Dr. Shirley's 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 now 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.

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 form an alliance, the crown prince Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon marries a Median princess and builds the hanging gardens of Babylon for her

587/586 BC

Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon beseiges Jerusalem

586 BC

Fall of Jerusalem. The Jews are deported, the Babylonian captivity begins. Ezekiel, Daniel are active as prophets

585 BC

Thales of Miletus predicts 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 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 as jurors

560-546 BC

Croesus of Lydia conquers 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

550 BC

Cyrus overthrows 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 gains leadership over most of Peloponese; forms the Pelopponesian League

546 BC

Cyrus conquers Croesus and the Lydians

540-475 BC

Heraclitus, Greek philosopher

540 BC

Persians overcome Greek cities of Ionia (Asia Minor)

539-469 BC

Parmenides, Greek philosopher

539-530 BC

Cyrus the Persian

539 BC

Cyrus conquers Babylon, and founds 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" allows Jews to return and rebuild the Temple at Jerusalem under the leadership of Zerubbabel. The majority of the Jews remain in Babylon

530-522 BC

Cambyses (son of Cyrus)

525 BC

Cambyses conquers Egypt and has 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), divides 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 has the Behistun inscription carved - a record of his achievments 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 conquers 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 give 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 regains control of Greek city-states of Anatolia

494 BC

Persians sack Miletus

490 BC

Darius I of Persia loses the Battle of Marathon against Miltiades and the Athenians (in Greece)

490-449 BC

the "Persian Wars" between Greek city-states and Persia : end in victory for Greek cities, stop 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); makes Esther his Queen, is assassinated in 465 BC

485-424 BC

Herodotus, Greek historian (the first historian)

484-406 BC

Euripides, Greek dramatist

483 BC

Themistocles builds a navy, founds Athenian sea-power

Xerxes puts down a revolt in Babylonia and destroys Babylon

481 BC

Hellenic League, including Athens and Sparta, for defence against the Persians

480 BC

Battles of Thermopylae, Salamis (in Greece) Xerxes I 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 defeat 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, swear to support one another and fight against Persia

478 BC

Themistocles rebuilds the walls of Athens, fortifies the harbor of Piraeus

470 BC

Themistocles ostracised 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 supplants Cimon in Athens, rivalry with Sparta increases

460-446 BC

First Peloponnesian War : Thessaly, Megara, and Argos, against Sparta. No-one wins, everybody loses

460-377 BC

Hippocrates, Greek physician

460-360 BC

Democritus, Greek philosopher who propsed 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 goes 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 returns to Persia and is 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 makes a "30-year peace treaty" (it lasted 14 years) between Athens and Sparta. The Athenium 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 makes 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 likeness 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 decimates 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 becomes a region administered by Persia. The Jews of Jerusalem are "ruled" by High Priests who form a hereditary dynasty. Large communities of Jews remain in Babylon or settle in Egypt

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 breaks free of Persian rule

401-343 BC

Dynasties XXVIII, XXIX, XXX of Egypt, the last "Pharaohs" or native rulers

400 BC

"Cyrus the Younger" leads 13,000 Greek mercenaries and 30,000 Persians to oust his brother Artaxerxes II from the Persian throne; Cyrus dies in battle; Xenophon leads the Greeks home, then writes an account of the journey (the Anabasis)

400-330 BC

Praxiteles, Greek sculptor

399 BC

Citizens of Athens condemn Socrates to death. He drinks hemlock and dies

395-387 BC

the "Corinthian War", Athens, Corinth and Argos rebel against Sparta. Athens rebuilds the town and the walls, starts to rebuild a navy (nobody won, everybody lost)

394 BC

Persia signs a peace treaty and puts Sparta in charge of Greece

388 BC

Plato founds the Academy in Athens, probably the first European university

387 BC

Gauls invade and burn 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 invades Thebes (city-state in Greece); Thebes and Athens form an alliance and defeat Sparta

371-362 BC

the Theban Hegemony

367 BC

Aristotle becomes a student at Plato's Academy in Athens and remains there for 20 years until the death of Plato in 347 BC

367 & 361 BC

Plato travels 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 usurps the throne of Macedon

358-338 BC

Artaxerxes III of Persia, re-conquers 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 begins a conquest of Greek city-states

346 BC

Peace treaty between Athens and Phillip of Macedon

343 BC

Philip of Macedon hires Aristotle for 3 years as the teacher for Alexander

341 BC

Persia destroys Sidon; reconquers Egypt

338 BC

Philip of Macedon conquers Athens and gains control of all Greece except Sparta

338-336 BC

Arses of Persia

337 BC

Philip of Macedon prepares to attack Persia

336 BC

Philip of Macedon assassinated

336-330 BC

Darius III (flees from Alexander the Great and is 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 comerce

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 invades Israel

332 BC

Alexander takes Jerusalem and continues into Egypt, where he founds the city of Alexandria

331 BC

Alexander defeats Darius III of Persia

330 BC

Alexander enters Babylon

327 BC

Alexander invades India

326 BC

Alexander's troops refuse to go further, and his generals force him to turn back

323 BC - June 10

Alexander dies 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 : Simsothian 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

Dr. Rollinson

Department of Religion
ENMU
Portales, NM 88130

Last Updated: January 1, 2007

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