6th century BC

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The 6th century BC started on the first day of 600 BC and ended on the last day of 501 BC.

Contents

In Western Asia, the first half of this century was dominated by the Neo-Babylonian Empire, which had risen to power late in the previous century after successfully rebelling against Assyrian rule. The Kingdom of Judah came to an end in 586 BC when Babylonian forces under Nebuchadnezzar II captured Jerusalem, and removed most of its population to their own lands. Babylonian rule was ended in the 540s by Cyrus, who founded the Persian Empire in its stead. The Persian Empire continued to expand and grew into the greatest empire the world had known at the time.

In Iron Age Europe, the Celtic expansion was in progress. China was in the Spring and Autumn period.

The world in the 6th century BC

Map of the Eastern Hemisphere in 600 BC, the beginning of the sixth century BC. East-Hem 600bc.jpg
Map of the Eastern Hemisphere in 600 BC, the beginning of the sixth century BC.
Map of the Eastern Hemisphere in 500 BC, the end of the sixth century BC. East-Hem 500bc.jpg
Map of the Eastern Hemisphere in 500 BC, the end of the sixth century BC.

Events

590s BC

Monument 1, an Olmec colossal head at La Venta Olmeca head in Villahermosa.jpg
Monument 1, an Olmec colossal head at La Venta

580s BC

An engraving on an eye stone of onyx with an inscription of Nebuchadnezzar II Nebukadnessar II.jpg
An engraving on an eye stone of onyx with an inscription of Nebuchadnezzar II
Medieval image of Thales Nuremberg chronicles f 59r 2.png
Medieval image of Thales

570s BC

560s BC

Croesus on the pyre, Attic red-figure amphora Kroisos stake Louvre G197.jpg
Croesus on the pyre, Attic red-figure amphora
Faravahar, a symbol of Zoroastrianism in Persepolis Persepolis - carved Faravahar.JPG
Faravahar, a symbol of Zoroastrianism in Persepolis

550s BC

540s BC

530s BC

Tomb of Cyrus in Pasargadae Pasargadae 2.jpg
Tomb of Cyrus in Pasargadae

520s BC

Gautama Buddha Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita Victory Over Mara.jpeg
Gautama Buddha

510s BC

Image of Laozi Lao Tzu - Project Gutenberg eText 15250.jpg
Image of Laozi

500s BC

Inventions, discoveries, introductions

Sovereign states

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Babylonia</span> Ancient Akkadian region in Mesopotamia

Babylonia was an ancient Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia. It emerged as an Akkadian populated but Amorite-ruled state c. 1894 BC. During the reign of Hammurabi and afterwards, Babylonia was retrospectively called "the country of Akkad", a deliberate archaism in reference to the previous glory of the Akkadian Empire. It was often involved in rivalry with the older ethno-linguistically related state of Assyria in the north of Mesopotamia and Elam to the east in Ancient Iran. Babylonia briefly became the major power in the region after Hammurabi created a short-lived empire, succeeding the earlier Akkadian Empire, Third Dynasty of Ur, and Old Assyrian Empire. The Babylonian Empire rapidly fell apart after the death of Hammurabi and reverted to a small kingdom centered around the city of Babylon.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belshazzar</span> Crown prince of Babylon

Belshazzar was the son and crown prince of Nabonidus, the last king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. Through his mother, he might have been a grandson of Nebuchadnezzar II, though this is not certain and the claims to kinship with Nebuchadnezzar may have originated from royal propaganda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nabonidus</span> Last king of the Assyrian for Neo-Babylonian Empire (r. 556–539 BC)

Nabonidus was the last king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, ruling from 556 BC to the fall of Babylon to the Achaemenian Empire under Cyrus the Great in 539 BC. Nabonidus was the last native ruler of ancient Mesopotamia, the end of his reign marking the end of thousands of years of Sumero-Akkadian states, kingdoms and empires. He was also the last independent king of Babylon. Regarded as one of the most vibrant and individualistic rulers of his time, Nabonidus is characterised by some scholars as an unorthodox religious reformer and as the first archaeologist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyrus the Great</span> Founder of the Achaemenid Empire (c. 600–530 BC)

Cyrus II of Persia, commonly known as Cyrus the Great was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire. Hailing from Persis, he brought the Achaemenid dynasty to power by defeating the Median Empire and embracing all of the previous civilized states of the ancient Near East, expanding vastly and eventually conquering most of West Asia and much of Central Asia to create what would soon become the largest polity in human history at the time. The Achaemenid Empire's largest territorial extent was achieved under Darius the Great, whose rule stretched from the Balkans and the rest of Southeast Europe in the west to the Indus Valley in the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyrus Cylinder</span> Ancient clay cylinder with Akkadian cuneiform script

The Cyrus Cylinder is an ancient clay cylinder, now broken into several pieces, on which is written an Achaemenid royal inscription in Akkadian cuneiform script in the name of the Persian king Cyrus the Great. It dates from the 6th century BC and was discovered in the ruins of the ancient Mesopotamian city of Babylon in 1879. It is currently in the possession of the British Museum. It was created and used as a foundation deposit following the Persian conquest of Babylon in 539 BC, when the Neo-Babylonian Empire was invaded by Cyrus and incorporated into his Persian Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nabonidus Chronicle</span> Ancient Babylonian text

The Nabonidus Chronicle is an ancient Babylonian text, part of a larger series of Babylonian Chronicles inscribed in cuneiform script on clay tablets. It deals primarily with the reign of Nabonidus, the last king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, covers the conquest of Babylon by the Persian king Cyrus the Great, and ends with the start of the reign of Cyrus's son Cambyses II, spanning a period from 556 BC to some time after 539 BC. It provides a rare contemporary account of Cyrus's rise to power and is the main source of information on this period; Amélie Kuhrt describes it as "the most reliable and sober [ancient] account of the fall of Babylon."

Cyaxares II was a king of the Medes whose reign is described by the Greek historian Xenophon. Some theories have equated this figure with the "Darius the Mede" named in the Book of Daniel. He is not mentioned in the histories of Herodotus or Ctesias, and many scholars doubt that he actually existed. The question of his existence impacts on whether the kingdom of the Medes merged peacefully with that of the Persians in about 537 BC, as narrated by Xenophon, or was subjugated in the rebellion of the Persians against Cyrus' grandfather in 559 BC, a date derived from Herodotus (1.214) and almost universally accepted by current scholarship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medo-Persian conflict</span> Military conflict between the Median kingdom and Persis

The Medo-Persian conflict was a military campaign led by the Median king Astyages against Persis in the mid 6th-century BCE. Classical sources claim that Persis had been a vassal of the Median kingdom that revolted against Median rule, but this is not confirmed by contemporary evidence. After some battles the Persians led by Cyrus the Great emerged victorious, subsequently conquering Median territories and establishing the Achaemenid Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fall of Babylon</span> End of the Neo-Babylonian Empire

The fall of Babylon was the decisive event that marked the total defeat of the Neo-Babylonian Empire to the Achaemenid Empire in 539 BCE.

References

  1. "History of the SUDAN". www.historyworld.net. 2007. Archived from the original on 14 July 2007. Retrieved 3 August 2007.
  2. Daniel 10:4 Bible Online

Sources