or circumvent city walls and other fortifications in siege warfare. Some have been operated close to the fortifications, while others have been used to attack from a distance. From antiquity, siege engines were constructed largely of wood and... |
Cultural landmarks
- The Axial AgeAxial AgeGerman philosopher Karl Jaspers coined the term the axial age or axial period to describe the period from 800 to 200 BC, during which, according to Jaspers, similar revolutionary thinking appeared in India, China and the Occident...
(8th century BC8th century BCThe 8th century BC started the first day of 800 BC and ended the last day of 701 BC.-Overview:The 8th century BC was a period of great changes in civilizations. In Egypt, the 23rd and 24th dynasties led to rule from Nubia in the 25th Dynasty...
—2nd century BC2nd century BCThe 2nd century BC started the first day of 200 BC and ended the last day of 101 BC. It is considered part of the Classical era, although depending on the region being studied, other terms may be more proper .-Overview:Fresh from its victories in the Second Punic War, the...
), according to the theory of Karl JaspersKarl JaspersKarl Theodor Jaspers was a German psychiatrist and philosopher who had a strong influence on modern theology, psychiatry and philosophy. After being trained in and practicing psychiatry, Jaspers turned to philosophical inquiry and attempted to discover an innovative philosophical system...
. - Late 3rd century BC3rd century BCThe 3rd century BC started the first day of 300 BC and ended the last day of 201 BC. It is considered part of the Classical era, epoch, or historical period.-Overview:...
or 2nd century BC2nd century BCThe 2nd century BC started the first day of 200 BC and ended the last day of 101 BC. It is considered part of the Classical era, although depending on the region being studied, other terms may be more proper .-Overview:Fresh from its victories in the Second Punic War, the...
—Veiled and masked dancer is made. It is now kept at The Metropolitan Museum of ArtMetropolitan Museum of ArtThe Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
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Centuries and decades
| 10th century BC 10th century BC The 10th century BC started the first day of 1000 BC and ended the last day of 901 BC.- Overview :This period followed the Bronze Age collapse in the Near East, and the century saw the Early Iron Age take hold there. The Greek Dark Ages which had come about in 1200 BC continued. The Neo-Assyrian... |
990s BC 990s BC -Events and trends:* 993 BC—Amenemope succeeds Psusennes I as king of Egypt.* 993 BC—Archippus, Archon of Athens dies after a reign of 19 years and is succeeded by his son Thersippus.* 998 BC—King David establishes Jerusalem as the capital of the Kingdom of Israel.... |
980s BC 980s BC -Events and trends:* 984 BC—Osorkon the Elder succeeds Amenemope as king of Egypt.* 982 BC—The end of first period by Sau Yung's concept of the I Ching and history.... |
970s BC 970s BC -Events and trends:* 978 BC—Siamun succeeds Osorkon the Elder as king of Egypt.*Possible date of the death of King David.... |
960s BC 960s BC -Events and trends:* 967 BC—Tiglath-Pileser II becomes King of Assyria.* 967 BC—Solomon becomes king of the Israelites. * 965 BC—David, king of the ancient Israelites, died.-Significant people:* Solomon, king of the Kingdom of Israel... |
950s BC 950s BC -Events and trends:* 959 BC—Psusennes II succeeds Siamun as king of Egypt.* 957 BC—The reign of Mu Wang of the Zhou Dynasty ends.* 952 BC—Thersippus, King of Athens dies after a reign of 41 years and is succeeded by his son Phorbas.... |
940s BC 940s BC -Events and trends:* 949 BC Mahaparinirvana of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni Siddharta, according to far eastern schools of Buddhism.* 947 BC—Death of Zhou mo wang, King of the Zhou Dynasty of China.... |
930s BC 930s BC -Events and trends:* 935 BC—Death of Zhou gong wang, King of the Zhou Dynasty of China.* 935 BC—Death of Tiglath-Pileser II king of Assyria.* 934 BC—Ashur-dan II succeeds his father as King of Assyria.... |
920s BC 920s BC -Events and trends:* 928 BC—On the death of King Solomon, his son Rehoboam is unable to hold the tribes of Israel together, and the northern part secedes to become the kingdom of Israel, making Jeroboam its king... |
910s BC 910s BC -Events and trends:* 915 BC —Death of Rehoboam, King of the ancient Kingdom of Judah.* 912 BC—Adad-nirari II succeeds his father Ashur-Dan II as king of Assyria.* 911 BC—Abijah, king of Judah, dies.... |
900s BC |
| 9th century BC 9th century BC The 9th century BC started the first day of 900 BC and ended the last day of 801 BC.- Overview :The 9th century BC was a period of great changes in civilizations. In Africa, Carthage is founded by the Phoenicians... |
890s BC 890s BC -Events and trends:* 895 BC—Death of Zhou xiao wang, King of the Zhou Dynasty of China.* 894 BC—Zhou yi wang becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty of China.* 892 BC—Megacles, King of Athens, dies after a reign of 30 years and is succeeded by his son Diognetus.... |
880s BC 880s BC -Events and trends:* 889 BC—Takelot I succeeds his father Osorkon I as king of Egypt.* 883 BC—Assurnasirpal II succeeds his father Tukulti-Ninurta II as king of Assyria. Moved capital to Kalhu .... |
870s BC 870s BC -Events and trends:*879 BC—Death of Zhou yi wang, King of the Zhou Dynasty of China.*879 BC—Kalhu is dedicated. Some historians say that Assurnasirpal II gives a banquet for 69,574 persons to celebrate it.... |
860s BC 860s BC -Events and trends:* 865 BC—Kar Kalmaneser was conquered by the Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II.* 864 BC—Diognetus, King of Athens, dies after a reign of 28 years and is succeeded by his son Pherecles.* 860 BC—The kingdom of Urartu is unified.... |
850s BC 850s BC -Events and trends:*859 BC—Assurnasirpal II dies.*859 BC—Shalmaneser attacks Syria and Palestine.*858 BC—Aramu becomes king of Urartu.*858 BC—Shalmaneser III succeeds Assurnasirpal II as king of Assyria.... |
840s BC 840s BC -Events and trends:* 845 BC—Pherecles, King of Athens, dies after a reign of 19 years and is succeeded by his son Ariphron.* 842 BC—Shalmaneser III devastates the territory of Damascus; Israel and the Phoenician cities send tribute.... |
830s BC 830s BC -Events and trends:* 836 BC—Shalmaneser III of Assyria leads an expedition against the Tabareni.* 836 BC—Civil war breaks out in Egypt.... |
820s BC 820s BC -Events and trends:* 828 BC/827 BC —King Xuan of Zhou becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty of China, ending almost two decades of the Gonghe regency.* 825 BC—Takelot II, king of Egypt, dies... |
810s BC 810s BC -Events and trends:* 817 BC—Pedubastis I declares himself king of Egypt, founding the Twenty-third Dynasty.* 811 BC—Adad-nirari III succeeds his father Shamshi-Adad V as king of Assyria.... |
800s BC |
| 8th century BC 8th century BC The 8th century BC started the first day of 800 BC and ended the last day of 701 BC.-Overview:The 8th century BC was a period of great changes in civilizations. In Egypt, the 23rd and 24th dynasties led to rule from Nubia in the 25th Dynasty... |
790s BC 790s BC The 790s BC witnessed the surging power of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, albeit a brief moment of weakness following in subsequent decades, the further decadence of Egypt, and the beginnings of civilization with the rise of the city-states in Ancient Greece.... |
780s BC 780s BC -Events and trends:* 783 BC—Shalmaneser IV succeeds his father Adad-nirari III as king of Assyria.* 782 BC—Founding of Erebuni by the orders of King Argishtis I at the site of current-day Yerevan.... |
770s BC 770s BC -Events and trends:*778 BC—Agamestor, King of Athens, dies after a reign of 17 years and is succeeded by his son Aeschylus.*776 BC–394 AD—Era of the ancient Greek Olympic Games.*776 BC—First Olympic Games, according to Diodorus Siculus .... |
760s BC 760s BC -Events and trends:* 763 BC—June 15—A solar eclipse at this date is used to fix the chronology of the Ancient Near East. However, it requires Nisan 1 to fall on March 20, 763 BC, which was 8 to 9 days before the vernal equinox and Babylonians never started their calendar year before the spring... |
750s BC 750s BC -Events and trends:* 756 BC—Founding of Cyzicus.* 754 BC—Latins move into Italy* 755 BC—Ashur-nirari V succeeds Ashur-Dan III as king of Assyria* 755 BC—Aeschylus, King of Athens, dies after a reign of 23 years and is succeeded by Alcmaeon.... |
740s BC 740s BC -Events and trends:* 747 BC—February 26 – Nabonassar becomes king of Babylonia.* 747 BC—Meles becomes king of Lydia.* c. 747 BC—Third Intermediate Period of Egypt ends. Late Period of ancient Egypt starts. Nubian period starts in Ancient Egypt.* c... |
730s BC 730s BC -Events and trends:* 739 BC—Hiram II becomes king of Tyre.* 738 BC—King Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria invades Israel, forcing it to pay tribute.* 738 BC—The Biskupin settlement northeast of Poznan is built.... |
720s BC 720s BC -Events and trends:*728 BC—Piye invades Egypt, conquering Memphis, and receives the submission of the rulers of the Nile Delta. He founds the Twenty-fifth dynasty of Egypt.*727 BC—Babylonia makes itself independent of Assyria, upon the death of Tiglath-Pileser III.... |
710s BC 710s BC -Events and trends:*Judah, Tyre and Sidon revolt against Assyria.*719 BC — Zhou Huan Wang of the Zhou Dynasty becomes ruler of China.*718 BC — Gyges becomes the ruler of Lydia.*717 BC — Assyrian king Sargon conquers the Hittites stronghold of Carchemish.... |
700s BC |
| 7th century BC 7th century BC The 7th century BC started the first day of 700 BC and ended the last day of 601 BC.The Assyrian Empire continued to dominate the Near East during this century, exercising formidable power over neighbors like Babylon and Egypt. In the last two decades of the century, however, the empire began to... |
690s BC 690s BC -Events and trends:* 699 BC—Khallushu succeeds Shuttir-Nakhkhunte as king of the Elamite Empire.* 697 BC—Birth of Duke Wen of Jin in China.* 697 BC—Death of Zhou huan wang, the Emperor of the Zhou Dynasty of China.... |
680s BC 680s BC -Events and trends:* 689 BC—King Sennacherib of Assyria sacks Babylon.* 687 BC—Gyges becomes king of Lydia.* 687 BC—Hezekiah succeeded by Manasseh as king of Judah.* 685 BC- Chalcedon became a Greek colony.... |
670s BC 670s BC -Events and trends:* 677 BC—Esarhaddon leads the Assyrian army against rebellious Arab tribes, advances as far as the Brook of Egypt.* 676 BC—Zhou Hui Wang becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty of China.* 675 BC—Esarhaddon begins the rebuilding of Babylon... |
660s BC 660s BC -Events and trends:* 669 BC: Ashurbanipal succeeds his father Esarhaddon as king of Assyria.* 668 BC: Ashurbanipal starts to rule.* 668 BC: Shamash-shum-ukin, son of Esarhaddon, becomes King of Babylon.* 668 BC: Egypt revolts against Assyria.... |
650s BC 650s BC -Events and trends:*Occupation begins at Maya site of Piedras Negras, Guatemala.*657 BC—Cypselus becomes the first tyrant of Corinth.*656 BC—Psamtik I extends his control over all of Egypt... |
640s BC 640s BC -Events and trends:*Assyrian king Ashurbanipal founds library, which includes our earliest complete copy of the Epic of Gilgamesh.*649 BC — Indabigash succeeds Tammaritu as a king of the Elamite Empire.... |
630s BC 630s BC -Events and trends:* 639 BC - Interregnum ends and Ancus Marcius becomes the king of Rome.* 636 BC — Duke Wen of Jin ascends to power in the State of Jin during the Zhou Dynasty of China.... |
620s BC 620s BC -Events and trends:* c. 627 BC—Death of Assurbanipal, king of Assyria; he is succeeded by Assur-etel-ilani.* 626 BC—Nabopolassar revolts against Assyria, founds the Neo-Babylonian Empire.... |
610s BC 610s BC -Events and trends:*619 BC—Alyattes becomes king of Lydia.*619 BC—Death of Zhou xiang wang, King of the Zhou Dynasty of China.*618 BC—Zhou qing wang becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty of China.*616 BC—Lucius Tarquinius Priscus becomes the fifth King of Rome.... |
600s BC |
| 6th century BC 6th century BC The 6th century BC started the first day of 600 BC and ended the last day of 501 BC.Pāṇini, in India, composed a grammar for Sanskrit, in this century or slightly later... |
590s BC 590s BC -Events and trends:* 599 BC—Vardhamana Mahavira, last Tirthankara of Jainism, is born.* 598 BC—Jehoiachin succeeds Jehoiakim as King of Judah.* March 16, 597 BC—Babylonians capture Jerusalem following a siege, replace Jehoiachin with Zedekiah as king.... |
580s BC 580s BC -Events and trends:* 589 BC—Apries succeeds Psamtik II as king of Egypt.* 588 BC—Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon begins siege of Jerusalem; the opera Nabucco sets the date at 587 BC.* 587 BC—Jerusalem falls to the Babylonians, ending the Kingdom of Judah... |
570s BC 570s BC -Events and trends:*579 BC—Servius Tullius succeeds the assassinated Lucius Tarquinius Priscus as the sixth King of Rome. *575 BC—Ishtar Gate and throne room wall, from Babylon is made... |
560s BC 560s BC -Events and trends:* 568 BC—Amtalqa succeeds his brother Aspelta as king of Kush.* 567 BC—Former pharaoh Apries invades Egypt with Babylonian help but is defeated by Saite pharaoh Amasis II .... |
550s BC 550s BC -Events and trends:*Carthage conquers Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica.*559 BC—King Cambyses I of Anshan dies and is succeeded by his son Cyrus II the Great.*558 BC—Hegesias is removed as Archon of Athens.... |
540s BC 540s BC -Events and trends:* 546 BC—Croesus, Lydian king, is defeated by Cyrus of Persia near the River Halys.* 546 BC—Cyrus of Persia completes his conquest of Lydia, and makes Pasargadae his capital.... |
530s BC 530s BC -Events and trends:* 539 BC—Babylon is conquered by Cyrus, defeating Nabonidus.* 538 BC—Cyrus, king of Persia, allows Jews in Babylon to return to Jerusalem.... |
520s BC 520s BC -Events:* 529 BC—Cambyses II started to rule. He is son of Cyrus II. He conquered Egypt and Cyprus.* 528 BC—Gautama Buddha attained Enlightenment, and began his ministry.* 527 BC—Pisistratus a tyrant of Athens dies: his son Hippias inherits his power.... |
510s BC 510s BC -Events and trends:*519 BC—Zhou Jing Wang becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty of China.*c. 518 BC—Darius I began construction of Parsa .*518 BC—Construction of Apadana of Darius and Xerxes, ceremonial complex, at Persepolis, Iran started.... |
500s BC |
| 5th century BC 5th century BC The 5th century BC started the first day of 500 BC and ended the last day of 401 BC.-Overview:This century saw the beginning of a period of philosophical brilliance among Western civilizations, particularly the Greeks which would continue all the way through the 4th century until the time of... |
490s BC 490s BC -Births:* 496 BC – Sophocles, Athenian dramatist and statesman* c. 495 BC** Pericles, Athenian politician ** Zeno of Elea, Greek philosopher * c. 490 BC** Empedocles, Greek philosopher... |
480s BC 480s BC -Births:* 484 BC** Herodotus, Greek historian** Achaeus of Eretria, a Greek tragedian, was born in the town of Eretria in the island of Euboea* 483 BC – Gorgias, Greek philosopher... |
470s BC 470s BC -Births:* 470 BC** Mozi, Chinese philosopher ** Socrates, Athenian philosopher -Deaths:* 479 BC** Confucius, philosopher -Births:* 470 BC** Mozi, Chinese philosopher (approximate date) (d. c. 391 BC)** Socrates, Athenian philosopher (d. 399 BC)-Deaths:* 479 BC** Confucius, philosopher -Births:*... |
460s BC 460s BC -Births:* 469 BC – Aspasia of Miletus, mistress of Pericles of Athens * 460 BC** Democritus of Abdera, Greek philosopher ** Hippocrates of Cos, Greek physician ** Thucydides, Greek historian... |
450s BC 450s BC -Births:* 450 BC – Alcibiades, Athenian general and politician -Deaths:* 459 BC** Pleistarchus, King of Sparta** Themistocles, Athenian politician* 456 BC – Aeschylus, Greek playwright -Births:* 450 BC – Alcibiades, Athenian general and politician (approximate date) (d. c. 404... |
440s BC 440s BC -Births:* 446 BC** Aristophanes, Greek playwright ** Marcus Furius Camillus, Roman soldier and statesman -Deaths:* 449 BC** Appius Claudius, former decemvir, suicide... |
430s BC 430s BC -Births:* 436 BC** Isocrates, Athenian orator ** Artaxerxes II, king of Persia * 435 BC – Philoxenus of Cythera, Greek dithyrambic poet... |
420s BC 420s BC -Deaths:* 429 BC – Pericles, Athenian statesman * 425 BC – Herodotus, Greek historian -Deaths:* 429 BC – Pericles, Athenian statesman (epidemic)* 425 BC – Herodotus, Greek historian (approximate date) -Deaths:* 429 BC – Pericles, Athenian statesman (epidemic)* 425 BC... |
410s BC 410s BC This decade witnessed the continuing decline of the Achaemenid Empire, fierce warfare amongst the Greek city-states during the Peloponnesian War, the ongoing Warring States Period in Zhou dynasty China, and the closing years of the Olmec civilization This decade witnessed the continuing decline of... |
400s BC |
| 4th century BC 4th century BC The 4th century BC started the first day of 400 BC and ended the last day of 301 BC. It is considered part of the Classical era, epoch, or historical period.-Overview:This century marked the height of Classical Greek civilization in all of its aspects... |
390s BC | 380s BC 380s BC -Births:* 384 BC – Aristotle, Greek philosopher, a student of Plato, and teacher of Alexander the Great... |
370s BC 370s BC -Deaths:* 370 BC – Democritus, Greek scholar, philosopher, and astronomer... |
360s BC | 350s BC 350s BC -Births:* July 356 BC – Alexander the Great, Macedonian king 336–323 BC... |
340s BC | 330s BC | 320s BC 320s BC -Deaths:* 323 BC – Alexander the Great, ruler of the Mediterranean world* 322 BC – Demosthenes... |
310s BC | 300s BC |
| 3rd century BC 3rd century BC The 3rd century BC started the first day of 300 BC and ended the last day of 201 BC. It is considered part of the Classical era, epoch, or historical period.-Overview:... |
290s BC 290s BC During the 290s BC, Hellenistic civilization begins its emergence throughout the successor states of the former Argead Macedonian Empire of Alexander the Great resulting in the diffusion of Greek culture throughout the Ancient world and advances in Science, mathematics, philosophy and etc... |
280s BC | 270s BC | 260s BC | 250s BC | 240s BC 240s BC -Births:* Arsinoe III of Egypt who became Queen of Egypt.* Hannibal, son of Hamilcar Barca. He became the leading Carthaginian commander during the Second Punic War.* Mago, son of Hamilcar Barca and brother of Hannibal... |
230s BC 230s BC -Births:* 239 BC – Quintus Ennius, Latin poet and writer, considered the father of Roman poetry * 236 BC – Scipio Africanus, Roman general in the Second Punic War and statesman of the Roman Republic... |
220s BC 220s BC -Births:* 229 BC** Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus, Roman general, consul and politician ** Qin Er Shi, Emperor of Qin China * 228 BC** Prusias I Chlorus, king of Bithynia... |
210s BC 210s BC -Births:* 215 BC – Antiochus IV Epiphanes, king of the Seleucid Empire * 210 BC – Hui, the second emperor of the Han Dynasty of China -Births:* 215 BC – Antiochus IV Epiphanes, king of the Seleucid Empire (d. 164 BC) (approximate date)* 210 BC – Hui, the second emperor of... |
200s BC |
| 2nd century BC 2nd century BC The 2nd century BC started the first day of 200 BC and ended the last day of 101 BC. It is considered part of the Classical era, although depending on the region being studied, other terms may be more proper .-Overview:Fresh from its victories in the Second Punic War, the... |
190s BC 190s BC -Births:* 195 BC** Mithridates I , "Great King" of Parthia from about 171 BC who will turn Parthia into a major political power and expand the empire westward into Mesopotamia... |
180s BC 180s BC -Births:* 188 BC – Jing of Han, emperor of the Chinese Han Dynasty, who will rule from 156 BC. During his reign, he will fight to curtail of power of the Chinese feudal princes... |
170s BC 170s BC -Births:* 179 BC** Liu An, Chinese prince, geographer, and cartographer ** Sima Xiangru, Chinese statesman, poet, and musician... |
160s BC 160s BC -Births:* 168 BC – Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus, Roman politician who would create turmoil in the Republic through his attempts to legislate agrarian reforms in the Roman Republic... |
150s BC 150s BC -Births:* 156 BC – Wu of Han* 154 BC – Gaius Gracchus, Roman politician, younger brother of Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus... |
140s BC | 130s BC 130s BC -Births:* 138 BC – Lucius Cornelius Sulla, Roman politician, dictator 82-79 BC * 133 BC – Mithridates VI, King of Pontus-Deaths:* 137 BC – King Dutugemunu of Sri Lanka* 135 BC – Simon Maccabaeus, of Judea... |
120s BC 120s BC -Deaths:* 129 BC** Scipio Africanus the Younger, Roman conqueror ** Antiochus VII Sidetes, king of Syria* 127 BC – Phraates II, king of Parthia* 124 BC – Artabanus I, king of Parthia* 123 BC – Gaius Gracchus, Roman tribune... |
110s BC | 100s BC |
| 1st century BC 1st century BC The 1st century BC, also known as the last century BC or 1st century BCE, started on the first day of 100 BC and ended on the last day of 1 BC. The AD/BC notation does not use a year zero; however, astronomical year numbering does use a minus sign, so "2 BC" is equal to "year -1"... |
90s BC | 80s BC | 70s BC | 60s BC 60s BC -Significant people:* Pompey, Roman general, * Mithridates VI, King of Pontus, * Philip II Philoromaeus* Gaius Antonius Hybrida, elected praetor in 66 BC... |
50s BC 50s BC -Significant people:* Julius Caesar, Roman politician and general * Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt —meets Julius Caesar and later becomes teenager Pharaoh, after her brothers die young.... |
40s BC 40s BC -Significant people:* Julius Caesar, Roman dictator * Marcus Junius Brutus, Roman politician * Mark Antony, Roman politician and general... |
30s BC 30s BC -Significant people:* Mark Antony, Roman politician and general * Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt * Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, known in English as Octavian, Roman politician and general... |
20s BC | 10s BC | 0s BC 0s BC 0s BC is usually considered the last decade of the 1st century BC and the 1st millennium BC. However, like the 0s, the number of years in the 0s BC is not always clearly defined. Note that there is no year zero in either the proleptic Gregorian calendar or Julian calendar... |