Fifth century BC

(6th century BC - 5th century BC - 4th century BC - other centuries)

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

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Events

• Demotic becomes the dominant script of ancient Egypt
• Persians invade Greece twice (Persian Wars)
• Battle of Marathon (490)
• Battle of Salamis (480)
• Athenian empire formed and falls
• Peloponnesian War
• Buddhist monastic university at Nalanda, India established.

Significant persons

• Pythagoras of Samos, Greek mathematician. See Pythagorean Theorem (582 - 496 BC).
• Gautama Buddha, founding figure of Buddhism (c. 563 - 483 BC).
• Confucius, founding figure of Confucianism (551 - 479 BC).
• Aeschylus of Athens, playwright (525 - 456 BC).
• Darius I, King of Persia (reigned 521 - 485 BC).
• Sophocles of Athens, playwright (496 - 406 BC).
• Pericles of Athens, politician (c. 495 - 429 BC).
• Herodotus of Halicarnassus, historian (c. 485 BC).
• Euripides of Athens, playwright (c. 480 - 406 BC).
• Socrates of Athens, philosopher (470 - 399 BC).
• Aristophanes of Athens, playwright (c. 446 - 385 BC).
• Darius II, king of Persia (reigned 423-404)
• Ezra and Nehemiah active in Judea.
• Tollund Man, Human sacrifice victim on the Jutland Peninsula in Denmark, possibly the earliest known evidence for worship of Odin.

Inventions, discoveries, introductions

• Cast iron is first used in Wu.

Decades and years

500s BC
490s BC	499 BC	498 BC	497 BC	496 BC	495 BC	494 BC	493 BC	492 BC	491 BC	490 BC
480s BC	489 BC	488 BC	487 BC	486 BC	485 BC	484 BC	483 BC	482 BC	481 BC	480 BC
470s BC	479 BC	478 BC	477 BC	476 BC	475 BC	474 BC	473 BC	472 BC	471 BC	470 BC
460s BC	469 BC	468 BC	467 BC	466 BC	465 BC	464 BC	463 BC	462 BC	461 BC	460 BC
450s BC	459 BC	458 BC	457 BC	456 BC	455 BC	454 BC	453 BC	452 BC	451 BC	450 BC
440s BC	449 BC	448 BC	447 BC	446 BC	445 BC	444 BC	443 BC	442 BC	441 BC	440 BC
430s BC	439 BC	438 BC	437 BC	436 BC	435 BC	434 BC	433 BC	432 BC	431 BC	430 BC
420s BC	429 BC	428 BC	427 BC	426 BC	425 BC	424 BC	423 BC	422 BC	421 BC	420 BC
410s BC	419 BC	418 BC	417 BC	416 BC	415 BC	414 BC	413 BC	412 BC	411 BC	410 BC
400s BC	409 BC	408 BC	407 BC	406 BC	405 BC	404 BC	403 BC	402 BC	401 BC	400 BC
390s BC	399 BC	398 BC	397 BC	396 BC	395 BC	394 BC	393 BC	392 BC	391 BC	390 BC