WORLD HISTORY · TIMELINE 日本語
500–1 BC500–1 BC
What were the key events of 500–1 BC?
From 500 to 1 BC, the Greeks repelled Persian invasions, and Alexander the Great's campaigns to the east gave rise to the Hellenistic world. In China, the Qin unified the country before the Han dynasty was founded, while Rome came to dominate the Mediterranean and shifted toward rule by emperors.
- Greeks repel Persian invasionsEurope
- Warring States period begins in ChinaAsia
- Eastern campaigns create the Hellenistic worldEurope
- Buddhism spreads under the Maurya EmpireAsia
- Rome wins Punic Wars, dominates the MediterraneanEurope
- King Zheng of Qin unifies China as First EmperorAsia
- Liu Bang founds the Han, setting up governance basicsAsia
- Augustus establishes empire; Pax Romana beginsEurope
Summaries are written by the site editors.
Decade by decade
Key events of 500–1 BC (timeline · excerpt)
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Darius I decrees Aramaic an official language
Monte Albán built in the Oaxaca Valley
Sparta forms the Peloponnesian League
World population reaches 100 million
Yayoi period begins in Japan
Ionian Revolt leads to the Persian Wars
Confucius leaves Lu to wander the states
Yue defeats Wu; King Helü of Wu dies
Rome wins at Lake Regillus
Plebeian secession in Rome creates tribunes
Persia launches first expedition against Greece
Magadha builds its capital, Pataliputra
Battle of Marathon: Athens defeats Persia
Athens begins choosing archons by lot
Xerxes I takes the Persian throne
King Fuchai of Wu opens the Han Canal
Athens votes to build 100 triremes
Yue attacks Wu during Fuchai's alliance meeting
Spring and Autumn Annals end this year
Gelon defeats Carthage at the Battle of Himera
Greeks win decisively at Salamis
Greeks win at Plataea and Mycale
Temple of Confucius built in Qufu
Delian League formed under Athens
Hikawa Shrine founded in Saitama
King Goujian of Yue destroys Wu
Aeschylus writes The Persians
Themistocles is ostracized from Athens
Construction begins on Temple of Zeus at Olympia
King Goujian of Yue moves capital to Langya
Comet recorded in the Shiji and other texts
Cimon wins the Battle of the Eurymedon
Mount Chokai erupts on Akita–Yamagata border
Artaxerxes I takes the Persian throne
Spartan earthquake sparks Third Messenian War
Areopagus council loses its power
First Peloponnesian War breaks out
Ezra leads Jews to Jerusalem
Cincinnatus named dictator
Aeschylus completes the Oresteia
Temple of Zeus at Olympia completed
Delian League treasury moved to Athens
Jin split in three after Battle of Jinyang
Rome enacts the Twelve Tables
La Tène culture emerges in Central Europe
Peace of Callias concluded
Herodotus completes his Histories
Construction of the Parthenon begins
Canuleian Law allows plebeian–patrician marriage
Nehemiah begins rebuilding Jerusalem
Pericles elected general
Sophocles writes Antigone
Democritus proposes the concept of atoms
Parthenon completed and dedicated
Bosporan Kingdom established
Athens issues the Megarian Decree
Battle of Sybota fought at sea
Marquis Yi of Zeng buried with bronze bells
Meton introduces 19-year calendar cycle
Second Peloponnesian War begins
Epidemic spreads in Athens
Plague strikes Athens; Pericles dies
Sophocles writes Oedipus the King
Athens wins the Battle of Pylos
Aristophanes' The Acharnians staged
Temple of Athena Nike completed
General Thucydides exiled
Cleon killed at the Battle of Amphipolis
Peace of Nicias concluded
Battle of Mantinea fought
Athens invades neutral Melos
Athens sends expedition to Sicily
Bai Di people establish the state of Zhongshan
Aristophanes' comedy The Birds staged
Athens defeated at Syracuse
Sparta and Persia sign Treaty of Miletus
Oligarchy of the Four Hundred seizes Athens
Egypt's 28th Dynasty founded
Zhou recognizes Han, Zhao and Wei as lords
Democrats overthrow the Thirty Tyrants
La Venta abandoned as Olmec culture ends
Middle Yayoi period begins in Japan
Socrates sentenced to death and executed
Nepherites I founds Egypt's 29th Dynasty
Celtic tribes found Mediolanum
Rome captures Etruscan Veii
Plato publishes the Apology of Socrates
Corinthian War breaks out in Greece
Tian He of Qi exiles Duke Kang to an island
Wu Qi launches political and military reforms in Chu
Zuo Zhuan compiled by this year
Plato founds the Academy
Senones break into the city of Rome
Sparta brokers the King's Peace
Tian He founds Tian Qi, recognized as lord
Second Buddhist Council held at Vaishali
Nectanebo I founds Egypt's 30th Dynasty
Athens builds the Second Athenian Empire
Athens wins naval Battle of Naxos
Han and Wei destroy Jin
Stone Drum inscriptions carved in Qin
Earthquake and tsunami destroy Helike
Thebes wins the Battle of Leuctra
Thebes frees the Messenians
Eudoxus develops the method of exhaustion
Plato completes the Republic
Aristotle enters Plato's Academy
Rome passes the Licinian–Sextian laws
Gan De said to discover Ganymede
Epaminondas killed at Mantinea
Plato mentions Atlantis in a dialogue
King Hui of Wei digs the Honggou Canal
Shang Yang brings the Canon of Laws to Qin
Philip II becomes king of Macedon
Alexander III is born
Shang Yang's first reforms begin in Qin
Construction of the Mausoleum begins
Qi defeats Wei at the Battle of Guiling
Qin moves its capital to Xianyang
Maya civilization begins in Mesoamerica
Aristotle argues the Earth is a sphere
Rome and Carthage sign a treaty
Plato dies; his nephew heads the Academy
Peace of Philocrates concluded
Persia destroys Egypt's 30th Dynasty
First Samnite War begins
Aristotle becomes Alexander's tutor
Qi defeats Wei at the Battle of Maling
Qin annexes lands west of the Yellow River
Shang Yang of Qin killed after slander
Philip II assassinated; Alexander takes the throne
Alexander the Great launches eastern campaign
City of Alexandria founded in Egypt
Darius III killed; Achaemenid Empire falls
Alexander defeats King Porus at the Hydaspes
Lord Huiwen of Qin takes the title of king
Mass wedding held at Susa
Alexander III dies in Babylon
Greek city-states lose the Lamian War
Rome accepts humiliating peace at Caudine Forks
Nanda dynasty falls
Alexandria becomes the world's largest city
Qin repels five-state army at Hangu Pass
Chandragupta founds the Maurya Empire
Qin attacks and annexes Shu
Port city of Thessaloniki founded
Aqua Appia, Rome's first aqueduct, completed
King Zhao takes Yan's throne, seeks revival
Seleucid Empire founded
Argead dynasty dies out
King Wuling adopts nomadic dress and mounted archery
Library and Museum of Alexandria built
Chandragupta pushes back Seleucid army
Ptolemy I becomes pharaoh
Construction of Lighthouse of Alexandria begins
Antigonus falls at the Battle of Ipsus
Zeno forms a school, founding Stoicism
King Huai of Chu detained by Qin
Third Samnite War begins
Bindusara becomes second Maurya ruler
Lord Mengchang escapes Qin through retainers' wits
King Wuling of Zhao destroys Zhongshan
Rome wins the Battle of Sentinum
Bai Qi defeats Wei and Han at Yique
Mouseion founded in Alexandria
Rome passes the Hortensian Law
Lighthouse of Alexandria completed
Qi's capital Linzi falls after Battle of Jixi
Lin Xiangru returns home with the He Shi Bi jade
Corupedium: last battle of the Diadochi
Pyrrhic War begins
Aristarchus proposes a sun-centered universe
Colossus of Rhodes completed
Pyrrhus wins the Battle of Asculum
Tian Dan routs Yan army with fire oxen
Qin captures Ying, capital of Chu
First Syrian War begins
Antigonid dynasty established in Macedon
Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, killed in battle
Rome occupies Tarentum
Fan Ju urges Qin to befriend distant states
Ashoka takes the Maurya throne
Rome mints its first denarius coins
Archimedes invents a water-lifting screw
First Punic War begins
Ashoka conquers Kalinga
Qin crushes Zhao at the Battle of Changping
Rome wins the naval Battle of Mylae
Lord Xinling defeats Qin army at Handan
Thuc Phan defeats Van Lang, founds Au Lac
Li Bing builds Dujiangyan on the Min River
Western Zhou surrenders to Qin; Zhou effectively ends
Buddhism reaches Sri Lanka
Diodotus I founds the Bactrian Kingdom
Third Buddhist Council held under Ashoka
Ptolemy II has the Bible translated into Greek
Arsaces I founds the Parthian Kingdom
Ashoka brings Buddhism to Sri Lanka
Ying Zheng becomes king of Qin
Lüshi Chunqiu completed
Qin begins building the Zhengguo Canal
Rome creates a praetor for foreigners
First Punic War ends
Halley's Comet observed in Qin
Rome annexes Sardinia
Ptolemy III issues the Canopus Decree
Lao Ai's revolt topples Lü Buwei
Li Si's memorial reverses Qin's expulsion order
Hamilcar advances into the Iberian Peninsula
Eratosthenes becomes third head of the Library
Construction of the Great Wall begins
Qin destroys Han, creates Yingchuan Commandery
Jing Ke's attempt to assassinate King Zheng fails
Hasdrubal founds Carthago Nova
Earthquake topples the Colossus of Rhodes
Rome defeats Gauls at the Battle of Telamon
Wang Jian captures King Fuchu of Chu
King Zheng of Qin unifies China as First Emperor
Qin unifies China; Zheng becomes First Emperor
First Emperor imposes commandery-county system
Hannibal becomes Carthaginian commander
First Emperor performs rites at Mount Tai
Second Punic War begins
Meng Tian repels Xiongnu, builds Great Wall
Kogen enthroned as 8th emperor of Japan
First Emperor burns books and buries scholars
Rome takes Syracuse; Archimedes dies
First Emperor dies; Second Emperor enthroned
Modu Chanyu becomes ruler of the Xiongnu
Chen Sheng and Wu Guang uprising erupts
Qin falls; Chu–Han War begins
Hispania becomes a Roman province
Zhao Tuo founds Nanyue
Liu Bang defeats Xiang Yu; Han unifies China
Han and Xiongnu sign peace treaty
Rome wins the Battle of Cynoscephalae
Rosetta Stone erected
Pergamon library leads to invention of parchment
Liu Bang dies; Emperor Hui takes throne
Wiman founds Wiman Joseon
Winged Victory of Samothrace created
Rome wins the Battle of Magnesia
Armenia breaks away from the Seleucids
Treaty of Apamea concluded
First Mawangdui tomb built
Pushyamitra founds the Shunga dynasty
Rome's oldest basilica completed
Hannibal takes poison in exile
Rome completes conquest of all Italy
Lü clan purged; Emperor Wen enthroned
Zhao Tuo drops imperial title, rejoins Han
World's oldest stone bridge spans the Tiber
Xiongnu attacks split the Yuezhi in two
Eucratides I usurps the throne
Construction of the Pergamon Altar begins
Third Macedonian War begins
Carteia becomes first Roman colony outside Italy
Antiochus IV invades Egypt
Rome divides Macedon into four parts
Parthia captures Herat
Maccabean Revolt breaks out in Judea
Emperor Wen abolishes mutilating punishments
Terence's The Girl from Andros premieres
Judas Maccabeus recovers the Jerusalem Temple
Greater Yuezhi migrate to Sogdiana
Cato declares "Carthage must be destroyed"
Emperor Wen dies; Emperor Jing enthroned
Tsuki Shrine founded
Reign of Menander I begins
Rebellion of the Seven States erupts in Han
Roman year begins starting January 1
Work begins on the Venus de Milo
Antikythera mechanism made
Third Punic War begins
Rome makes Macedonia a province
Rome destroys Carthage
Achaean League collapses after Battle of Corinth
Ai-Khanoum destroyed by the Yuezhi
Hipparchus determines the length of the solar year
Simon wins independence from the Seleucids
Emperor Jing dies; Emperor Wu enthroned
Emperor Wu sends Zhang Qian to the Yuezhi
Confucianism made state learning on Dong Zhongshu's advice
First Servile War erupts in Sicily
Hipparchus discovers precession of the equinoxes
Numantia falls to Roman army
Pergamon bequeathed to Rome
Tiberius Gracchus proposes land law
Greco-Bactrian Kingdom falls
Pergamon becomes the Roman province of Asia
Parthia moves capital to Ctesiphon
Seleucids defeated at the Battle of Ecbatana
Wei Qing seizes Henan region from Xiongnu
Zhang Qian returns to Chang'an
Gaius Gracchus becomes tribune
Rome makes Gallia Narbonensis a province
Huo Qubing defeats Xiongnu, wins Hexi Corridor
Han monopolizes iron, salt and liquor
Han army defeats Xiongnu at the Battle of Mobei
Cimbrian War begins
Yuanding era name launches era-name system
Jugurthine War begins
Silk Road opens
Emperor Wu of Han destroys Nanyue
Emperor Wu performs rites at Mount Tai
Han destroys Wiman Joseon, sets up four commanderies
Marius reforms the Roman army
Second Servile War erupts in Sicily
Sima Qian begins the Records of the Grand Historian
Li Guangli conquers Dayuan, wins "blood-sweating" horses
Oldest Maya murals painted at San Bartolo
Li Ling surrenders to Xiongnu; Sima Qian jailed
Emperor Sujin takes the throne
Tigranes II becomes king of Armenia
Sakas begin ruling northern India
Rome and Parthia hold first diplomatic talks
Otataneko made priest of Omononushi
Witchcraft scandal in Han; Social War in Rome
Sima Qian completes his Records
First Mithridatic War begins
Social War ends in Roman victory
Antikythera shipwreck sinks
Emperor Wu dies; Emperor Zhao enthroned
Sakas found the Indo-Scythian Kingdom
Tigranes II proclaims himself King of Kings
Sulla becomes dictator and launches purges
Han holds the Debate on Salt and Iron
Sulla resigns as dictator and retires
Golden Age of Latin literature begins
Pompey founds Pompaelo
Third Mithridatic War begins
Huo Guang deposes Liu He, installs Emperor Xuan
Gladiator Spartacus leads a revolt
Third Servile War crushed
Pompey and Crassus become consuls
Gabinian Law sends Pompey against pirates
Huo clan destroyed under Emperor Xuan
Battle of the Lycus ends Mithridatic War
Antiochus XIII deposed; Seleucid Empire ends
Cicero delivers speeches against Catiline
Royal tomb built atop Mount Nemrut
First Triumvirate begins
Han establishes Protectorate of the Western Regions
Zheng Ji named Protector of the Western Regions
Caesar launches the Gallic Wars
Hyeokgeose becomes Silla's first king
Xiongnu split into eastern and western groups
Crassus defeated at the Battle of Carrhae
Caesar wins the Battle of Alesia
Cleopatra VII begins co-rule
Samguk Sagi records a Wa raid
Caesar crosses the Rubicon
Emperor Yuan becomes Han emperor
Caesar wins the Battle of Pharsalus
Caesar creates the Julian calendar
Caesar is assassinated
Second Triumvirate begins
King Dongmyeong founds Goguryeo
Herod becomes king of Judea
Earliest known Mesoamerican Long Count date
Wang Zhaojun marries Xiongnu ruler Huhanye
Kumano Hongu Taisha said to be founded
Hellenistic period ends
Ptolemies fall; Egypt becomes Roman province
Virgil begins the Aeneid
China records sunspots for the first time
Western Han destroys Yelang
Reign of Augustus begins
Kushan leader Kujula Kadphises breaks away
Vitruvius completes On Architecture
Herod the Great greatly expands the Second Temple
Pont du Gard aqueduct built
Cantabrian revolt crushed
Onjo becomes Baekje's first king
Rome celebrates the Secular Games
Rome creates the province of Raetia
Theater of Marcellus completed in Rome
Augustus becomes pontifex maximus
Halley's Comet appears
Ara Pacis, Altar of Peace, dedicated in Rome
Augustus orders empire-wide census
Jesus of Nazareth is born
Herod the Great dies; kingdom divided in four
Ise Grand Shrine's Inner Shrine settles at present site
Augustus named "Father of the Country"
Yuezhi envoy orally transmits Buddhist sutras
Emperor Ai dies; Wang Mang becomes grand marshal
Source: Wikipedia date pages ("January 1" … "December 31") / CC BY-SA 4.0. Regions are assigned by the site editors.
Dates and events are based on Wikipedia and other references. Summaries and regions are written by the site editors.