6th century BC

(7th century BC - 6th century BC - 5th century BC - other centuries)

(600s BC - 590s BC - 580s BC - 570s BC - 560s BC - 550s BC - 540s BC - 530s BC - 520s BC - 510s BC - 500s BC - other decades)

(2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium AD)

• Persians conquer Ancient Egypt, dominate eastern Mediterranean.
• Ruin of the Kingdom of Judah and the destruction of the First Temple (586 BC), return of the Jews several decades later.
• Buddha founds Buddhism in India. It became a major world religion.
• Confucius formulates his ethical system of Confucianism, which proved highly influential in China
• Roman republic founded
• Dao de jing written (traditional date)

Significant persons:

• Buddha
• Confucius
• Cyrus the Great king of Persia
• Thales Greek mathematician. has predicted an eclipse
• Pythagoras, Greek mathematician. See Pythagorean Theorem

Inventions, Discoveries, Introductions