History Pages - Part 6
The Babylonian Exile, 586 - 538 BC
The Persian Period, ca. 538 - 336 BC
The Classical Period in Greece, 462-408 BC
586 - 538 BC The Babylonian Exile : During the Babylonian Exile the Jews forged a national identity, and became known as "Jews" (Judahites) rather than Israelites. Synagogues were formed for teaching and worship. Many of the religious traditions and teachings of the Jews were put into writing instead of being passed down by word of mouth. The Hebrew language developed into Aramaic and the "square script" was adopted for writing.
All dates, particularly the earlier ones, are approximate.
| The Achaemenid dynasty | General History |
|---|
| The family of Cyrus - the Achaemenid dynasty | |
|---|---|
| Medes | Persia |
| 700-675 BC - Achaemenes | |
| ca.670-650 BC - Phraortes (Kashtariti ?) united the Medes against the Assyrians, fought Teispes of Persia | 675-640 BC - Teispes (Chishpish) son of Achaemenes |
| 645-625 BC - Scythian invasion ? 625-585 BC - Cyaxares, son of Phraortes 585-550 BC - Astyages, son of Cyaxares |
640-600 BC - Cyrus I, son of Teispes 600-559 BC - Cambyses I, son of Cyrus I |
| Mandana, the daughter of Astyages married Cambyses I of Persia, became the mother of Cyrus II | |
|
559-530 BC - Cyrus II, son of Cambyses I and Mandana, daughter of Astyages 550 BC - Cyrus II led a Persian revolt against his Median grandfather Astyages, took control of Persia and started to build an empire 529-522 BC - Cambyses, son of Cyrus II, invaded Egypt Cambyses murdered his brother and married his own three sisters, Atossa, Artystone, and Roxane or Meroe(?) who was kicked to death by Cambyses. He died of gangrene from an accidental sword cut while on his way back from Egypt to Persia to deal with a palace revolt. He had no surviving sons Atossa survived Cambyses and eventually married Darius I, by whom she became the mother of Xerxes 522-486 BC - Darius I (the Great). Darius claimed descent from a collateral branch of the Achaemenids : Achaemenes ► Teispes ► Ariaramnes ► Arsames ► Hystaspes ► Darius 486-465 BC - Xerxes (Ahasuerus) son of Darius I and Atossa daughter of Cyrus; assassinated by a courtier 464-424 BC - Artaxerxes I (Longimanus) son of Xerxes 423-405 BC - Darius II (Nothus) 404-359 BC - Artaxerxes II 358-338 BC - Artaxerxes III, poisoned by his general Bagoas 335-330 BC - Darius III (Codomannus) conquered by Alexander |
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General History
approx. dates
- 753-510 BC
- Kingdom of Rome
- 750-500 BC
- the "Archaic Age" of Greece
- 625-585 BC
- Cyaxares king of the Medes
- 612 BC
- Fall of Nineveh to Nabopolassar of Babylon. Cyaxares and Nabopolassar formed an alliance, the crown prince Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon married a Median princess and built the hanging gardens of Babylon for her
- 587/586 BC
- Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon besieged Jerusalem
- 586 BC
- Fall of Jerusalem. The Jews were deported, the Babylonian captivity began. Ezekiel, Daniel were active as prophets
- 585 BC
- Thales of Miletus predicted a solar eclipse
- 581-497 BC
- Pythagoras, Greek philosopher and mathematician (lived in Sicily)
- 580-570 BC
- Solon reformed Athenian constitution and the laws, created law courts. Solon divided Athenian citizens into four property classes and established the Council of 400, composed of 100 members from each of the four Athenian hereditary tribes, with nine archons to administer the state. Archons, members of the top property class, were chosen by lot out of candidates selected by tribes. Members of the top three tribes could bear arms if they had weapons. All four classes were included in the Athenian assembly and could act as jurors
- 560-546 BC
- Croesus of Lydia conquered Greek city-states in Anatolia (Asia Minor)
- 551-479 BC
- Kung Fu-tse (Confucius), Chinese philosopher
- 550-480 BC
- Siddartha Gautama Buddha, founder of Buddhism in India
- 550 BC
- Cyrus overthrew the Kingdom of the Medes
- 550-539 BC
- Nabonidus of Babylon. Nabonidus gave the Assyrian moon-god "Sin" precedence over "Marduk" the god of Babylon. Priests of Marduk led a rebellion and welcomed Cyrus into Babylon
- 546 BC
- Sparta gained leadership over most of the Peloponnese and formed the Peloponnesian League
- 546 BC
- Cyrus conquered Croesus and the Lydians
- 540-475 BC
- Heraclitus, Greek philosopher
- 540 BC
- Persians overcame Greek cities of Ionia (Asia Minor)
- 539-469 BC
- Parmenides, Greek philosopher
- 539-530 BC
- Cyrus the Persian
- 539 BC
- Cyrus conquered Babylon, and founded the Persian Empire, with the capital at Susa (Shushan)
- 538-331 BC
- The Persian Empire : From the Persian Gulf in the south to India in the east
- 538 BC
- "Edict of Cyrus" allowed Jews to return and rebuild the Temple at Jerusalem under the leadership of Zerubbabel. The majority of the Jews remained in Babylon
- 530-522 BC
- Cambyses (son of Cyrus)
- 525 BC
- Cambyses conquered Egypt and had himself made "Pharaoh". Jewish mercenaries were settled in a garrison at Elephantine, an island in the Upper Nile; numerous papyri from the Jewish community at Elephantine have been discovered
- 522-486 BC
- Darius I "the Great" (son of Cambyses), divided the Persian Empire into provinces called satrapies
- 520-515 BC
- One set of possible dates for the rebuilding of the Temple : Ezra and Nehemiah as leaders; Haggai and Zechariah as Prophets. (see also 450-400 BC)
- 518 BC
- Darius had the Behistun inscription carved - a record of his achievements carved into a sheer rock cliff; Darius also had a canal dug between the Nile and the Red Sea so that ships could go from Egypt to Persia
- 518-438 BC
- Pindar, Greek lyric poet
- 516 BC
- Darius conquered the "Hindush" region along the Indus in India
- 510 BC
- Tarquin, last king of Rome
- 510 BC - 27 BC
- Republic of Rome
- 508-502 BC
- the Reforms of Cleisthenes gave Athens a Democracy. He divided Athenian citizens in ten groups called "tribes", which were allocated by region rather than by inheritance. The Council of 500 was made up of 50 from each tribe who were appointed annually
- 500-438 BC
- Anaxagoras, Greek philosopher
- 500-429 BC
- Pericles, Greek statesman
- 499-495 BC
- Ionian revolt (unsuccessful) by the Greeks of Asia Minor, helped by Athens, against Persia
- 496-406 BC
- Sophocles, Greek dramatist
- 495 BC
- Darius I of Persia regained control of Greek city-states of Anatolia
- 494 BC
- Persians sacked Miletus
- 490 BC
- Darius I of Persia lost the Battle of Marathon (in Greece) against Miltiades and the Athenians
- 490-449 BC
- the "Persian Wars" between Greek city-states and Persia : ended in victory for Greek cities, stopped the westward advance of Persia
- 490-430 BC
- Empedocles, Greek philosopher
- 487 BC
- The introduction of "ostracism" at Athens (Ostracism was a way of banishing for 10 years anyone thought to be trying to make himself a dictator)
- 486-465 BC
- Xerxes I (Ahasuerus); made Esther his Queen, was assassinated in 465 BC
- 485-424 BC
- Herodotus, Greek historian (the first historian)
- 484-406 BC
- Euripides, Greek dramatist
- 483 BC
- Themistocles built a navy, founded Athenian sea-power
- 482 BC
- Xerxes put down a revolt in Babylonia and destroyed Babylon
- 481 BC
- Hellenic League, including Athens and Sparta, formed for defence against the Persians
- 480 BC
- Battles of Thermopylae and Salamis (in Greece). Xerxes I was defeated and driven out by the Greeks. The Persian fleet had been made up mainly of Phoenician ships - these were sunk at Salamis. Phoenician sea-power never recovered. Carthage, the colony founded by Phoenicians, became the leading sea-power in the Mediterranean
- 479 BC
- Battles of Plateia - Athenians and Spartans defeated the Persian general Mardonius
- 478 BC
- the "Delian League", (on the island of Delos) : Athens, led by Cimon (son of Miltiades), and other Greek cities, swore to support one another and fight against Persia
- 478 BC
- Themistocles rebuilt the walls of Athens, fortified the harbor of Piraeus
- 470 BC
- Themistocles ostracized by the Athenians, took refuge in Persia
- 470-399 BC
- Socrates, Greek philosopher
- 465-424 BC
- Artaxerxes I (son of Xerxes I) of Persia
- 462-408 BC
- The Greek "Classical Age", also called the "Athenian Age" or the "Age of Athens" or the "Age of Pericles"
- 461 BC
- Pericles supplanted Cimon in Athens, rivalry with Sparta increased
- 460-446 BC
- First Peloponnesian War : Thessaly, Megara, and Argos, against Sparta. No-one won, everybody lost
- 460-377 BC
- Hippocrates, Greek physician
- 460-360 BC
- Democritus, Greek philosopher who proposed that matter is made up of atoms
- 460-429 BC
- the "Golden Age of Pericles" in Athens - he tried to make peace with the Persians, and opposed the Spartans
- 458 BC
- Ezra went to Jerusalem
- 450-400 BC
- (?) Malachi, Prophet
Another set of possible dates for the rebuilding of Jerusalem (see 520-515 BC)
Thucydides, historian of Peloponnesian Wars - 450-387 BC
- Aristophanes, Greek dramatist
- 450-? BC
- Zeno, Greek philosopher
- 449 BC
- End of the war between Athens and Persia (neither side won, both sides lost)
- 447-433 BC
- Building of the Parthenon in Athens
- 445 BC
- Nehemiah made governor of Jerusalem for 12 years. Nehemiah returned to Persia and was then re-appointed governor of Jerusalem
Ezra carried out a reform of the Jewish community, putting its life firmly on the basis of the "Law" (Torah), and giving it the vitality to withstand centuries of domination by foreign powers. (other possible dates for Ezra are 428 BC and 398 BC)
The History of Israel as given in the Old Testament stops here
Pericles made a "30-year peace treaty" (it lasted 14 years) between Athens and Sparta. The Athenian Empire was validated as a political institution. Athens became wealthy, started to build the Acropolis and the Agora; great flowering of Athenian culture and civilization : Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes - 438 BC
- Phidias made the statue of Athene Parthenos for the Parthenon; his enemies accused him of stealing some of the gold, and also accused him of impiety for putting the likenesses of himself and Pericles on Athena's Shield
- 433 BC
- Death of Pericles
- 431-421 BC
- the "Great Peloponnesian War" between Sparta and Athens (neither side won, both sides lost), destruction of the Athenian navy and of Athenian Democracy
- 430-423 BC
- Plague decimated Athens
- 430-354 BC
- Xenophon, Greek historian and soldier
- 427-347 BC
- Plato, Greek philosopher
- 423 BC
- Xerxes II (assassinated)
- 423-404 BC
- Darius II
- 421 BC
- the "Peace of Nicias", a 50-year peace treaty (which lasted for about 6 years) signed by Athens and Sparta
- 411 BC
- Bagoas (a Persian) made governor of Jerusalem. The land of Israel became a region administered by Persia. The Jews of Jerusalem were "ruled" by High Priests who formed a hereditary dynasty. Large communities of Jews remained in Babylon or settled in Egypt - they were clled the Diaspora
- 404 BC
- Athens surrendered to Sparta; Spartans tore down the walls and barred Athens from having a navy. End of the "Age of Athens"
- 404-371 BC
- The Spartan Hegemony (not an Empire, but Sparta in control of the other city-states of Greece)
- 404-358 BC
- Artaxerxes II of Persia
- 401 BC
- Egypt broke free of Persian rule
- 401-343 BC
- Dynasties XXVIII, XXIX, XXX of Egypt, the last "Pharaohs" or native rulers
- 400 BC
- "Cyrus the Younger" led 13,000 Greek mercenaries and 30,000 Persians to oust his brother Artaxerxes II from the Persian throne; Cyrus died in battle; Xenophon led the Greek soldiers home, then wrote an account of the journey (the Anabasis)
- 400-330 BC
- Praxiteles, Greek sculptor
- 399 BC
- Citizens of Athens condemned Socrates to death. He drank hemlock and died
- 395-387 BC
- the "Corinthian War", Athens, Corinth and Argos rebelled against Sparta. Athens rebuilt the town and the walls, started to rebuild a navy (nobody won, everybody lost)
- 394 BC
- Persia signed a peace treaty and put Sparta in charge of Greece
- 388 BC
- Plato founded the Academy in Athens, probably the first European university
- 387 BC
- Gauls invaded and burnt Rome to the ground
- 384-322 BC
- Aristotle, Greek philosopher; born in Macedonia, but spent most of his life in Athens
Demosthenes, Greek statesman and orator - 371 BC
- Sparta invaded Thebes (city-state in Greece); Thebes and Athens formed an alliance and defeated Sparta
- 371-362 BC
- the Theban Hegemony
- 367 BC
- Aristotle became a student at Plato's Academy in Athens and remained there for 20 years until the death of Plato in 347 BC
- 367 & 361 BC
- Plato traveled to Syracuse to try to set up a Republic ruled by philosopher-kings
- 365 BC
- End of the Peloponnesian League
- 362-355 BC
- The Second Athenian Empire
- 359 BC
- Philip II usurped the throne of Macedon
- 358-338 BC
- Artaxerxes III of Persia, re-conquered Egypt 342 BC
- 355 BC
- the Second Athenian Confederation of city-states broke down; Greece became a collection of small city-states without much political power
- 349 BC
- Philip of Macedon began a conquest of Greek city-states
- 346 BC
- Peace treaty between Athens and Phillip of Macedon
- 343 BC
- Philip of Macedon hired Aristotle for 3 years as the teacher for Alexander
- 341 BC
- Persia destroyed Sidon; reconquered Egypt
- 338 BC
- Philip of Macedon conquered Athens and gained control of all Greece except Sparta
- 338-336 BC
- Arses of Persia
- 337 BC
- Philip of Macedon prepared to attack Persia
- 336 BC
- Philip of Macedon assassinated
- 336-330 BC
- Darius III (fled from Alexander the Great and was assassinated)
- 336-323 BC
- Alexander the Great, born 356 BC, succeeded to the throne of his father Philip II of Macedon 336 BC (at the age of 21)
Alexander conquered all of the Middle East. Greek became the language of commerce - 334 BC
- Alexander began the conquest of the Persian Empire with 30,000 infantry, 5,000 cavalry, no navy, and no money
- 333 BC
- Alexander invaded Israel
- 332 BC
- Alexander took Jerusalem and continued into Egypt, where he founded the city of Alexandria
- 331 BC
- Alexander defeated Darius III of Persia
- 330 BC
- Alexander entered Babylon
- 327 BC
- Alexander invaded India
- 326 BC
- Alexander's troops refused to go further, and his generals forced him to turn back
- 323 BC - June 10
- Alexander died in Babylon
The empire was carved up between Alexander's generals Ptolemy, Seleucis, and Antigonus
His mother, his brother, his wife and his posthumous son were killed in the fight for power which ensued
His general Ptolemy took his body to Egypt for burial
Main Sources : Smithsonian Timelines of Ancient History, The Timetables of History (Bernard Grun)
Go here for Map of the Persian Empire
Go here for Map of the Greek - Persian Wars
Copyright © 1999 Shirley J. Rollinson, all Rights Reserved
