The 6th century BC
322 sourced entries across 87 documented years, grouped into 10 decades. A century here runs 1900–1999 rather than 1901–2000, so its decades sit inside it exactly; on the BC side the same rule puts 1–99 BC in the 1st century BC and 100 BC in the 2nd.
Decades
- The 590s BC — 9 years, 17 entries
- The 580s BC — 6 years, 21 entries
- The 570s BC — 8 years, 21 entries
- The 560s BC — 9 years, 26 entries
- The 550s BC — 10 years, 36 entries
- The 540s BC — 8 years, 40 entries
- The 530s BC — 9 years, 34 entries
- The 520s BC — 9 years, 34 entries
- The 510s BC — 9 years, 40 entries
- The 500s BC — 10 years, 53 entries
By subject
- Conflict & Security in the 6th century BC — 70 entries
- Geopolitics & Diplomacy in the 6th century BC — 31 entries
- Culture & Society in the 6th century BC — 22 entries
- Exploration & Expansion in the 6th century BC — 16 entries
- Religion & Belief in the 6th century BC — 16 entries
- Science & Discovery in the 6th century BC — 11 entries
A few of the years
- 598 BCE598 BC—Kamarina is founded in Sicily (traditional date).
- 585 BCE585 BC—Fall of the Kingdom of Urartu following a Median invasion. (The Scythians ruined the Kingdom of Urartu.)
- 570 BCEBerlin Kore, from a cemetery at Keratea, near Athens, is begun. It is now at the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Germany.
- 559 BCECyrus the Great succeeds his father Cambyses I of Anshan.
- 547 BCECroesus seizes the Persian city of Pteria and enslaves its inhabitants. Meanwhile, Cyrus invites the Ionians to join him in battle.
- 535 BCEThe Sungai Batu Civilization in Malaysia begins.
- 522 BCEDecember – Darius I succeeds Bardiya as ruler of Persia. He is the son of a government official.
- 511 BCEThe Greek tragic poet Phrynicus wins his first theatrical contest in Athens.