6th century BC: Encyclopedia - 6th century BC

6th century BC

(2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium)

6th century BC - Overview

The 5th and 6th centuries BC were a time of empires, but more importantly, a time of learning and philosophy.

• Mediterranean: Beginning of Greek philosophy, flourishes during the 5th century BC
• East Asia: Chinese philosophy become the "religion" of China. Confucianism, Daoism, Legalism, and Moism flourish.
• Middle East: During the Persian empire, Zoroaster, aka Zarathustra, founded Zoroastrianism, a dualistic philosophy
• India: The Buddha and Mahavira found Buddhism and Jainism, challenging Hinduism and the caste system

6th century BC - Events

• Ruin of the Kingdom of Judah and the destruction of the First Temple (586 BC) marking the beginning of the full Babylonian Captivity for the Jews
• Cyrus the Great conquered many countries and created the Persian Empire.
  • Persians conquer Ancient Egypt, dominate eastern Mediterranean.
  • Return of some Jews from Babylonian exile about (538 BC) who build the Second Temple about seventy years after the destruction of the First Temple, from 520–516 BC.
  • Fall of the Babylonian Empire (539 BC) to Cyrus the Great of Persia, marking also an end of the Babylonian Captivity for the Jews.
  • The Persians under Darius I and later Cyrus invade Transoxiana.
• Carthage's merchant empire slowly dominates the western Mediterranean
• Roman Republic founded
• Gautama Buddha founds Buddhism in India. It becomes a major world religion.
• Tao Te Ching written (traditional date)
• Confucius formulates his ethical system of Confucianism, which proves highly influential in China
• The Sinhalese emigrate to Sri Lanka
• Apparent writing of the Book of Psalms
• The prophet Lehi, according to the Book of Mormon, leaves Jerusalem and settles in North America.
• Abkhazia is colonized by the Greeks.
• The celtic Bruthin or Priteni, invade Britain and Ireland the British Isles some time before the 5th century BC.
• emergence of the Proto-Germanic Jastorf culture

6th century BC - Significant persons

• Stesichorus of Sicily, lyric poet (c. 640–555 BC).
• Thales, Greek mathematician ( 635–543 BC). Predicts solar eclipse in 585 BC.
• Solon of Athens, one of the Seven Sages of Greece (638–558 BC).
• Mahavira of Vaishali (599–527).
• Pisistratus, Tyrant of Athens in 561, 559–556 and 546–528 BC.
• Pythagoras of Samos, Greek mathematician. See Pythagorean theorem. (582–496 BC).
• Cyrus the Great, king of Persia ( 576–529 BC, reigned 559–529 BC).
• Gautama Buddha, founding figure of Buddhism (c. 563–483 BC).
• Confucius, founding figure of Confucianism (551–479 BC).
• Aeschylus of Athens, playwright (525–456 BC).
• Darius I, King of Persia (reigned 521–485 BC).
• Lehi, legendary figure, first prophet recorded in the Book of Mormon
• Sun Tzu, author of The Art of War.

6th century BC - Inventions discoveries introductions

• First archaeological surveys of the Arabian peninsula by Babylonian king Nabonidus.

Category: 6th century BC

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "6th century BC", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki