Timeline Chronology: V century BCE

c. 500 BCE

Darius I begins building Persepolis and the Persian Royal Road
Ironworking reaches Southeast Asia and Great Lakes region of Africa
In Africa, the Nok culture flourishes
Rice farming reaches Japan from China
In Central America the Zapotecs develop hieroglyphic writing
The Mahabharata and the Puranas composed in India

499 BCE

Outbreak of the "Ionian Revolt"(to 494 BCE)

496 BCE

First treaty between Carthage and Rome

494 BCE

Battle of Lade and destruction of Miletus
Withdrawal of the plebeians in Rome leads to creation of the plebs

492 BCE

Persian expedition to Thrace and Macedonia

490 BCE

Persian expedition against Eretria and Athens
Battle of Marathon
Carthaginian mariner Hanno is said to have sailed far down the west coast of Africa
Darius I avenges Athens’ involvement in the Ionian revolt; they destroy the city of Eretria, but Miltiades defeats them at the Battle of Marathon

486 BCE

Egyptians revolt against

485 BCE

Darius I of Persia (b. 550) dies and is succeeded by his son Xerxes I

484 BCE

Greek dramatist Aeschylus (525–456 BCE) wins his first Tragedy prize at Athens

483 BCE

Athenians begin to build a fleet on the proceeds of the new silver mines at Mount Laurium
Buddha (b.c. 563 BCE) dies

481 BCE

Xerxes' expedition against Greece

480 BCE

Battles of Thermopylae, Cape Artemisium, and Salamis
Carthage attacks the Greeks of Sicily but is repulsed
Xerxes I of Persia invades Greece and burns Athens, but is defeated by Themistocles at the naval Battle of Salamis

479 BCE

Battles of Plataea and Mycale
Chinese social philosopher Confucius (b. 551 BCE), who developed a humanistic ethical system, dies

478 BCE

Athenian capture of Sestos
Athens as hegemon of the Greek alliance
Hieron becomes Tyrant of Syracuse and defeats the Etruscan

470 BCE

Themistocles is ostracized from Athens

469 BCE

Naxos tries to secede from the Delian League and is blockaded by Athens

466 BCE

Revolt of Naxos

465 BCE

Revolt of Thasos
Battle of the Eurymedon
Xerxes is murdered by his bodyguard; his son Artaxerxes succeeds him

464 BCE

Accession of Artaxerxes I to the throne
Breach of the alliance between Athens and Sparta
The Helots revolt against Spartan rule, but they are defeated by 462 BCE

463 BCE

The rise to power of Pericles begins; he has Cimon ostracized in 461 BCE

c. 460 BCE

Athenian expedition to Cyprus
Athenian expedition to Egypt

458 BCE

Athens defeats the Peloponnesian cities and Aegina is forced to join the Delian League
The Qin domain in China is partitioned

454 BCE

Pericles transfers the treasure of the Delian League

452 BCE

A five-year truce between Athens and the Peloponnesians begins

450 BCE

Construction begins of Zapotec city of Monte Albán in Mexico
La Tène culture in Europe
Steppe nomad burials at Pazyryk and Noin Ula in Siberia

449 BCE

Peace of Callias (?) struck between Greeks and Persians
Pericles begins building the Long Wall between Athens and its port, Piraeus
The Twelve Tables of the Law officially adopted in Rome

448 BCE

Construction of a new Parthenon begins (finished 432 BCE)

c. 446 BCE

Revolt of Euboea and Spartan invasion of Attica
Thirty Years Peace

444 BCE

Foundation of Thurii

440 BCE

Revolt of Samos and Byzantium

433 BCE

Athens intervenes for Corcyra in its quarrel with Corinth, inviting Spartan retaliation
Athens: affairs of Corcyra, Potidaea, Megara

431 BCE

Declaration of war and Spartan invasion of Attica
Quarrel between Plataea and Thebes leads to another Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta

430–429 BCE

Plague at Athens

429 BCE

Death of Pericles

428 BCE

Birth of Greek philosopher Plato (d.c. 347 BCE)

427 BCE

Revolt of Mytilene (Lesbos)
City of Plataea, an Athenian ally, surrenders to Sparta

425 BCE

Battle of Pylos and Sphacteria

423 BCE

One-year truce in the war between Athens and Sparta (extended in 422 BCE)
Darius II becomes Persian king after assassination of Artaxerxes I

422 BCE

Battle of Amphipolis; death of Brasidas and Cleon

421 BCE

Peace of Nicias between Athens and Sparta puts temporary halt to Peloponnesian War

419 BCE

Peloponnesian War resumes; Spartans win Battle of Mantinea and Argos changes sides

418 BCE

Battle of Mantinea

416 BCE

Athenian conquest of Melos

415 BCE

Athenian expedition to Sicily; Alcibiades at Sparta

413 BCE

Shishunaga dynasty founded in Magadha, India
Athenians defeated at Syracuse; virtually whole army is capture

412 BCE

Alcibiades at Sardis

411 BCE

Government of the Four Hundred at Athens
Naval battles on the Hellespont

410 BCE

Battle near Cyzicus; democracy at Athens

409 BCE

Carthaginians invade Sicily in attempt to reexert influence there while the Greek city-states are at war

408 BCE

Return of Alcibiades to Athens

407 BCE

Lysander as navarch; Cyrus the Younger as satrap at Sardis
Battles of Notium and Arginusae; trial of the generals at Athens

405 BCE

Battle of Aegospotami

404 BCE

Death of Darius II and succession of Artaxerxes II
Spartans capture Athens; long walls pulled down and pro-Spartan Council of Thirty set up as government

403 BCE

Restoration of democracy at Athens

401 BCE

Battle of Cunaxa and death of Cyrus the Younger
Xenophon leads 10,000 Greek mercenaries supporting a Persian rebellion from Babylon to the Black Sea

Timeline Chronology: V century BCE

Ancient History