After his great victory in the
Battle of Marathon,
Miltiades leads a naval expedition to
Paros to pay off a private score. However, the expedition is unsuccessful and, on his return, he is fined in a prosecution led by
Xanthippus and put in prison where he dies of wounds received at Paros.
The Athenian soldier and statesman,
Aristides (the Just), is made chief archon of
Athens.
Gaius Marcius Coriolanus and
Attius Tullus Aufidius, leading an army of the
Volsci,
besiegeRome. Coriolanus' mother and wife convince him to break off the siege. In recognition of the service of these women, a temple is erected in Rome dedicated to
Fortuna. Subsequently, the
Volsci and their allies the
Aequi have a falling out, and their armies
fight as a result, significantly diminishing the strength of each of them.
The island of
Aegina and the city of
Athens go to war. The island has earned the enmity of Athens by earlier submitting to the Persians. The Spartan King,
Leotychidas, tries unsuccessfully to arrange a truce in the war.
The
Athenian Archonship becomes elective by lot from all the
citizens, an important milestone in the move towards radical
Athenian democracy. There are nine
archons and a secretary. Three of the archons have special functions: the
basileus, or sovereign; the
polemarch (originally a military commander); and the archon eponymous (chief magistrate), who gave his name to the year.
First known use of
ostracism, an instrument created in 508 by
Cleisthenes which enabled the electorate to banish for ten years any citizen deemed to be a threat to democracy. It was intended, therefore, as a safeguard against tyranny. An ostracism could be held annually providing a quorum of 6,000 was achieved but, apparently, the Assembly declined to invoke it until 487 when there was a popular reaction against Hipparchos the Pisistradid who had been the peace party archon in 496. He was the first of several citizens to be ostracised through the fifth century.[1]
Rome
Wars are fought between
Rome and each of the
Volsci and the
Hernici. Rome prevails in both disputes.
Egypt revolts against
Persian rule upon the death of king
Darius I. The revolts, probably led by
Libyans of the western Delta, are crushed the next year by
Xerxes, who reduces Egypt to the status of a conquered province.
The construction of a relief in the
Apadana, a ceremonial complex at
Persepolis, is finished. It shows Darius and Xerxes receiving tribute and is now kept in the Iranbustan Museum in
Tehran.
Gelo, the tyrant of
Gela, takes advantage of an appeal by the descendants of the first colonist of
Syracuse, the Gamoroi, who had held power until they were expelled by the Killichiroi, the lower class of the city. He makes himself master of that city, leaving his brother
Hieron to control Gela.
Xerxes I quells the Egyptian revolt against
Persian rule. He ravages the Delta region in the process and then appoints his brother
Achaemenessatrap (governor) of
Egypt.
Despite an attempt at rebellion, the land and city of
Babylon remains solidly under Persian rule.
Xerxes I of Persia is encouraged by his cousin and brother-in-law,
Mardonius, supported by a strong party of exiled Greeks, to take revenge for the defeat that
Darius I suffered at the hands of the
Greeks at
Marathon in
490 BC. In response, Xerxes prepares for a major expedition to crush the Greeks. To avoid a repeat of the significant losses to the Persian fleet that occurred in
492 BC, Xerxes has a canal cut through the promontory of
Mount Athos.
Greece
The Athenian
archonThemistocles realises that the Greeks need to be able to beat the Persians at sea. To carry out this strategy, however,
Athens needs far more warships (that is to say the newly developed, specialised
triremes) than the 70 it has. Themistocles is initially opposed by other Athenian leaders. However, when the state-owned silver mines at
Laurium become the site of a rich strike, Themistocles persuades the assembly, instead of "declaring a dividend," to devote the whole surplus to increasing the navy to a proposed 200 ships.
India
Following the death of
Gautama Buddha, the
relics associated with his cremation were divided amongst royal families and his disciples, then interned in 8 reliquaries. Each
reliquary was then encased in its own burial mound, called a
stupa (approximate date).[citation needed]
Sicily
Gelo, the
tyrant of
Syracuse conquers the nearby Sicilian cities of
Euboea and
Megara Hyblaea, selling their common people into slavery and bringing their oligarchs to Syracuse.
The Athenian
archonThemistocles secures the
ostracism of his opponents and becomes the political leader of
Athens. The Athenian soldier and statesman,
Aristides, is one of those ostracised due to his opposition to Themistocles' naval policy.[6][7]
The
Persian King
Xerxes I arrives at
Sardis and begins to build up his great army and navy for the invasion of
Greece.
Egypt contributes 481 ships.
Greece
The
Congress at the Isthmus of Corinth, under the presidency of
Sparta, brings together a number of the Greek city states, who agree to the end of the war between
Athens and
Aegina. They also discuss the threat from the
Persians. Athens is unwilling to place her forces under Sparta and its king
Leonidas.
Gelo,
tyrant of
Syracuse, wants high command, but Sparta and Athens refuse. However, during the Congress, Gelo has to withdraw due to
Carthage's plans to invade
Sicily. Finally, Themistocles agrees that Athens' navy serve under a Spartan admiral to achieve the unity of the Greek states. Nevertheless,
Thebes and
Thessaly are unwilling to support Athens against the Persians and
Crete decides to remain neutral.
May – King Xerxes I of Persia marches from Sardis and onto Thrace and Macedonia.
The Greek congress decides to send a force of 10,000 Greeks, including hoplites and cavalry, to the
Vale of Tempe, through which they believe the Persian army will pass. The force includes
Lacedaemonians led by Euanetos and
Athenians under
Themistocles. Warned by
Alexander I of Macedon that the vale can be bypassed elsewhere and that the army of Xerxes is overwhelming, the Greeks decide not to try to hold there and vacate the vale.
August 20 or
September 8-10 – The
Battle of Thermopylae ends in victory for the
Persians under Xerxes. His army engulfs a force of 300
Spartans and 700
Thespiae under the
Spartan King,
Leonidas I. The
Greeks under Leonidas resist the advance through
Thermopylae of Xerxes' vast army. For two days Leonidas and his troops withstand the
Persian attacks; he then orders most of his troops to retreat, and he and his 300-member royal guard fight to the last man.
King
Alexander I of Macedon is obliged to accompany Xerxes in a campaign through
Greece, though he secretly aids the Greek allies. With Xerxes' apparent acquiescence, Alexander seizes the Greek
colony of
Pydna and advances his frontiers eastward to the
Strymon, taking in
Crestonia and
Bisaltia, along with the rich silver deposits of Mount Dysorus.
August – The
Persians achieve a naval victory over the
Greeks in an
engagement fought near
Artemisium, a promontory on the north coast of
Euboea. The Greek fleet holds its own against the
Persians in three days of fighting but withdraws southward when news comes of the defeat at
Thermopylae.
September 22 – The
Battle of Salamis brings victory to the
Greeks, whose
Athenian general
Themistocles lures the
Persians into the Bay of Salamis, between the
Athenian port-city of
Piraeus and the island of
Salamis. The Greek
triremes then attack furiously, ramming or sinking many
Persianvessels and boarding others. The
Greeks sink about 200
Persianvessels while losing only about 40 of their own. The rest of the
Persian fleet is scattered, and as a result Xerxes has to postpone his planned land offensives for a year, a delay that gives the Greek city-states time to unite against him.
Aeschylus fights on the winning side.
An eclipse of the sun discourages the Greek army from following up the victory of
Salamis. Xerxes returns to
Persia leaving behind an army under
Mardonius, which winters in
Thessaly.
Rome
The Romans achieve a significant
victory against
Veii after a close-fought battle. Tensions between the Roman classes flare during the battle.
Quintus Fabius and the consul
Manlius perish in the fighting.
Xerxes encourages the Carthaginians to attack the Greeks in Sicily. Under the Carthaginian military leader,
Hamilcar,
Carthage sends across a large army.
The Greek city of
Himera in
Sicily, in its quarrel with
Akragas, enlists Carthaginian support. With the help of
Gelo, the
tyrant of
Syracusae, and Theron of Akragas, the Carthaginians are defeated in the
Battle of Himera. After the defeat, Hamilcar kills himself.
Persian empire
The Imperial treasury at the
Persepolis Palace is completed after a building time of thirty years.
^Needham, Joseph; Ling, Wang; Lu, Guizhen; Needham, Joseph (2006). Civil engineering and nautics. Science and civilisation in China / by Joseph Needham Vol. 4, Physics and physical technology (Reprint ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press. pp. 271–272.
ISBN978-0-521-07060-7.
^Durrant, Stephen W.; Li, Wai-yee; Schaberg, David (2016). Zuo Tradition / Zuozhuan: Commentary on the “Spring and Autumn Annals.”. University of Washington Press.
OCLC950901588.
^1. Handa, 2. Yuzhang, 1. Lin, 2. Cao (2010). Tales from 5000 years of Chinese History, Volume 1. Better Link Press. p. 51.
ISBN978-1-60220-112-5.{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link)
After his great victory in the
Battle of Marathon,
Miltiades leads a naval expedition to
Paros to pay off a private score. However, the expedition is unsuccessful and, on his return, he is fined in a prosecution led by
Xanthippus and put in prison where he dies of wounds received at Paros.
The Athenian soldier and statesman,
Aristides (the Just), is made chief archon of
Athens.
Gaius Marcius Coriolanus and
Attius Tullus Aufidius, leading an army of the
Volsci,
besiegeRome. Coriolanus' mother and wife convince him to break off the siege. In recognition of the service of these women, a temple is erected in Rome dedicated to
Fortuna. Subsequently, the
Volsci and their allies the
Aequi have a falling out, and their armies
fight as a result, significantly diminishing the strength of each of them.
The island of
Aegina and the city of
Athens go to war. The island has earned the enmity of Athens by earlier submitting to the Persians. The Spartan King,
Leotychidas, tries unsuccessfully to arrange a truce in the war.
The
Athenian Archonship becomes elective by lot from all the
citizens, an important milestone in the move towards radical
Athenian democracy. There are nine
archons and a secretary. Three of the archons have special functions: the
basileus, or sovereign; the
polemarch (originally a military commander); and the archon eponymous (chief magistrate), who gave his name to the year.
First known use of
ostracism, an instrument created in 508 by
Cleisthenes which enabled the electorate to banish for ten years any citizen deemed to be a threat to democracy. It was intended, therefore, as a safeguard against tyranny. An ostracism could be held annually providing a quorum of 6,000 was achieved but, apparently, the Assembly declined to invoke it until 487 when there was a popular reaction against Hipparchos the Pisistradid who had been the peace party archon in 496. He was the first of several citizens to be ostracised through the fifth century.[1]
Rome
Wars are fought between
Rome and each of the
Volsci and the
Hernici. Rome prevails in both disputes.
Egypt revolts against
Persian rule upon the death of king
Darius I. The revolts, probably led by
Libyans of the western Delta, are crushed the next year by
Xerxes, who reduces Egypt to the status of a conquered province.
The construction of a relief in the
Apadana, a ceremonial complex at
Persepolis, is finished. It shows Darius and Xerxes receiving tribute and is now kept in the Iranbustan Museum in
Tehran.
Gelo, the tyrant of
Gela, takes advantage of an appeal by the descendants of the first colonist of
Syracuse, the Gamoroi, who had held power until they were expelled by the Killichiroi, the lower class of the city. He makes himself master of that city, leaving his brother
Hieron to control Gela.
Xerxes I quells the Egyptian revolt against
Persian rule. He ravages the Delta region in the process and then appoints his brother
Achaemenessatrap (governor) of
Egypt.
Despite an attempt at rebellion, the land and city of
Babylon remains solidly under Persian rule.
Xerxes I of Persia is encouraged by his cousin and brother-in-law,
Mardonius, supported by a strong party of exiled Greeks, to take revenge for the defeat that
Darius I suffered at the hands of the
Greeks at
Marathon in
490 BC. In response, Xerxes prepares for a major expedition to crush the Greeks. To avoid a repeat of the significant losses to the Persian fleet that occurred in
492 BC, Xerxes has a canal cut through the promontory of
Mount Athos.
Greece
The Athenian
archonThemistocles realises that the Greeks need to be able to beat the Persians at sea. To carry out this strategy, however,
Athens needs far more warships (that is to say the newly developed, specialised
triremes) than the 70 it has. Themistocles is initially opposed by other Athenian leaders. However, when the state-owned silver mines at
Laurium become the site of a rich strike, Themistocles persuades the assembly, instead of "declaring a dividend," to devote the whole surplus to increasing the navy to a proposed 200 ships.
India
Following the death of
Gautama Buddha, the
relics associated with his cremation were divided amongst royal families and his disciples, then interned in 8 reliquaries. Each
reliquary was then encased in its own burial mound, called a
stupa (approximate date).[citation needed]
Sicily
Gelo, the
tyrant of
Syracuse conquers the nearby Sicilian cities of
Euboea and
Megara Hyblaea, selling their common people into slavery and bringing their oligarchs to Syracuse.
The Athenian
archonThemistocles secures the
ostracism of his opponents and becomes the political leader of
Athens. The Athenian soldier and statesman,
Aristides, is one of those ostracised due to his opposition to Themistocles' naval policy.[6][7]
The
Persian King
Xerxes I arrives at
Sardis and begins to build up his great army and navy for the invasion of
Greece.
Egypt contributes 481 ships.
Greece
The
Congress at the Isthmus of Corinth, under the presidency of
Sparta, brings together a number of the Greek city states, who agree to the end of the war between
Athens and
Aegina. They also discuss the threat from the
Persians. Athens is unwilling to place her forces under Sparta and its king
Leonidas.
Gelo,
tyrant of
Syracuse, wants high command, but Sparta and Athens refuse. However, during the Congress, Gelo has to withdraw due to
Carthage's plans to invade
Sicily. Finally, Themistocles agrees that Athens' navy serve under a Spartan admiral to achieve the unity of the Greek states. Nevertheless,
Thebes and
Thessaly are unwilling to support Athens against the Persians and
Crete decides to remain neutral.
May – King Xerxes I of Persia marches from Sardis and onto Thrace and Macedonia.
The Greek congress decides to send a force of 10,000 Greeks, including hoplites and cavalry, to the
Vale of Tempe, through which they believe the Persian army will pass. The force includes
Lacedaemonians led by Euanetos and
Athenians under
Themistocles. Warned by
Alexander I of Macedon that the vale can be bypassed elsewhere and that the army of Xerxes is overwhelming, the Greeks decide not to try to hold there and vacate the vale.
August 20 or
September 8-10 – The
Battle of Thermopylae ends in victory for the
Persians under Xerxes. His army engulfs a force of 300
Spartans and 700
Thespiae under the
Spartan King,
Leonidas I. The
Greeks under Leonidas resist the advance through
Thermopylae of Xerxes' vast army. For two days Leonidas and his troops withstand the
Persian attacks; he then orders most of his troops to retreat, and he and his 300-member royal guard fight to the last man.
King
Alexander I of Macedon is obliged to accompany Xerxes in a campaign through
Greece, though he secretly aids the Greek allies. With Xerxes' apparent acquiescence, Alexander seizes the Greek
colony of
Pydna and advances his frontiers eastward to the
Strymon, taking in
Crestonia and
Bisaltia, along with the rich silver deposits of Mount Dysorus.
August – The
Persians achieve a naval victory over the
Greeks in an
engagement fought near
Artemisium, a promontory on the north coast of
Euboea. The Greek fleet holds its own against the
Persians in three days of fighting but withdraws southward when news comes of the defeat at
Thermopylae.
September 22 – The
Battle of Salamis brings victory to the
Greeks, whose
Athenian general
Themistocles lures the
Persians into the Bay of Salamis, between the
Athenian port-city of
Piraeus and the island of
Salamis. The Greek
triremes then attack furiously, ramming or sinking many
Persianvessels and boarding others. The
Greeks sink about 200
Persianvessels while losing only about 40 of their own. The rest of the
Persian fleet is scattered, and as a result Xerxes has to postpone his planned land offensives for a year, a delay that gives the Greek city-states time to unite against him.
Aeschylus fights on the winning side.
An eclipse of the sun discourages the Greek army from following up the victory of
Salamis. Xerxes returns to
Persia leaving behind an army under
Mardonius, which winters in
Thessaly.
Rome
The Romans achieve a significant
victory against
Veii after a close-fought battle. Tensions between the Roman classes flare during the battle.
Quintus Fabius and the consul
Manlius perish in the fighting.
Xerxes encourages the Carthaginians to attack the Greeks in Sicily. Under the Carthaginian military leader,
Hamilcar,
Carthage sends across a large army.
The Greek city of
Himera in
Sicily, in its quarrel with
Akragas, enlists Carthaginian support. With the help of
Gelo, the
tyrant of
Syracusae, and Theron of Akragas, the Carthaginians are defeated in the
Battle of Himera. After the defeat, Hamilcar kills himself.
Persian empire
The Imperial treasury at the
Persepolis Palace is completed after a building time of thirty years.
^Needham, Joseph; Ling, Wang; Lu, Guizhen; Needham, Joseph (2006). Civil engineering and nautics. Science and civilisation in China / by Joseph Needham Vol. 4, Physics and physical technology (Reprint ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press. pp. 271–272.
ISBN978-0-521-07060-7.
^Durrant, Stephen W.; Li, Wai-yee; Schaberg, David (2016). Zuo Tradition / Zuozhuan: Commentary on the “Spring and Autumn Annals.”. University of Washington Press.
OCLC950901588.
^1. Handa, 2. Yuzhang, 1. Lin, 2. Cao (2010). Tales from 5000 years of Chinese History, Volume 1. Better Link Press. p. 51.
ISBN978-1-60220-112-5.{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link)