268 – 239 BC
268 – 239 BC
in
Ashoka rules the Magadha kingdom in India, at its peak; Ashoka is a Buddhist layman who in the latter part of his reign tries to govern according to dharma.
285 – 275 BC
285 – 275 BC
in
Translation of the Hebrew Torah into Greek, probably for political reasons concerning King Ptolemy II
287 – 212 BC
287 – 212 BC
in
Archimedes determines the areas and volumes of many different types of shapes
3rd century BC
3rd century BC
in
Chuang Tzu wrote essays, poems and stories that later became the basis of Taoism, along with Lao Tzu’s Taote Ching.
300 BC
300 BC
in
Native to Asia, asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) was already known as a wild plant by the time of the Egyptians, who spread its cultivation throughout the Mediterranean basin. The first literary document relating to this vegetable (the “History of Plants” by the Greek Theophrastus) dates back
300 BC – 900 AD
300 BC – 900 AD
in
Classic Period of the Maya civilization; the main cities are Tikal, Copan, Bonampak, Piedras Negras, Palenque
June 10-11, 323 BC
June 10-11, 323 BC
in
Alexander the Great dies. Alexander the Great, the young Macedonian military genius who conquered an empire that stretched from the eastern Mediterranean to India, dies in Babylon at the age of 33. Son of King Philip II of Macedon, he had received a classical education
October 1, 331 BC
October 1, 331 BC
in
Battle of Gaugamela in northwest Persia, between Alexander the Great and Darius III, Persian Emperor Alexander fields 40,000 infantry and 7,000 cavalry facing 250,000 Persian soldiers awaiting him; the battle ends with a Macedonian triumph that opens the way to the heart of the Persian
in
Egypt: Lagid Dynasty: Ptolemy I or Soter I (323-284), Ptolemy the Philadelphus (284-246), Ptolemy III Evergetes I (246-221), Ptolemy IV Philopator (221-205), Ptolemy V Epiphanes (205-182), Ptolemy VI Phytometor (181-164) (163-145), Ptolemy VII Neo Philopator (146), Ptolemy VIII Evergetes II (170-163) (145-116), Ptolemy Ixsoter II
332 – 304 BC
332 – 304 BC
in
Egypt: Macedonian Conquest: Alexander the Great (332-323), Philip Arrhidaeus (323-316), Alexander IV (316-304)
334 – 323 BC
334 – 323 BC
in
Empire of Alexander the Great of Macedonia (from Greece and Egypt to Karakorum and Indus)
377 – 353 BC
377 – 353 BC
in
Construction of the Tomb of Mausolus (Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, Western Türkiye), the 5th Wonder of the Ancient World
438 – 430 BC
438 – 430 BC
in
Construction of the Statue of Zeus at Olympia (Southern Greece), is the Third Wonder of the Ancient World, designed by the sculptor Phidias
450 – 375 BC
450 – 375 BC
in
China. In a classic Taoist text, the Liezi, in the chapter “Questions of the Tang,” the tale of Yanshi appears: a skilled craftsman builds a human-like automaton (robot), capable of walking, dancing, and singing. He exhibits it to the King, who believes he’s being mocked.
September 23, 480 BC
September 23, 480 BC
in
Persia. Xerxes, King of Kings, the despotic leader of Persia, after five years of building a mighty army, is ready to launch a surprise attack on the Greeks. But his preparations for the attack have been closely observed by Demaratus, an exiled Greek living in
551 – 479 BC
551 – 479 BC
in
Confucius (or Kongfuzi) lived at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC), an era of political upheavals that led to the ruthless Warring States Period (453 – 221 BC).
566 – 483 BC
566 – 483 BC
in
Siddhartha, known as Buddha (the enlightened one), lives in India. Siddhartha was born in the Shakya state, at the foot of the Himalayas, in the southern part of present-day Nepal.
587 – 538 BC
587 – 538 BC
in
Prophets of the Exile cited in the Bible: Ezekiel, Deutero-Isaiah, Daniel
6th century BC
6th century BC
in
Aristotle: 2 types of motion: natural (does not require a cause) and violent (requires a cause)
6th century BC
6th century BC
in
Aristotle in “Heaven” (De Caelo) demonstrates (boat gradually disappearing on the horizon) that the Earth is spherical
6th century BC
6th century BC
in
The tradition of general debt cancellation is codified in Deuteronomy, which later became part of the Bible. The Torah introduces the principle of the Sabbatical year: every seven years, farmers must let the land rest and their debts are cancelled.
6th century BC
6th century BC
in
In India the books of Vedic literature Mahabarata and Ramayana, later also the Bhagavata Purana will be written; it is said that some of the stories date back to 3000 BC and that in turn they refer to an oral tradition dating back to millennia
April 21, 753 BC
April 21, 753 BC
in
New Roman calendar reference: foundation of Rome (Ab Urbe Condita)
1100 BC approx.
1100 BC approx.
in
Complete destruction of the Minoan civilization in Crete by the Dorian invaders and natural disasters
1786-1567 BC circa
1786-1567 BC circa
in
Egypt: The Second Intermediate Period: 13th-14th Dynasty: Anteph IV, Mentuhotep V, Mentuhotep VI, Amenemmat V, Amenemmat VII
2nd Millennium BC
2nd Millennium BC
in
China. Shang Dynasty: Chinese writing characters are invented.
2000 BC
2000 BC
in
Indo-Aryan tribes invade the Indian subcontinent, subjugating the local populations, who are fewer in number. The invaders establish a stratified caste system, with them naturally occupying the upper echelons. Intermingling between castes is prohibited both legally and religiously.