550s BC

Events and trends

*Carthage conquers Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica.
*559 BC — King Cambyses I of Anshan dies and is succeeded by his son Cyrus II the Great.
*558 BC — Hegesias is removed as Archon of Athens.
*558 BC — The Chinese state of Jin defeats its rival Qin in battle.
*556 BC — Pisistratus is exiled from Athens to Euboea.
*556 BC — Labashi-Marduk succeeds Neriglissar as king of Babylon.
*556 BC/555 BC — Nabonidus succeeds Labashi-Marduk as king of Babylon.
*c. 550 BC — Colonisation of Greeks ends.
*550 BC — Abdera is destroyed by the Thracians.
*550 BC — The Temple of Artemis completed in Ephesus.
*550 BC — Cyrus II the Great overthrows Astyages of the Medes, establishing the Persian Empire.
*c. 550 BC — Temple of Hera I, Paestum, Italy, is built.
*550 BC — Siddhartha Gautama founded Buddhism in Northern India after achieving enlightenment after six years of practicing penance and meditation.

ignificant people

*558 BC — Death of Solon, Athenian.
*c. 556 BC — Birth of Simonides of Ceos.
*555 BC — Death of Stesichorus, Greek lyric poet.
*c. 551 BC — Death of Zoroaster, Iranian prophet (traditional date).
*September 28, 551 BC — Birth of Confucius, philosopher (traditional date).
*550 BC — Birth of Epicharmus, Greek poet (d. 460 BC).