Conflict & Security in the 6th century BC

70 sourced entries, 598 BCE to 500 BCE, oldest first. Also see Conflict & Security across every century or everything else in the 6th century BC.

• 598 BCE598 BC—Jeconiah succeeds Jehoiakim as King of Judah.source
• 597 BCE597 BC—Jin and Chu fought in the Battle of Bi. Viscount Huan of Zhongxing led the Jin army and was defeated by King Zhuang of Chu.source
• 595 BCE595 BC—Beginning of the First Sacred War in ancient Greece.source
• 595 BCE595 BC—Psamtik II succeeds Necho II as king of Egypt.source
• 593 BCE593 BC—Napata is sacked by the Egyptians and the Kushite capital relocates to Meroë.source
• 592 BCE592 BC—Early history of Sudan: An Egyptian army sacks Napata, compelling the Cushite court to move to a more secure location at Meroë near the sixth cataract of the Nile.source
• 590 BCE590 BC—The Medians invade the Kingdom of Urartu, causing its fall.source
• 589 BCE589 BC—Battle of An: Jin defeats Qi; these two Chinese states later agree to an alliance.source
• 589 BCE589 BC—Nebuchadnezzar II begins his second siege of Jerusalem.source
• 585 BCE585 BC—Fall of the Kingdom of Urartu following a Median invasion. (The Scythians ruined the Kingdom of Urartu.)source
• 585 BCE585 BC—Astyages succeeds Cyaxares as King of the Medes.source
• 585 BCE585 BC—Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, king of Rome, defeats the Sabines in war, takes the town of Collatia, and celebrates a triumph for his victories on 13 September.source
• 585 BCE585 BC—Kirrha is destroyed, ending the First Sacred War.source
• 585 BCE585 BC—King Jian of Zhou succeeds King Ding of Zhou as the emperor of the Zhou dynasty.source
• 582 BCE582 BC—Nebuchadnezzar II forces a third deportation of Jews from Judah into Babylonian captivity.source
• 582 BCE582 BC—Military clash between Egypt and Babylon.source
• 581 BCE581 BC—Suizei becomes the second Emperor of Japan.source
• 580 BCE580 BC—Cambyses I succeeds Cyrus I as king of Anshan and head of the Achaemenid dynasty.source
• 579 BCEServius Tullius succeeds Lucius Tarquinius Priscus as king of Rome upon the latter's assassination. (traditional date)source
• 575 BCEBattle of Yanling in Henan Province, China takes place between Jin and Chu forces. The State of Jin is victorious.source
• 573 BCEThe Siege of Tyre (586–573 BC) ended. It was on-going for 13 years, it also had a significant connection with the Book of Ezekiel.source
• 571 BCEZhou Ling Wang replaces King Jian of Zhou as king of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty.source
• 570 BCEAmasis II drives Apries from the throne of Egypt.source
• 569 BCE569 BC—The 24th Jain Tirthankara, Mahavira, takes Diksha.source
• 568 BCEAmtalqa succeeds his brother Aspelta as king of Kush.source
• 567 BCEDeposed pharaoh Apries invades Egypt with Babylonian help but is defeated by Amasis II.source
• 562 BCEAmel-Marduk succeeds Nebuchadnezzar II as king of Babylon.source
• 560 BCEPeisistratus seizes the Acropolis in Athens, becoming the city's tyrant for the first time.source
• 558 BCEThe Chinese state of Jin defeats its rival state of Qin in battle.source
• 557 BCELabashi-Marduk is king of Babylon during this year, succeeding Neriglissar, who reigned three years, and is followed by Nabonidus, who reigns 17 years.source
• 556 BCENabonidus succeeds Labashi-Marduk as king of Babylon.source
• 556 BCELabashi-Marduk succeeds Neriglissar as king of Babylon.source
• 553 BCECyrus II of Persia revolts against Astyages of the Medes.source
• 552 BCEThe Battle of Hyrba is fought between the Medians and the Persians led by Cyrus the Great.source
• 550 BCEAbdera is destroyed by the Thracians.source
• 550 BCECyrus II the Great overthrows Astyages of the Medes, establishing the Achaemenid Empire.source
• 549 BCEKing Cyrus II (the Great) captures the Median capital of Ecbatana, conquering the nation of Media.source
• 547 BCECroesus seizes the Persian city of Pteria and enslaves its inhabitants. Meanwhile, Cyrus invites the Ionians to join him in battle.source
• 547 BCEThe Battles of Thymbra and Pteria are fought between Croesus of Lydia and Cyrus the Great.source
• 547 BCECyrus besieges and captures Sardis.source
• 546 BCECyrus establishes a garrison in Sardis and incorporates the Greek cities of Ionia in Asia Minor into the Achaemenid Empire.source
• 546 BCEA coup takes place in the state of Qi.source
• 546 BCECyrus makes Pasargadae the capital of Persia.source
• 544 BCEZhou jing wang becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty of China.source
• 543 BCENorth Indian Prince Vijaya invades Ceylon and establishes a Sinhalese dynasty after he was banished from his father's kingdomsource
• 540 BCEPersians conquer Lycian city of Xanthos (approximate date).source
• 539 BCESeptember 25–28? – Battle of Opis: Troops of the Persian Achaemenid Empire under Cyrus the Great decisively defeat those of the Neo-Babylonian Empire.source
• 539 BCEOctober 29 – Fall of Babylon: Achaemenid troops under Gobryas enter Babylon unopposed. Cyrus enters the city, incorporating the Neo-Babylonian Empire into the Achaemenid Empire and turning the latter into the largest in the history of the world up until that point.source
• 538 BCEThe Babylonian captivity of the Jews in Babylon ends when Cyrus the Great, king of Persia, allows them to return to Jerusalem under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Joshua the High Priest; possible start of construction of the Second Temple.source
• 535 BCEPhocaean Greek colonists clash with Carthaginian and Etruscan ships in the Battle of Alalia (near Corsica).source
• 529 BCE529 BC—The Chinese state of Zhoulai is conquered by Wu.source
• 525 BCEBattle of Pelusium - Cambyses II of Persia conquers Egypt by painting cats and other animals sacred to the Egyptians on his soldiers' shields. The Egyptians run in fear of "harming" these animals. It is said that after the battle, Cambyses hurled cats in the faces of the Egyptians in scorn that they would sacrifice their country for the safety of their animals.source
• 525 BCEAfter conquering Egypt, the Persian king Cambyses II sent ambassadors to Macrobia, bringing luxury gifts for the Macrobian king to entice his submission. The Macrobian king replied instead with a challenge for his Persian counterpart in the form of an unstrung bow: if the Persians could manage to string it, they would have the right to invade his country; but until then, they should thank the gods that the Macrobians never decided to invade their empire.source
• 524 BCEBattle of Cumae - An army of Umbrians, Daunians, Etruscans, and others is defeated by the Greeks of Cumae, present-day Italy.source
• 522 BCEBabylon rebels against Persian rule.source
• 516 BCECleomenes I of Sparta receives an embassy from Maeandrius of Samos asking for help to expel the tyrant Syloson, a puppet of the Persian Empire, which is at the time subjugating the city-states of the eastern Aegean Sea.source
• 516 BCEThe Persian king Darius I occupies Punjab (approximate date).source
• 512 BCESun Tzu, author of The Art of War, begins serving King Helü of the State of Wu as his general and military strategist (approximate date).source
• 512 BCEThe State of Xu is disestablished following attacks by the states of Wu and Chu.source
• 510 BCEHippias, tyrant of Athens, is expelled by his people with the assistance of Cleomenes, King of Spartasource
• 509 BCEForces of Veii and Tarquinii, led by the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, are defeated in the Battle of Silva Arsia by the Roman army. Consul Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first republican triumph on March 1.source
• 508 BCEClusium fights a war with Aricia.source
• 508 BCEA war is fought between Rome and Clusium.source
• 505 BCEA war between Rome and the Sabines begins, concluding in 504 BC.source
• 504 BCEA war between Rome and the Sabines ends, having begun in 505 BC.source
• 503 BCEThe Latin towns of Pometia and Cora, with the assistance of the Aurunci, revolt against Rome.source
• 502 BCERome suppresses the Pometian revolt.source
• 502 BCEThe island of Naxos rebels against the Persian Empire.source
• 501 BCEGadir (present-day Cádiz) is captured by Carthage. (approximate date)source
• 500 BCEYayoi period starts in Ancient Japan (approximate date).source