1.
Lamassu
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A lamassu is an Assyrian protective deity, often depicted as having a humans head, a body of an ox or a lion, and birds wings. In some writings, it is portrayed to represent a female deity, a less frequently used name is shedu which refers to the male counterpart of a lamassu. The Lammasu or Lumasi represent the zodiacs, parent-stars or constellations, large lamassu figures up to nearly 5 metres high are spectacular showpieces in Assyrian sculpture, where they are the largest figures known to have been made. In art, lamassu were depicted as hybrids, either winged bulls or lions with the head of a human male, the motif of a winged animal with a human head is common to the Near East, first recorded in Ebla around 3000 BCE. The first distinct lamassu motif appeared in Assyria during the reign of Tiglath-Pileser II as a symbol of power, Assyrian sculpture typically placed prominent pairs of lamassu at entrances in palaces, facing the street and also internal courtyards. They were double-aspect figures on corners, in high relief, from the front they appear to stand, and from the side, walk, and in earlier versions have five legs, as is apparent when viewed obliquely. The colossal entrance way figures were often followed by a hero grasping a wriggling lion, also colossal and they also appear on cylinder seals. Several examples left in situ in northern Iraq have been destroyed in the 2010s by ISIS when they occupied the area, the Lammasu or Lumasi represent the zodiacs, parent-stars, or constellations. They are depicted as protective deities because they encompass all life within them, the motif of the Assyrian-winged-man-bull called Aladlammu and Lamassu interchangeably is not the lamassu or alad of Sumerian origin which were depicted with different iconography. These monumental statues were called aladlammû or lamassu which meant protective spirit, in Hittite, the Sumerian form dLAMMA is used both as a name for the so-called tutelary deity, identified in certain later texts with Inara, and a title given to similar protective gods. The lamassu is a celestial being from ancient Mesopotamian religion bearing a head, bulls body, sometimes with the horns and the ears of a bull. It appears frequently in Mesopotamian art, the lamassu and shedu were household protective spirits of the common Babylonian people, becoming associated later as royal protectors, were placed as sentinels at the entrances. The Akkadians associated the god Papsukkal with lamassu and the god Išum with shedu, to protect houses, the lamassu were engraved in clay tablets, which were then buried under the doors threshold. They were often placed as a pair at the entrance of palaces, the ancient Jewish people were influenced by the iconography of Assyrian culture. The prophet Ezekiel wrote about a fantastic being made up of aspects of a human being, a lion, an eagle, later, in the early Christian period, the four Gospels were ascribed to each of these components. When it was depicted in art, this image was called the Tetramorph, the British 10th Army, which operated in Iraq and Iran in 1942-1943, adopted the Lamassu as its insignia. A winged bull with the head of a man appears on the logo of the United States Forces - Iraq. A bull with a head is found among the creatures that make up Aslans army in The Lion, the Witch
2.
Sargon II
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Sargon II was an Assyrian king. A son of Tiglath-Pileser III, he came to power relatively late in life, the Neo-Assyrian pronunciation of the name was presumably /sargi, n/ or /sarga, n/, the spelling Sargon is based on the Biblical form of the name, mentioned in Isaiah 20,1. The regnal number is modern, applied for disambiguation from the Old Assyrian king Sargon I, Sargon II was a son of Tiglath-Pileser III and appears to have seized the throne from his brother, Shalmaneser V in a violent coup. Sargon was already middle-aged when he came to the throne, and was assisted by his son, Sargons brother, Sinahusur, served as his grand vizier. Sargon was beset with rebellions by the beginning of his rule. Marduk-apla-iddina II, a chieftain of the Chaldean tribes in the marshes of the south, in 720 BC, Sargon and Marduk-apla-iddina met in battle on the plains east of Babylon. The Elamite troops were able to back the Assyrian army, and he retained control of the south. In 717 BC, the Syro-Hittite city of Carchemish on the Upper Euphrates rebelled, Carchemish was a small kingdom situated at an important Euphrates crossing. Sargon violated existing treaties in attacking the city, but with the wealth seized was able to continue to fund his army. In 716 BC he moved against the Mannaeans, where the ruler Aza, Sargon took the capital Izirtu, and stationed troops in Parsuash and Kar-Nergal. He built new bases in Media as well, the one being Harhar which he renamed Kar-Sharrukin. In 715 BC, others were to follow, Kar-Nabu, Kar-Sin and Kar-Ishtar — all named after Babylonian gods, the eighth campaign of Sargon against Urartu in 714 BC is well known from a letter from Sargon to the god Ashur and the bas-reliefs in the palace of Dur-Sharrukin. The reliefs show the difficulties of the terrain, the war-chariots had to be dismantled and carried by soldiers, the campaign was probably motivated by the fact that the Urartians had been weakened by incursions of the Cimmerians, a nomadic steppe tribe. One Urartian army had completely annihilated, and the general Qaqqadanu taken prisoner. After reaching Lake Urmia, he turned east and entered Zikirtu, the battle is described as the usual carnage, but King Rusas managed to escape. The horses of his chariot had been killed by Assyrian spears, forcing him to ride a mare in order to get away, Sargon plundered the fertile lands at the southern and western shore of Lake Urmia, felling orchards and burning the harvest. In the royal resort of Ulhu, the wine-cellar of the Urartian kings was plundered, Sargon claims to have destroyed 430 empty villages. After reaching Lake Van, Sargon left Urartu via Uaiaish, in Hubushkia he received the tribute of the Nairi lands
3.
Assyria
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Assyria was a major Mesopotamian East Semitic-speaking kingdom and empire of the ancient Near East and the Levant. Centered on the Tigris in Upper Mesopotamia, the Assyrians came to rule powerful empires at several times. Assyria is named after its capital, the ancient city of Aššur. In the 25th and 24th centuries BC, Assyrian kings were pastoral leaders, Assyria can also refer to the geographic region or heartland where Assyria, its empires and the Assyrian people were centered. The indigenous modern Eastern Aramaic-speaking Assyrian Christian ethnic minority in northern Iraq, north east Syria, southeast Turkey, in prehistoric times, the region that was to become known as Assyria was home to a Neanderthal culture such as has been found at the Shanidar Cave. The earliest Neolithic sites in Assyria were the Jarmo culture c.7100 BC and Tell Hassuna, during the 3rd millennium BC, a very intimate cultural symbiosis developed between the Sumerians and the Akkadians throughout Mesopotamia, which included widespread bilingualism. The influence of Sumerian on Akkadian, and vice versa, is evident in all areas, from lexical borrowing on a scale, to syntactic, morphological. This has prompted scholars to refer to Sumerian and Akkadian in the third millennium BC as a sprachbund and it is highly likely that the city was named in honour of its patron Assyrian god with the same name. The city of Aššur, together with a number of other Assyrian cities, however it is likely that they were initially Sumerian-dominated administrative centres. In the late 26th century BC, Eannatum of Lagash, then the dominant Sumerian ruler in Mesopotamia, similarly, in c. the early 25th century BC, Lugal-Anne-Mundu the king of the Sumerian state of Adab lists Subartu as paying tribute to him. Of the early history of the kingdom of Assyria, little is known, in the Assyrian King List, the earliest king recorded was Tudiya. According to Georges Roux he would have lived in the mid 25th century BC, Tudiya was succeeded on the list by Adamu, the first known reference to the Semitic name Adam and then a further thirteen rulers. The earliest kings, such as Tudiya, who are recorded as kings who lived in tents, were independent semi-nomadic pastoralist rulers and these kings at some point became fully urbanised and founded the city state of Ashur in the mid 21st century BC. During the Akkadian Empire, the Assyrians, like all the Mesopotamian Semites, became subject to the dynasty of the city state of Akkad, the Akkadian Empire founded by Sargon the Great claimed to encompass the surrounding four quarters. Assyrian rulers were subject to Sargon and his successors, and the city of Ashur became an administrative center of the Empire. On those tablets, Assyrian traders in Burushanda implored the help of their ruler, Sargon the Great, the name Hatti itself even appears in later accounts of his grandson, Naram-Sin, campaigning in Anatolia. Assyrian and Akkadian traders spread the use of writing in the form of the Mesopotamian cuneiform script to Asia Minor, the Akkadian Empire was destroyed by economic decline and internal civil war, followed by attacks from barbarian Gutian people in 2154 BC. The rulers of Assyria during the period between c.2154 BC and 2112 BC once again fully independent, as the Gutians are only known to have administered southern Mesopotamia
4.
2nd millennium BC
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The 2nd millennium BC spans the years 2000 through 1000 BC. It marks the transition from the Middle to the Late Bronze Age and its first half is dominated by the Middle Kingdom of Egypt and Babylonia. Indo-Iranian migration onto the Iranian plateau and onto the Indian subcontinent propagates the use of the chariot, chariot warfare and population movements lead to violent changes at the center of the millennium, a new order emerges with Greek dominance of the Aegean and the rise of the Hittite Empire. The end of the sees the transition to the Iron Age. World population begins to rise steadily, reaching some 50 million towards 1000 BC, the Pharaohs of the Middle Kingdom of Egypt and their contemporary Kings of Babylon, of Amorite origin, brought good governance without much tyranny, and favoured elegant art and architecture. Farther east, the Indus Valley civilization was in a period of decline, possibly as a result of intense, Egypt and Babylonias military tactics were still based on foot soldiers transporting their equipment on donkeys. Combined with an economy and difficulty in maintaining order, this was a fragile situation that crumbled under the pressure of external forces they could not oppose. About a century before the middle of the millennium, bands of Indo-European invaders came from the Central Asian plains and swept through Western Asia and they were riding fast two-wheeled chariots powered by horses, a system of weaponry developed earlier in the context of plains warfare. This tool of war was unknown among the classical civilizations, Egypt and Babylonias foot soldiers were unable to defend against the invaders, in 1630 BC, the Hyksos swept into the Nile Delta, and in 1595 BC, the Hittites swept into Mesopotamia. The peoples in place were quick to adapt to the new tactics, among the great states of the time, only Babylon refrained from taking part in battles, mainly due to its new position as the worlds religious and intellectual capital. Also contributing to the changes were the Sea Peoples, ship-faring raiders of the Mediterranean, the civilizations, kingdoms and dynasties in this section are organized according to the United Nations geoscheme The events in this section are organized according to the United Nations geoscheme. It is difficult to pinpoint the year or even the correct century for many events of the 2nd Millennium BC. c.1700 BC–1300 BC—Palace complex in Knossos. C.1600 BC–1360 BC Egyptian domination over Canaan and Syria, in the history of the Egyptian language, the early 2nd millennium saw a transition from Old Egyptian to Middle Egyptian. As the most used form of the Ancient Egyptian language. The earliest attested Indo-European language, the Hittite language, first appears in cuneiform in the 16th century BC, Hittite is the best known and the most studied language of the extinct Anatolian branch of Indo-European languages. The first Northwest Semitic language, Ugaritic, is attested in the 14th century BC, the first fully phonemic script Proto-Canaanite developed from Egyptian hieroglyphs, becoming the Phoenician alphabet by 1200 BC. Mycenaean Greek, the most ancient attested form of the Greek language, was used on the Greek mainland, Crete, the people in this section are organized according to the United Nations geoscheme The Canadian–American speculative fiction author S. M. Stirling has written a set in Bronze Age era, circa the 1250s BC
5.
1st millennium
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The first millennium was a period of time that began on January 1, AD1, and ended on December 31, AD1000, of the Julian calendar. It was the first period of one years in the Anno Domini or Common Era. In Europe and the Mediterranean, the first millennium was a time of great transition, the 1st century saw the peak of the Roman Empire, followed by its gradual decline during the period of Late Antiquity, the rise of Christianity and the Great Migrations. In Arabia, in the century, a man called Muhammad became the leader. After his death, his companions extended the religion, in East Asia, the first millennium was also a time of great cultural advances, notably the spread of Buddhism to East Asia. In China, the Han dynasty is replaced by the Jin dynasty and later the Tang dynasty until the 10th century sees renewed fragmentation in the Five Dynasties, in Japan, a sharp increase in population followed when farmers use of iron tools increased their productivity and crop yields. In South Asia, the Indian subcontinent was divided among numerous kingdoms throughout the first millennium, in Mesoamerica, the first millennium was a period of enormous growth known as the Classic Era. Teotihuacan grew into a metropolis and its empire dominated Mesoamerica, in South America, pre-Incan, coastal cultures flourished, producing impressive metalwork and some of the finest pottery seen in the ancient world. In North America, the Mississippian culture rose at the end of the millennium in the Mississippi, numerous cities were built, Cahokia, the largest, was based in present-day Illinois, and may have had 30,000 residents at its peak about 1250 AD. The circumference of the 10-story-high Monks Mound at Cahokia was larger than that of the Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan or the Great Pyramid in Egypt
6.
10th century BC
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The 10th century BC started the first day of 1000 BC and ended the last day of 901 BC. This period followed the Bronze Age collapse in the Near East, the Greek Dark Ages which had come about in 1200 BC continued. The Neo-Assyrian Empire is established towards the end of the 10th century BC, in Iron Age India, the Vedic period is ongoing. In China, the Zhou Dynasty is in power, the European Bronze Age continued with Urnfield culture. Japan was inhabited by an evolving hunter-gatherer society during the Jomon period,1000 BC, India—Iron Age of India. Iron Age kingdoms rule India—Panchala, Kuru, Kosala, Videha are Janapada states,993 BC, Amenemope succeeds Psusennes I as king of Egypt. 993 BC, Archippus, Archon of Athens dies after a reign of 19 years and is succeeded by his son Thersippus,984 BC, Osorkon the Elder succeeds Amenemope as king of Egypt. 982 BC, The end of first period by Sau Yungs concept of the I Ching,978 BC, Siamun succeeds Osorkon the Elder as king of Egypt. 967 BC, Solomon becomes king of the Israelites, according to the Books of Kings,967 BC, Tiglath-Pileser II becomes King of Assyria. 965 BC, David, king of the ancient Israelites, died,962 BC, Solomon becomes king of Israel, following the death of his father, King David. 959 BC, Psusennes II succeeds Siamun as king of Egypt,957 BC, Solomon completes the construction of the First Temple in Jerusalem. C.953 BC, Alternative date to the Founding of Rome,952 BC, Thersippus, King of Athens dies after a reign of 41 years and is succeeded by his son Phorbas. 947 BC, Death of King Mo of Zhou, King of the Zhou Dynasty of China,946 BC, King Gong of Zhou becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty of China. 945 BC, Egypt, Psusennes III dies, the last king of the Twenty-first Dynasty, Shoshenq I succeeds him, the founder of the Twenty-second Dynasty. 935 BC, Death of King Gong of Zhou, King of the Zhou Dynasty of China,935 BC, Death of Tiglath-Pileser II king of Assyria. 934 BC, King Yi of Zhou becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty of China,925 BC, Solomon, king of the ancient Israelites, died. C.925 BC, Partition of ancient Israel into the Kingdoms of Judah,924 BC, Osorkon I succeeds his father Shoshenq I as king of Egypt. 922 BC, Phorbas, Archon of Athens, dies after a reign of 30 years and is succeeded by his son Megacles,912 BC, Adad-nirari II succeeds his father Ashur-Dan II as king of Assyria
7.
9th century BC
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The 9th century BC started the first day of 900 BC and ended the last day of 801 BC. It was a period of change for several civilizations. In Africa, Carthage is founded by the Phoenicians, in Egypt, a severe flood covers the floor of Luxor temple, and years later, a civil war starts. It is the beginning of the Iron Age in Central Europe, with the spread of the Proto-Celtic Hallstatt culture,895 BC, Death of King Xiao of Zhou, King of the Zhou Dynasty of China. 894 BC, King Yi of Zhou becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty of China,892 BC, Megacles, King of Athens, dies after a reign of 30 years and is succeeded by his son Diognetus. 891 BC, Tukulti-Ninurta II succeeds his father Adad-nirari II as king of Assyria,889 BC, Takelot I succeeds his father Osorkon I as king of Egypt. 884 BC, Ashurnasirpal II succeeds his father Tukulti-Ninurta II as king of Assyria,879 BC, Death of King Yi of Zhou, King of the Zhou Dynasty of China. 878 BC, King Li of Zhou becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty of China,874 BC, Osorkon II succeeds Takelot I as king of the Twenty-second dynasty of Egypt. 874 BC, Ahab becomes king of Kingdom of Israel,872 BC, Parshvanatha, 23rd Tirthankara of Jainism was born. 872 BC, An exceptionally high flood of the Nile covers the floors of the Temple of Luxor,865 BC, Kar Kalmaneser was conquered by the Assyrian king Shalmaneser III. 864 BC, Diognetus, Archon of Athens, dies after a reign of 28 years and is succeeded by his son Pherecles,860 BC, The kingdom of Urartu is unified. 858 BC, Aramu becomes king of Urartu,858 BC, Shalmaneser III succeeds Ashurnasirpal II as king of Assyria. 854/3 BC, Battle of Karkar—An indecisive engagement between Assyrian king Shalmaneser III and an alliance of the king of Damascus and lesser powers including the prince of Tyre. 850 BC, Takelot II succeeds Osorkon II as King of Egypt,850 BC, The Middle Mumun Pottery Period begins in the Korean peninsula. 845 BC, Pherecles, Archon of Athens, dies after a reign of 19 years and is succeeded by his son Ariphron,842 BC, Shalmaneser III devastates the territory of Damascus, Kingdom of Israel and the Phoenician cities send tribute. 841 BC, Death of King Li of Zhou, King of the Zhou Dynasty of China,841 BC, Records of the Grand Historian regards this year as the first year of consecutive annual dating of Chinese history. 840 BC, Gopala Dynasty started in Nepal, first dynasty to rule in a country named Nepal despite its present geographical boundaries,836 BC, Shalmaneser III of Assyria leads an expedition against the Tabareni. 836 BC, Civil war breaks out in Egypt,827 BC, King Xuan of Zhou becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty of China
8.
8th century BC
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The 8th century BC started the first day of 800 BC and ended the last day of 701 BC. The 8th century BC was a period of changes in civilizations. In Egypt, the 23rd and 24th dynasties led to rule from Nubia in the 25th Dynasty, the Neo-Assyrian Empire reaches the peak of its power, conquering the Kingdom of Israel as well as nearby countries. Greece colonizes other regions of the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea, Rome is founded in 753 BC, and the Etruscan civilization expands in Italy. The 8th century BC is conventionally taken as the beginning of Classical Antiquity, with the first Olympiad set at 776 BC, iron Age India enters the later Vedic period. Vedic ritual is annotated in many schools in Brahmana commentaries. Late 8th century BC, Earrings, crown and rosettes, from the tomb of Queen Yabay in Kalhu are made and they are now at Iraq Museum, Baghdad. 797 BC, Ardysus I becomes king of Lydia,797 BC, Thespieus, King of Athens, dies after a reign of 27 years and is succeeded by his son Agamestor. 783 BC, Shalmaneser IV succeeds his father Adad-nirari III as king of Assyria,782 BC, Founding of Erebuni by the orders of King Argishtis I at the site of current-day Yerevan. 782 BC, Death of King Xuan of Zhou, King of the Zhou Dynasty of China,781 BC, King You of Zhou becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty of China. 780 BC, The first historic solar eclipse is recorded in China,778 BC, Agamestor, King of Athens, dies after a reign of 17 years and is succeeded by his son Aeschylus. 776 BC, retrospectively set as the first Olympiad, the history of the Olympic Games is believed to reach as far back as the 13th century BC.774 BC, End of the reign of king Pygmalion of Tyre. 773 BC, Death of Shoshenq III, king of Egypt,773 BC, Ashur-Dan III succeeds his brother Shalmaneser IV as king of Assyria. 771 BC, End of the Western Zhou Dynasty in China as western barbarian tribes sack the capital Hao, King You of Zhou is killed. Crown Prince Ji Yijiu escapes and will reign as King Ping of Zhou,770 BC, Beginning of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty in China as King Ping of Zhou becomes the first King of the Zhou to rule from the new capital of Chengzhou. June 15,763 BC, A solar eclipse at this date is used to fix the chronology of the Ancient Near East, mid-8th century BC, Model of temple, found in the Sanctuary of Hera, Argos, is made. It is now at National Archeological Museum, Athens,755 BC, Ashur-nirari V succeeds Ashur-Dan III as king of Assyria. 755 BC, Aeschylus, King of Athens, dies after a reign of 23 years and is succeeded by Alcmaeon,753 BC, Alcmaeon, King of Athens, dies after a reign of 2 years
9.
7th century BC
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The 7th century BC began the first day of 700 BC and ended the last day of 601 BC. The Assyrian Empire continued to dominate the Near East during this century, exercising power over neighbors like Babylon. In the last two decades of the century, however, the empire began to unravel as numerous enemies made alliances, the Assyrians finally left the world stage permanently when their capital Nineveh was destroyed in 612 BC. These events gave rise to the Neo-Babylonian Empire, which would dominate the region for much of the following century,699 BC, Khallushu succeeds Shuttir-Nakhkhunte as king of the Elamite Empire. 697 BC, Death of King Huan of Zhou, King of the Zhou Dynasty of China,696 BC, King Zhuang of Zhou becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty of China. 696 BC, The Cimmerians ravage Phrygia, possible migration of the Armenians,691 BC, King Sennacherib of Assyria defeats king Humban-nimena of Elam in the Battle of Halule. 690 BC, Taharqa, a king of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty,689 BC, King Sennacherib of Assyria sacks Babylon. 687 BC, Gyges becomes king of Lydia,687 BC, Hezekiah succeeded by Manasseh as king of Judah. 682 BC, Death of King Zhuang of Zhou, King of the Zhou Dynasty of China,681 BC, King Xi of Zhou becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty of China. 681 BC, Esarhaddon succeeds Sennacherib as king of Assyria,677 BC, Death of King Li of Zhou, King of the Zhou Dynasty of China. 677 BC, Esarhaddon leads the Assyrian army against rebellious Arab tribes, advances as far as the Brook of Egypt,676 BC, King Hui of Zhou becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty of China. 675 BC, Esarhaddon begins the rebuilding of Babylon,674 BC, Esarhaddon puts down a revolt in Ashkelon supported by Taharqa, king of Egypt. In response, the Assyrians invade Egypt, but Taharqa is able to hold the invaders off,673 BC, Tullus Hostilius becomes king of Rome. 671 BC, Esarhadon again invades Egypt, capturing Memphis as well as a number of the royal family,669 BC, Assurbanipal succeeds his father Esarhaddon as king of Assyria. 669 BC, Argos defeats Sparta for the last time, this using a Phalanx. 668 BC, Shamash-shum-ukin, son of Esarhaddon, becomes King of Babylon,668 BC, Egypt revolts against Assyria. 668 BC, Nineveh, capital of Assyria becomes the largest city of the world,667 BC, Byzantium founded by Megaran colonists under Byzas. 664 BC, First naval battle in Greek recorded history, between Corinth and Corcyra,664 BC, Assurbanipal captures and sacks Thebes, Egypt
10.
6th century BC
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The 6th century BC started the first day of 600 BC and ended the last day of 501 BC. This century represents the peak of a period in human history popularly known as Axial Age, pāṇini, in India, composed a grammar for Sanskrit, in this century or slightly later. This is the oldest still known grammar of any language, 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 place, 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. Laozi founds Taoism West Asia, During the Persian empire, Zoroaster, zarathustra, founded Zoroastrianism, a dualistic philosophy. This was also the time of the Babylonian captivity of the ancient Jews, ancient India, the Buddha and Mahavira found Buddhism and Jainism The decline of the Olmec civilization in Central America Mid-6th century BC, Foundation of Temple of Olympian Zeus. 598 BC, Jehoiachin succeeds Jehoiakim as King of Judah,16 March 597 BC, Babylonians capture Jerusalem, replace Jehoiachin with Zedekiah as king. 595 BC, Psammetichus II succeeds Necho II as King of Egypt,594 BC, Solon appointed Archon of Athens, institutes democratic reforms. 590 BC, Egyptian army sacks Napata, compelling the Cushite court to move to a secure location at Meroe near the sixth Cataract. 589 BC, Apries succeeds Psammetichus II as King of Egypt,588 BC, Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon begins siege of Jerusalem, some sources set the date at 587 BC.587 BC/586 BC, Jerusalem falls to the Babylonians, ending the Kingdom of Judah. The conquerors destroy the Solomons Temple and exile the remaining inhabitants. Babylonian Captivity for the Jews began,586 BC, death of King Ding of Zhou, King of the Zhou Dynasty of China 28 May 585 BC, A solar eclipse occurs as predicted by Thales, while Alyattes II is battling Cyaxares. This is one of the dates from which other dates can be calculated. 585 BC/584 BC, Astyages succeeds Cyaxares as King of the Medes,585 BC, King Jian of Zhou becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty. 583 BC, Babylonians begins siege against Tyre,582 BC, Pythian Games founded at Delphi. 580 BC, Cambyses I succeeds Cyrus I as King of Anshan,580 BC, Isthmian Games founded at Corinth 579 BC, Servius Tullius succeeds the assassinated Lucius Tarquinius Priscus as King of Rome. 573 BC, Nemean Games founded at Nemea,572 BC, Death of King Jian of Zhou, King of the Zhou Dynasty of China
11.
5th century BC
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The 5th century BC started the first day of 500 BC and ended the last day of 401 BC. This century saw the establishment of Pataliputra as a capital of Magadha Empire and this city would later become the ruling capital of different Indian Kingdoms for about a thousand years. This period saw the rise of two great schools of the East, Jainism and Buddhism. This period saw Mahavira and Buddha spreading their teachings in Northern Plains of India. This essentially changed the socio-cultural and political dynamics of the region of South Asia, Buddhism would later go on to become one of the major world religions. This period also saw the work of Yaska, who created Nirukta, Ancient Greek philosophy developed during the 5th century BC, setting the foundation for Western ideology. In Athens and elsewhere in the Mediterranean world, the 5th century marked a point in the development of political institutions, art, architecture. The century was notable for the Persian Wars, fought between the Greek cities and the vast Persian Empire. His son Xerxes attempted to finish the job 10 years later, and succeeded in capturing Athens and burning it to the ground, and was defeated later on land at Plataea. In the latter part of the century the Greeks became locked in a war among themselves, with the major cities Athens. The Spartans were victorious in this battle, demotic becomes the dominant script of ancient Egypt. 499 BC, Aristagoras, acting on behalf of the Persian Empire,499 BC, Aristagoras instigates the Ionic Revolt, beginning the Persian Wars between Greece and Persia. 499 BC, Sardis destroyed by Athenian and Ionian troops,498 BC, Leontini subjugated by Hippocrates of Gela. 498 BC, Alexander I succeeds his father Amyntas I as king of Macedon,496 BC, Battle of Lake Regillus, A legendary early Roman victory, won over either the Etruscans or the Latins. 495 BC, Temple to Mercury on the Circus Maximus in Rome is built,494 BC, The Battle of Lade, where Persians take back Ionia. 494 BC, Two tribunes of the plebs and two plebeian aediles are elected for the first time in Rome, the office of the tribunate is established,494 BC, The year Rome changed from an Aristocratic Republic to a Liberalized Republic. 493 BC, Piraeus, the town of Athens, is founded. 493 BC, Coriolanus captures the Volscian town of Corioli for Rome,492 BC, First expedition of King Darius I of Persia against Greece, under the leadership of his son-in-law Mardonius
12.
4th century BC
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The 4th century BC started the first day of 400 BC and ended the last day of 301 BC. It is considered part of the Classical era, epoch, or historical period and this century marked the height of Classical Greek civilization in all of its aspects. Alexander dreamed of an east/west union, but when his life ended. Thus began the Hellenistic age, a characterized by a more absolute approach to rule, with Greek kings taking on royal trappings. While a degree of democracy still existed in some of the remaining independent Greek cities, china in the 4th century BC entered an era of constant warfare known as the Warring States period. The period saw the rise of large states over smaller ones thanks to technological advancement. Oldest Brāhmī script dates from this period, Brāhmī is the ancestor of Brahmic scripts, used in much of India and Southeast Asia. Chinese use the handheld trigger crossbow for the first time, the first crossbow, the gastraphetes, is invented at Syracuse. Burnt brick first used in Greece, donkey-powered mills first used in Greece. In Greece, Aristotle proposes the division of the known sciences, torque with lions-head terminals, from Susa was made. It is now in Musée du Louvre, Paris, daric, a coin first minted under Darius I of Persia is made. It is now kept in Heberden Coin Room, Ashmolean Museum, second half of the 4th century BC – Tomb II, so called Tomb of Philip II of Macedon, Vergina, Macedonia is made. The significance of this was phenomenal, as it allowed the new Guanxian irrigation system to populate an area of some 40 by 50 miles with five million people. Media related to 4th century BC at Wikimedia Commons
13.
3rd century BC
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The 3rd century BC started the first day of 300 BC and ended the last day of 201 BC. It is considered part of the Classical era, epoch, or historical period and this balance was shattered when conflict arose between Carthage and the Roman Republic. In the following decades, the Carthaginian Republic was first humbled and then destroyed by the Romans in the first, following the Second Punic War, Rome became the most important power in the western Mediterranean. In India, Ashoka ruled the Maurya Empire, the Pandya, Chola and Chera dynasties of the classical age flourished in the ancient Tamil country. The Protohistoric Period began in the Korean peninsula, the Xiongnu were at the height of their power in Mongolia. Ptolemy finally brings the region of Cyrene under his control. He places the region under the rule of his stepson Magas, after failing to decisively defeat the Romans, Pyrrhus of Epirus withdraws from Italy. Gallic migration to Macedon, Thrace and Galatia,273 BC –232 BC, Ashoka ruled the Maurya Empire. 265 BC, Kalinga War takes place between Ashoka and the kingdom of Kalinga,264 BC, First Punic War breaks out between the Carthaginian Empire and the Roman Republic. 261 BC, Antiochus II Theos, 2nd son, at the death of his father becomes emperor of the Seleucid empire,260 BC, Battle of Changping between the State of Qin and the State of Zhao in China, a decisive Qin victory. 260 BC, Ashoka inscribes the Edicts of Ashoka,258 BC, An Dương Vương overthrows the Hồng Bàng Dynasty in Viet Nam. 257 BC, Thục Dynasty takes over Viet Nam,241 BC, First Punic War ends in Carthaginian defeat. Rome demands large reparations, and annexes Sicily and Corsica,230 BC, The Chinese Qin State conquers Han. 230 BC, Simuka declares independence from Mauryan rule and establishes the Satavahana Empire,227 BC, The attempted assassination of Ying Zheng, king of Qin State, by Jing Ke from Yan failed. 225 BC, A large Gallic army is defeated by the Romans at the Battle of Telamon,225 BC, The Chinese Qin State conquers Wei.223 BC, The Chinese Qin State conquers Chu.222 BC, The Chinese Qin State conquers Yan and Zhao. 221 BC, With the conquest of the State of Qi, Qin Shi Huang unifies the whole of China into one empire that also included northern Vietnam,218 BC, Second Punic War begins. Hannibal makes his famous Alpine crossing to invade Italy, the Roman heartland,216 BC, Hannibal famously crushed the Roman legions at the Battle of Cannae. 214 BC, Qin Shi Huang of the Chinese Qin Dynasty ordered construction of the Great Wall of China,208 BC, Zhao Tuo defeats the Vietnamese king An Dương Vương
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2nd century BC
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The 2nd century BC started the first day of 200 BC and ended the last day of 101 BC. It is considered part of the Classical era, although depending on the region being studied and it also considered to be the end of the Axial Age. In the context of the Eastern Mediterranean, it is referred to as the Hellenistic period. The end of the century witnessed the reform of the Roman Army from an army into a voluntary professional force, under the guidance of the noted general. In South Asia, the Mauryan Empire in India collapsed when Brihadnatha, the last emperor, was killed by Pushyamitra Shunga, a Mauryan general, in East Asia, China reached a high point under the Han Dynasty. The Han Empire extended its boundaries from Korea in the east to Vietnam in the South to the borders of modern-day Kazakhstan in the west. 198 BC, Battle of Panium, Antiochus III of the Seleucid empire defeats Ptolemy V of Egypt and takes control of Coele Syria,197 BC, Flamininus defeats Philip V of Macedon at the Battle of Cynoscephalae. 196 BC, Antiochus III conquers western Asia Minor and Thrace,196 BC, Empress Lüs execution of Han Xin leads to the Ying Bu rebellion. 195 BC, The War against Nabis marks the end of Spartan power in Greece,195 BC, Emperor Gaozu of Han dies and is succeeded by his son Hui. True power falls to Empress Lü.194 BC, Wiman establishes Wiman Joseon in Korea,192 BC, Antiochus III invades Greece, beginning the Roman-Syrian War. 192 BC, The Yue Kingdom of Eastern Ou established in Zhejiang with Chinese support,191 BC, Battle of Thermopylae, Glabrio drives Antiochus III out of Greece. 190 BC, Battle of Magnesia, Rome and Pergamon drive Antiochus III out of Asia Minor,189 BC, Galatian War, Vulso and Pergamon defeat Galatia. 188 BC, Emperor Hui of Han dies,185 BC, Ptolemy V defeats Ankhmakis and regains control of Upper Egypt. C.185 BC, Pushyamitra Shunga assassinates the last Maurya emperor,183 BC, Zhao Tuo of Nanyue declares himself Emperor and attacks China. 180 BC, Lü Clan Disturbance, with the death of Empress Lü, C.180 BC, Demetrius I of Bactria invades India, leading to the establishment of the Indo-Greek Kingdom. 179 BC, Tiberius Gracchus ends the First Celtiberian War,179 BC, Zhao Tuo of Nanyue makes peace with China. 176 BC, The Yuezhi attack the Xiongnu,175 BC, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, took possession of the Syrian throne, at the murder of his brother Seleucus IV Philopator, which rightly belonged to his nephew Demetrius I Soter. 174 BC, The Xiongnu defeat the Yuezhi, who emigrate to Ili valley,168 BC, Roman victory in the Battle of Pydna leads to the dissolution of the Antigonid Kingdom of Macedon
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1st century BC
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The 1st century BC, also known as the last century BC, started on the first day of 100 BC and ended on the last day of 1 BC. The AD/BC notation does not use a zero, however, astronomical year numbering does use a zero, as well as a minus sign. This is the 100th century in the Holocene calendar, it spans the years 9,901 to 10,000, octavians ascension to total power as the emperor Augustus is considered to mark the point in history where the Roman Republic ends and the Roman Empire begins. Some scholars refer to this event as the Roman Revolution and it is believed that the birth of Jesus, the central figure of Christianity took place at the close of this century. In the eastern mainland, the Han Dynasty began to decline, trapped in a difficult situation, the Xiongnu had to begin emigration to the west or attach themselves to the Han. 97 BC, Ariarathes VIII forced out of Cappadocia by Mithridates VI of Pontus,96 BC, Cyrene is left to the people of Rome by its ruler Ptolemy Apion. 96 BC, King Alexander Jannaeus of Judea wins the Siege of Gaza,95 BC, Tigranes the Great becomes king of Armenia 93 BC, Ariobarzanes I Philoromaios becomes king of Cappadocia with Roman backing. 91 BC, The assassination of Marcus Livius Drusus leads to the Social War in Italy 91 BC,89 BC, Mithridates VI of Pontuss invasion of Cappadocia leads to the First Mithridatic War with the Roman Republic. 88-87 BC, Sullas first civil war - Sulla marches on Rome and defeats Gaius Marius 86 BC,86 BC, The death of the regent of China Jin Midi unleashes the rivalry of his co-regents Shangguang Jie and Huo Guang. 85 BC, Sulla defeats the forces of Mithridates VI in Greece at the Battle of Orchomenus 85 BC,83 BC, Sulla makes peace with Mithridates VI and marches on Rome. 83-81 BC, Lucius Licinius Murena wages the Second Mithridatic War,82 BC, Sertorius flees from Sulla to North Africa via Hispania c.83 BC, Tigranes of Armenia takes control of Syria after the implosion of the Seleucid dynasty. 81 BC, End of Sullas second civil war - Sulla is appointed dictator of the Roman state,80 BC, Sertorius invades Hispania and sets up his own regime, beginning the Sertorian War. 80 BC, Conflict between the regents Shangguang Jie and Huo Guang results in the destruction of the Shangguang clan, C.80 BC, Maues, King of the Sakas, conquers Gandhara and Taxila. 77 BC, Fu Jiezi assassinated the king of Loulan on behalf of the Han dynasty, C.75 BC, Kanva dynasty replaces the Shunga dynasty in Magadha. 74 BC, Mithridates VI of Pontus disputes Nicomedes IV of Bithynias bequest of his kingdom to the Roman Republic,74 BC, Emperor Zhao of Han dies and is succeeded by the unsuitable Prince He of Changyi and then by Xuan. Huo Guang continues to be de facto ruler of China,73 BC, A slave rebellion led by the escaped gladiator Spartacus leads to the Third Servile War. 73-72 BC, Lucullus defeats Mithridates at Tenedos, Cyzicus, and the Rhyndacus and he flees east to Armenia 71 BC, Pompey the Great ends the Sertorian War,71 BC, Wusun and China attack the Xiongnu. 69 BC, Lucullus invades Armenia and reestablishes the Seleucids in Syria,68 BC, Pompey replaces Lucullus as leader of the Roman forces in the Third Mithridatic War
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Anno Domini
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The terms anno Domini and before Christ are used to label or number years in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The term anno Domini is Medieval Latin and means in the year of the Lord, There is no year zero in this scheme, so the year AD1 immediately follows the year 1 BC. This dating system was devised in 525 by Dionysius Exiguus of Scythia Minor, the Gregorian calendar is the most widely used calendar in the world today. Traditionally, English followed Latin usage by placing the AD abbreviation before the year number, however, BC is placed after the year number, which also preserves syntactic order. The abbreviation is widely used after the number of a century or millennium. Because BC is the English abbreviation for Before Christ, it is sometimes concluded that AD means After Death. However, this would mean that the approximate 33 years commonly associated with the life of Jesus would not be included in either of the BC, astronomical year numbering and ISO8601 avoid words or abbreviations related to Christianity, but use the same numbers for AD years. The Anno Domini dating system was devised in 525 by Dionysius Exiguus to enumerate the years in his Easter table. His system was to replace the Diocletian era that had used in an old Easter table because he did not wish to continue the memory of a tyrant who persecuted Christians. The last year of the old table, Diocletian 247, was followed by the first year of his table. Thus Dionysius implied that Jesus Incarnation occurred 525 years earlier, without stating the year during which his birth or conception occurred. Blackburn & Holford-Strevens briefly present arguments for 2 BC,1 BC, There were inaccuracies in the list of consuls There were confused summations of emperors regnal years It is not known how Dionysius established the year of Jesuss birth. It is convenient to initiate a calendar not from the day of an event. For example, the Islamic calendar begins not from the date of the Hegira, at the time, it was believed by some that the Resurrection and end of the world would occur 500 years after the birth of Jesus. The old Anno Mundi calendar theoretically commenced with the creation of the based on information in the Old Testament. It was believed that, based on the Anno Mundi calendar, Anno Mundi 6000 was thus equated with the resurrection and the end of the world but this date had already passed in the time of Dionysius. The Anglo-Saxon historian the Venerable Bede, who was familiar with the work of Dionysius Exiguus, used Anno Domini dating in his Ecclesiastical History of the English People, completed in 731. e. On the continent of Europe, Anno Domini was introduced as the era of choice of the Carolingian Renaissance by the English cleric and scholar Alcuin in the late eighth century
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Iron Age
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The Iron Age is an archaeological era, referring to a period of time in the prehistory and protohistory of the Old World when the dominant toolmaking material was iron. It is commonly preceded by the Bronze Age in Europe and Asia with exceptions, meteoric iron has been used by humans since at least 3200 BC. Ancient iron production did not become widespread until the ability to smelt ore, remove impurities. The start of the Iron Age proper is considered by many to fall between around 1200 BC and 600 BC, depending on the region, the earliest known iron artifacts are nine small beads dated to 3200 BC, which were found in burials at Gerzeh, Lower Egypt. They have been identified as meteoric iron shaped by careful hammering, meteoric iron, a characteristic iron–nickel alloy, was used by various ancient peoples thousands of years before the Iron Age. Such iron, being in its metallic state, required no smelting of ores. Smelted iron appears sporadically in the record from the middle Bronze Age. While terrestrial iron is abundant, its high melting point of 1,538 °C placed it out of reach of common use until the end of the second millennium BC. Tins low melting point of 231, similarly, recent archaeological remains of iron working in the Ganges Valley in India have been tentatively dated to 1800 BC. By the Middle Bronze Age, increasing numbers of smelted iron objects appeared in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, African sites are turning up dates as early as 1200 BC. Modern archaeological evidence identifies the start of iron production in around 1200 BC. Between 1200 BC and 1000 BC, diffusion in the understanding of iron metallurgy and use of objects was fast. As evidence, many bronze implements were recycled into weapons during this time, more widespread use of iron led to improved steel-making technology at lower cost. Thus, even when tin became available again, iron was cheaper, stronger, and lighter, and forged iron implements superseded cast bronze tools permanently. Increasingly, the Iron Age in Europe is being seen as a part of the Bronze Age collapse in the ancient Near East, in ancient India, ancient Iran, and ancient Greece. In other regions of Europe, the Iron Age began in the 8th century BC in Central Europe, the Near Eastern Iron Age is divided into two subsections, Iron I and Iron II. Iron I illustrates both continuity and discontinuity with the previous Late Bronze Age, during the Iron Age, the best tools and weapons were made from steel, particularly alloys which were produced with a carbon content between approximately 0. 30% and 1. 2% by weight. Steel weapons and tools were nearly the same weight as those of bronze, however, steel was difficult to produce with the methods available, and alloys that were easier to make, such as wrought iron, were more common in lower-priced goods
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Neo-Assyrian Empire
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The Neo-Assyrian Empire was an Iron Age Mesopotamian empire, in existence between 911 and 612 BC. The Assyrians perfected early techniques of imperial rule, many of which became standard in later empires, the Neo-Assyrian Empire succeeded the Old Assyrian Empire, and the Middle Assyrian Empire of the Late Bronze Age. During this period, Aramaic was also made a language of the empire. Upon the death of Ashurbanipal in 627 BC, the empire began to due to a brutal. In 616 BC, Cyaxares king of the Medes and Persians made alliances with Nabopolassar ruler of the Babylonians and Chaldeans, Assyria was originally an Akkadian kingdom which evolved in the 25th to 24th centuries BC. The urbanised Akkadian speaking nation of Assyria emerged in the mid 21st century BC, during the 20th century BC, it established colonies in Asia Minor, and under the 20th century BC King Ilushuma, Assyria conducted many successful raids against the states of the south. Ashur-uballit extended Assyrian control over the farming lands of Nineveh. Tiglath-Pileser controlled the caravan routes that crossed the fertile crescent from the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf. Much campaigning by Tiglath-Pileser and succeeding kings was directed against Aramaean pastoralist groups in Syria, by the end of the 2nd millennium BC, the Aramaean expansion had resulted in the loss of much Assyrian territory in Upper Mesopotamia. After the death of Tiglath-Pileser I in 1076 BC, Assyria was in decline for the next 150 years. The period from 1200 BC to 900 BC was an age for the entire Near East, North Africa, Caucasus, Mediterranean and Balkan regions, with great upheavals. Adad-nirari II and his successors campaigned on a basis for part of every year with an exceptionally well-organized army. He subjugated the areas previously under only nominal Assyrian vassalage, conquering and deporting Aramean and Hurrian populations in the north to far-off places. Adadinirari II then twice attacked and defeated Shamash-mudammiq of Babylonia, annexing an area of land north of the Diyala river. He made further gains over Babylonia under Nabu-shuma-ukin I later in his reign and he was succeeded by Tukulti-Ninurta II in 891 BC, who further consolidated Assyrias position and expanded northwards into Asia Minor and the Zagros Mountains during his short reign. The next king, Ashurnasirpal II, embarked on a vast program of expansion, during his rule, Assyria recovered much of the territory that it had lost around 1100 BC at the end of the Middle Assyrian period. Ashurnasirpal II also campaigned in the Zagros Mountains in modern Iran, repressing a revolt against Assyrian rule by the Lullubi, the Assyrians began boasting in their ruthlessness around this time. Ashurnasirpal II also moved his capital to the city of Kalhu, the palaces, temples and other buildings raised by him bear witness to a considerable development of wealth and art
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Achaemenid Empire
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The Achaemenid Empire, also called the Persian Empire, was an empire based in Western Asia, founded by Cyrus the Great. The empires successes inspired similar systems in later empires and it is noted in Western history as the antagonist of the Greek city-states during the Greco-Persian Wars and for the emancipation of the Jewish exiles in Babylon. The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, was built in a Hellenistic style in the empire as well. By the 7th century BC, the Persians had settled in the portion of the Iranian Plateau in the region of Persis. From this region, Cyrus the Great advanced to defeat the Medes, Lydia, Alexander, an avid admirer of Cyrus the Great, conquered the empire in its entirety by 330 BC. Upon his death, most of the former territory came under the rule of the Ptolemaic Kingdom and Seleucid Empire. The Persian population of the central plateau reclaimed power by the second century BC under the Parthian Empire, the historical mark of the Achaemenid Empire went far beyond its territorial and military influences and included cultural, social, technological and religious influences as well. Many Athenians adopted Achaemenid customs in their lives in a reciprocal cultural exchange. The impact of Cyruss edict is mentioned in Judeo-Christian texts, the empire also set the tone for the politics, heritage and history of modern Iran. Astronomical year numbering Dates are approximate, consult particular article for details Due to the duration of their reigns, Smerdis, Xerxes II. The Persian nation contains a number of tribes as listed here, the Pasargadae, Maraphii, and Maspii, upon which all the other tribes are dependent. Of these, the Pasargadae are the most distinguished, they contain the clan of the Achaemenids from which spring the Perseid kings. Other tribes are the Panthialaei, Derusiaei, Germanii, all of which are attached to the soil, the Achaemenid Empire was created by nomadic Persians. The Achaemenid Empire was not the first Iranian empire, as by 6th century BC another group of ancient Iranian peoples had established the short lived Median Empire. The Iranian peoples had arrived in the region of what is today Iran c.1000 BC and had for a number of centuries fallen under the domination of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, based in northern Mesopotamia. However, the Medes and Persians, Cimmerians, Persians and Chaldeans played a role in the overthrow of the Assyrian empire. The term Achaemenid means of the family of the Achaemenis/Achaemenes, despite the derivation of the name, Achaemenes was himself a minor seventh-century ruler of the Anshan in southwestern Iran, and a vassal of Assyria. At some point in 550 BC, Cyrus rose in rebellion against the Medes, eventually conquering the Medes and creating the first Persian empire
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Classical antiquity
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It is the period in which Greek and Roman society flourished and wielded great influence throughout Europe, North Africa and Southwestern Asia. Conventionally, it is taken to begin with the earliest-recorded Epic Greek poetry of Homer, and continues through the emergence of Christianity and it ends with the dissolution of classical culture at the close of Late Antiquity, blending into the Early Middle Ages. Such a wide sampling of history and territory covers many disparate cultures, Classical antiquity may refer also to an idealised vision among later people of what was, in Edgar Allan Poes words, the glory that was Greece, and the grandeur that was Rome. The culture of the ancient Greeks, together with influences from the ancient Near East, was the basis of art, philosophy, society. The earliest period of classical antiquity takes place before the background of gradual re-appearance of historical sources following the Bronze Age collapse, the 8th and 7th centuries BC are still largely proto-historical, with the earliest Greek alphabetic inscriptions appearing in the first half of the 8th century. Homer is usually assumed to have lived in the 8th or 7th century BC, in the same period falls the traditional date for the establishment of the Ancient Olympic Games, in 776 BC. The Phoenicians originally expanded from Canaan ports, by the 8th century dominating trade in the Mediterranean, carthage was founded in 814 BC, and the Carthaginians by 700 BC had firmly established strongholds in Sicily, Italy and Sardinia, which created conflicts of interest with Etruria. The Etruscans had established control in the region by the late 7th century BC, forming the aristocratic. According to legend, Rome was founded on April 21,753 BC by twin descendants of the Trojan prince Aeneas, Romulus and Remus. As the city was bereft of women, legend says that the Latins invited the Sabines to a festival and stole their unmarried maidens, leading to the integration of the Latins and the Sabines. Archaeological evidence indeed shows first traces of settlement at the Roman Forum in the mid-8th century BC, the seventh and final king of Rome was Tarquinius Superbus. As the son of Tarquinius Priscus and the son-in-law of Servius Tullius, Superbus was of Etruscan birth and it was during his reign that the Etruscans reached their apex of power. Superbus removed and destroyed all the Sabine shrines and altars from the Tarpeian Rock, the people came to object to his rule when he failed to recognize the rape of Lucretia, a patrician Roman, at the hands of his own son. Lucretias kinsman, Lucius Junius Brutus, summoned the Senate and had Superbus, after Superbus expulsion, the Senate voted to never again allow the rule of a king and reformed Rome into a republican government in 509 BC. In fact the Latin word Rex meaning King became a dirty and hated throughout the Republic. In 510, Spartan troops helped the Athenians overthrow the tyrant Hippias, cleomenes I, king of Sparta, put in place a pro-Spartan oligarchy conducted by Isagoras. Greece entered the 4th century under Spartan hegemony, but by 395 BC the Spartan rulers removed Lysander from office, and Sparta lost her naval supremacy. Athens, Argos, Thebes and Corinth, the two of which were formerly Spartan allies, challenged Spartan dominance in the Corinthian War, which ended inconclusively in 387 BC
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Magna Graecia
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The settlers who began arriving in the 8th century BC brought with them their Hellenic civilization, which was to leave a lasting imprint in Italy, such as in the culture of ancient Rome. Most notably the Roman poet Ovid referred to the south of Italy as Magna Graecia in his poem Fasti, according to Strabo, Magna Graecias colonization started already at the time of the Trojan War and lasted for several centuries. Also during that period, Greek colonies were established in places as widely separated as the eastern coast of the Black Sea, Eastern Libya and they included settlements in Sicily and the southern part of the Italian Peninsula. The Romans called the area of Sicily and the foot of Italy Magna Graecia since it was so densely inhabited by the Greeks, the ancient geographers differed on whether the term included Sicily or merely Apulia and Calabria, Strabo being the most prominent advocate of the wider definitions. With colonization, Greek culture was exported to Italy, in its dialects of the Ancient Greek language, its religious rites, an original Hellenic civilization soon developed, later interacting with the native Italic civilisations. Many of the new Hellenic cities became very rich and powerful, like Neapolis, Syracuse, Acragas Paestum, other cities in Magna Graecia included Tarentum, Epizephyrian Locri, Rhegium, Croton, Thurii, Elea, Nola, Ancona, Syessa, Bari and others. Following the Pyrrhic War in the 3rd century BC, Magna Graecia was absorbed into the Roman Republic, a remarkable example of the influence is the Griko-speaking minority that still exists today in the Italian regions of Calabria and Apulia. Griko is the name of a language combining ancient Doric, Byzantine Greek, there is a rich oral tradition and Griko folklore, limited now but once numerous, to around 30,000 people, most of them having become absorbed into the surrounding Italian element. Some scholars, such as Gerhard Rohlfs, argue that the origins of Griko may ultimately be traced to the colonies of Magna Graecia, one example is the Griko people, some of whom still maintain their Greek language and customs. For example, Greeks re-entered the region in the 16th and 17th century in reaction to the conquest of the Peloponnese by the Ottoman Empire, especially after the end of the Siege of Coron, large numbers of Greeks took refuge in the areas of Calabria, Salento and Sicily. Greeks from Coroni, the so-called Coronians, were nobles, who brought with them substantial movable property and they were granted special privileges and tax exemptions. Other Greeks who moved to Italy came from the Mani Peninsula of the Peloponnese, the Maniots were known for their proud military traditions and for their bloody vendettas, many of which still continue today. Another group of Maniot Greeks moved to Corsica, Ancient Greek dialects Greeks in Italy Italiotes Graia Graïke Graecus Griko people Griko language Hellenic civilization Names of the Greeks Cerchiai L. Jannelli L. Longo F. The Greek Cities of Magna Graecia and Sicily, in Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. 21 June,2005,17,19 GMT18,19 UK, salentinian Peninsula, Greece and Greater Greece. Traditional Griko song performed by Ghetonia, traditional Griko song performed by amateur local group. Second Interdisciplinary Symposium on the Hellenic Heritage of Southern Italy, the Greeks in the West, genetic signatures of the Hellenic colonisation in southern Italy and Sicily
