550s BC

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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 — 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.

Significant people

• 558 BC — Death of Solon, Athenian statesman.
• 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).
• 551 BC — Birth of Confucius, philosopher (traditional date).
• 550 BC — Birth of Epicharmus, Greek poet (d. 460 BC).

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