Events - Browse By Major Periods - Era of First Major Religions (-1500 to -1)

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Krishna (dates unknown) is central character in Bhagavad-Gita of Hinduism
-1500
Religion, Global
When Tutmosis II dies, his wife Hatshepsut rules as pharaoh
-1479
Government, Egypt
Pharaoh Thutmose III reestablishes dominance in Palestine at Megiddo
-1479
War, Middle East
Tuthmosis III (Dynasty 18) rules alone after his mother Hatshepsut dies
-1458
Government, Egypt
Kingdom of Mitanni has its greatest extent
-1400
Government, Mesopotamia
Minoan civilization of Crete destroyed by Mycenaeans
-1400
War, Greece
Amenhotep changes his name to Akhenaten and worships one god, the sun
-1352
Religion, Egypt
Tutankhamun (Dynasty 18) dies aged 17 and is buried in the Valley of the Kings
-1327
Government, Egypt
Seti I (Dynasty 19) builds Great Hypostyle Hall in Karnak & enslaves Israelites
-1294
Religion, Egypt
Ramses II fights Hittites in indecisive battle at Kadesh in Syria
-1274
War, Middle East
Fall of Troy
-1260
War, Greece
Moses leads the Hebrews out of Egypt (Exodus)
-1250
Religion, Egypt
Joshua leads Hebrews across Jordan River to fight Philistines & Canaanites
-1230
War, Israel
Zoroaster establishes monotheistic faith similar to Judaism, Christianity & Islam
-1200
Religion, Global
Fall of Hittite Empire--Hattusa captured by Sea Peoples
-1190
War, Mesopotamia
"Sea People" invade eastern Mediterranean including Egypt--Bronze Age collapse
-1177
War, Middle East
Elamites sack Babylon--end of Kassite Dynasty
-1155
War, Mesopotamia
Solomon completes temple started by David
-959
Religion, Israel
Split between Kingdom of Israel (Samaria) and Kingdom of Judah
-931
Peace, Israel
Phoenicians trade with David/Solomon (1010-931 BC) & found Carthage (814 BC)
-814
Geography, Middle East
First pan-Hellenic games in Olympia
-776
Peace, Greece
Zhou house moves from Xi'an in Wei valley eastward to Luoyang
-771
Government, China
Tiglath-pileser III sets up a unified state in Assyria
-745
Government, Mesopotamia
Jews exiled to Babylon by Tiglath-pileser III or Shalmaneser
-722
Religion, Israel
Assyrian capital moves to Nineveh
-705
Government, Mesopotamia
Assyrians invade Judea
-701
War, Mesopotamia
Assyrians destroy Babylon
-689
War, Mesopotamia
Trieme developed in Greece
-650
Invention, Greece
By 630 BC, Messene has become a subject city of Sparta
-630
War, Greece
Nabopolassar founds Neo-Babylonian dynasty
-626
Government, Mesopotamia
Assyrian empire collapses
-612
Government, Mesopotamia
Daniel captured and taken from Jerusalem to Babylon
-605
Religion, Middle East
World population about 100 million
-600
Geography, Global
Jews (almost 10,000) exiled to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar
-597
Religion, Israel
Solon becomes chief ruler, inaugurating great age of Athenian civilization
-594
Government, Greece
Jews exiled twice to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar after capturing Jerusalem
-587
Religion, Israel
Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, is born
-563
Religion, India
Pisistratus becomes tyrant of Athens
-560
Government, Greece
Cyrus conquers Babylon and releases exiled Jews
-539
Religion, Israel
Jerusalem destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar II
-539
War, Mesopotamia
Cleisthenes' archonship
-525
Government, Greece
Tarquin, the Etruscan and the last king of Rome, is overthrown
-510
Government, Roman Republic
Cleisthenes introduces an early form of democracy in Athens
-507
Government, Greece
Confucius leaves Lu to spread his message of virtue-based government
-497
Religion, China
Creation of tribune office and assembly of people
-494
Government, Roman Republic
Athenians defeat Persians at Marathon
-490
War, Greece
Xerxes wins Battle of Thermopylae, but loses to the Greeks at Salamis
-480
War, Greece
Xerxes I invades Greece and is identified in Book of Esther as "Ahasuerus"
-480
Government, Iran
Greeks defeat Persians at Battle of Platea--made possible the golden age of Greece
-479
War, Greece
Formation of Delian League
-478
Government, Greece
First production of Aeschylus' Persians
-472
Arts, Greece
Ostracism of Themistocles--becomes a governor for Artaxerxes I in Asia Minor
-471
Government, Greece
Sparta Earthquake; Helot Revolt
-464
Disaster, Greece
Artaxerxes sends Ezra to restore order in Judea
-460
War, Israel
Completed Long Walls built from Athens to Piraeus
-457
Government, Greece
Delian League treasure moved to Athens
-454
Government, Greece
First Roman law code
-450
Government, Roman Republic
Athens/Sparta 30 years of peace
-445
Peace, Greece
Parthenon completed in 432 BC
-432
Architecture, Greece
Pericles gives oration for dead from Peloponnesian War during the past 12 months
-431
War, Greece
Outbreak of plague in Athens
-430
Disaster, Greece
Death of Pericles
-429
Government, Greece
After invading Syracuse in -415, Athens loses complete expeditionary force
-415
War, Greece
Completion of Erechtheum (Temple on the north side of the Acropolis)
-408
Architecture, Greece
Battle of Aegispotami
-405
War, Greece
Athens surrenders
-404
War, Greece
Xenophon and the '10,000' expedition in Asia Minor lasting until 399 BC
-401
War, Greece
Socrates sentenced to death in Athens for not believing in the gods
-399
Religion, Greece
Etruscan city of Veii conquered, ending the supremacy of Etruscans
-396
War, Roman Republic
Gauls lay seige to the Roman capitol
-390
War, Roman Republic
Plato establishes the first school of philosophy
-387
Philosophy, Greece
Beginning of Second Athenian Confederation
-378
Government, Greece
Consulate constitution allows plebeians to be consuls
-366
Government, Roman Republic
Alexander assumes throne and defeats revolting Greeks after his father is killed
-366
War, Greece
Battle of Mantinea--Thebans led Boeotian league against Spartans
-362
War, Greece
Aristotle teaches Alexander for three years
-342
Education, Greece
Philip II Macedon defeats Athens and Thebes at Battle of Chaeronea
-338
War, Greece
Alexander defeats Darius at the Battle of Issus
-333
War, Middle East
Alexander founds Alexandria
-331
War, Middle East
Alexander defeats Darius at Battle of Gaugamela
-331
War, Middle East
Alexander dies and wars of successors (diodachi) begin
-323
War, Middle East
Chandra Gupta Maurya sets up Mauryan Empire
-322
War, India
Elements of Geometry written by Euclid in c. 320 BC
-320
Mathematics, Greece
Seleucid Empire, a Hellenistic state in the Mideast, lasts until 63 BC
-312
Government, Middle East
Romans build first aqueduct and Appian Way
-312
Architecture, Roman Republic
Ptolemy I becomes "pharaoh" of Egypt
-305
Government, Middle East
Colossus of Rhodes, a 33 meter high statue, completed
-280
Arts, Greece
Ashoka embraces Buddhism and spreads peace in India
-260
Peace, India
Battle of Gaoping: Qin army defeats Zhao, burying 400,000 men alive
-260
War, China
Archimedes discovers how to measure density
-250
Science, Italy
China unites under Zheng, king of Qin, who becomes Shi Huangdi, First Emperor
-221
War, China
Hannibal leads Carthagian army across the Alps to attack Rome
-218
War, Roman Republic
Hannibal defeats Roman legions at Cannae
-216
War, Roman Republic
Romans defeat Hannibal's brother, Hasdrubal Barca, at Battle of Metaurus River
-207
War, Italy
Winning the Battle of Kai-hsia, Kao-ti becomes first emperor of the Han dynasty
-203
War, China
Lui Bang, a former peasant, establishes the Han dynasty
-202
War, China
Scipio defeats Hannibal at Battle of Zama, near Carthage, to end Second Punic War
-202
War, Roman Republic
Roman Legion defeats Macedonian Phalanx at Battle of Cynoscephalae
-197
War, Greece
Macedonians forced out of Greece
-196
War, Roman Republic
Roman legion defeats Macedonians at Pydna in northern Greece
-168
War, Roman Republic
Greece falls to Rome after Sparta's call for help
-148
Government, Roman Republic
Sciopio Aemilianus (grandson of Scipio Africanus) destroys Carthage
-146
War, Roman Republic
Macedonia becomes Roman province
-146
War, Roman Republic
Mob against reforms kills Gaius Gracchus (like his brother 8 years earlier)
-140
Government, Roman Republic
Zhang Quian begins his journeys west to make alliance with Yuezhi
-138
Geography, China
Perganum becomes Roman province
-133
War, Roman Republic
Murder of tribune Tiberius Graccus
-133
Government, Roman Republic
Sulla resigns his dictatorship
-79
Government, Roman Republic
Spartacus leads slave revolt
-71
War, Roman Republic
Consulship of Pompey and Crassus
-70
Government, Roman Republic
Pompey the Great defeats pirates in eastern Mediterranean
-67
Government, Roman Republic
Rome occupies the Seleucid Empire
-64
War, Roman Republic
Rome defeats Mithridates of Pontus annexing Armenia and Asia Minor
-63
War, Roman Republic
Silla founds the first Korean kingdom
-57
Government, Korea
Julius Caesar leads legions into Britain for the first time
-55
War, Roman Republic
Parthians defeat Crassus and army of 50,000 men at Carrhae in Mesopotamia
-53
War, Roman Republic
Julius Caesar crushes the Gauls at Alesia
-52
War, Roman Republic
Caesar crosses Rubicon
-49
War, Roman Republic
Pompey defeated by Caesar at Pharsalus
-48
War, Roman Republic
Caesar's reforms include modern calendar
-45
Government, Roman Republic
Antony arrests Cassius and Brutus who flee to the east
-44
Government, Roman Republic
Caesar murdered in Senate of Roman Republic on March 15
-44
Government, Roman Republic
Antony, Lepidus, and Octavian rule
-43
Government, Roman Republic
Cicero's murder follows reconciliation of Mark Anthony and Octavian
-43
Government, Roman Republic
Triumvirate defeats Cassius and Brutus at Philippi
-42
War, Roman Republic
Herod becomes king of Judea
-37
Government, Roman Republic
Battle of Naulochus
-36
War, Roman Republic
Mark Antony loses to Octavian and Agrippa at Battle of Actium--Roman Empire begins
-31
War, Roman Republic
After defeating Mark Anthony, Octavian becomes the first emperor
-27
War, Roman Empire
Augustus establishes city of Augusta Treverorum (Trier)
-18
Geography, Roman Empire