Religion & Belief in the 5th century BC

39 sourced entries, 495 BCE to 400 BCE, oldest first. Also see Religion & Belief across every century or everything else in the 5th century BC.

• 495 BCEThe beginning of discord between the plebs and patricians leading to the first secession of the plebs.source
• 495 BCEA temple is built on the Circus Maximus, between the Aventine and Palatine hills, in Rome, in honour of the god Mercury and was dedicated on 15 May.source
• 494 BCEAt the end of the military campaigns, the plebs retire to the Sacred Mountain outside Rome in the Secession of the Plebs. To end the secession, the plebeians gain acceptance from the patricians that they may choose two leaders to whom they give the title of Tribunes. The office of the tribunate is thereby established.source
• 494 BCEThe aediles, magistrates of ancient Rome who are in charge of the temple and cult of Ceres, are first established. They are two officials of the plebeians, created at the same time as the tribunes, whose sanctity they share.source
• 491 BCEOn the Via Latina, a main road leading out of Rome, the Temple of Fortuna Muliebras was finished.source
• 490 BCEThe Athenians begin the building of a temple to Athena Parthenos (approximate date).source
• 484 BCEDedication of the Temple of Castor and Polluxsource
• 483 BCEPunishment of the vestal virgin Oppia for a breach of chastity.source
• 480 BCEPausanias becomes regent for King Leonidas' son, Pleistarchus, after Leonidas I is killed at Thermopylae. Pausanias is a member of the Agiad royal family, the son of King Cleombrotus and nephew of Leonidas.source
• 478 BCEA Temple of Confucius is established in (modern-day) Qufu.source
• 476 BCEThe Greek poet Pindar visits Sicily and is made welcome at the courts of Theron of Acragas and Hieron I of Syracuse. They commission some of his greatest poetry. It is through these connections that Pindar's reputation spreads all over the Greek world.source
• 473 BCEThe Hikawa Shrine is established in Saitama, Saitama.source
• 467 BCEAeschylus writes Seven Against Thebes and wins the Dionysia.source
• 463 BCEThe Senate and People of Rome appoint Gaius Aemilius Mamercus interrex.source
• 462 BCEEphialtes passes a law in the Athenian ecclesia, which reforms the Areopagus, limiting its power to judging cases of homicide and religious crimes. He considers the Areopagus to be the centre of conservatism and Ephialtes' victory is seen as a defeat for the conservatives and the members of the oligarchy.source
• 462 BCEThe Greek philosopher, Anaxagoras, moves to Athens and begins teaching there.source
• 461 BCEEphialtes, with the support of Pericles, reduces the power of the Athenian Council of Areopagus (filled with ex-archons and so a stronghold of oligarchy) and transfers them to the people, i.e. the Council of Five Hundred, the Assembly and the popular law courts. The office of Judge is made a paid position and is recruited by lot from a list to which every citizen can have his name added.source
• 460 BCEPolygnotos of Thasos decorates the Painted Stoa, on the north side of Ancient Agora of Athens (approximate date).source
• 451 BCEFollowing the report of a three-man commission into the design of Roman law, the patricians set up in Rome a Board of Ten, the Decemviri. The first Decemviri, composed entirely of patricians is led by consuls Appius Claudius Crassus and Titus Genucius Augurinus. The first ten codes of the Roman Law of the Twelve Tables are completed by the first Decemvirate.source
• 450 BCEPolykleitos of Argos develops a set of rules (The Canon) for constructing the ideal human figure (approximate date).source
• 450 BCEPolygnotos of Thasos ceases his work (approximate date).source
• 449 BCEThe Law of the Twelve Tables (developed by the Decemvirates) is formally promulgated in 450 B.C. The Twelve Tables are literally drawn up on twelve ivory tablets which are posted in the Forum Romanum so that all Romans can read and know them.source
• 448 BCEFollowing the co-optation of two patricians to the office of Tribune of the Plebs, the tribune Lucius Trebonius Asper introduces the Lex Trebonia, a law forbidding tribunes from co-opting their colleagues in the future.source
• 443 BCENo consuls are elected in Rome, but rather military tribunes with consular power are appointed in their stead. While only patricians could be consuls, some military tribunes were plebeians. These positions had responsibility for the census, a vital function in the financial administration of Rome. So to stop the plebeians from possibly gaining control of the census, the patricians remove from the consuls and tribunes the right to take the census, and rather entrust it to two magistrates, called censores who were to be chosen exclusively from the patricians in Rome.source
• 440 BCEA temple for Poseidon is erected in Sounion.source
• 438 BCEThe colossal statue of the Athena Parthenos, which Phidias has made for the Parthenon, is completed and dedicated. It is made of gold and ivory and stands some 12 metres high.source
• 432 BCESparta calls and hosts a conference of the Peloponnesian League. The conference is attended by Athenian representatives as well as members of the League. Following arguments by Corinth against Athens, a majority of the League members vote to declare that the Athenians had broken the peace.source
• 430 BCETraditional date where scholars believe the Hebrew prophet known as Malachi writes the 39th and last book, and last of the prophetic books, of the Old Testament of the Biblical canon, the Book of Malachi. Biblical books written between now and the millennium will not be included in the Hebrew Bible and in some Christian traditions considered Biblical apocrypha.source
• 430 BCEPolyclitus completes one of his greatest statues, the Diadumenos (Diadem-bearer).source
• 425 BCECallicrates starts to build the Temple of Athena Nike on the Acropolis in Athens (approximate date). Between 410 and 407 BC the temple is surrounded by a parapet.source
• 423 BCESextus Tempanius, Aulus Sellius, Sextus Antistius, and Spurius Icilius are chosen by the commons as tribunessource
• 420 BCE17 Boedromion (Epidauria): The cult of Asclepius is introduced at Athens.source
• 415 BCEConstruction of the Temple of Hephaestus in Athens is completed. Construction had begun in 449 BC.source
• 403 BCERome elects eight military tribunes with consular power; Manlius Aemilius Mamercus, Lucius Valerius Potitus, Appius Claudius Crassus, Marcus Quinctilius Varus, Lucius Julius Julus, Marcus Postumius, Marcus Furius Camillus, and Marcus Postumiussource
• 403 BCEUnder archon Eucleides, the Athenians accept a spelling reform, adopting the Ionian alphabet, which includes eta and omega. The new alphabet came to be known as the Euclidean alphabet.source
• 400 BCEBrahmanism starts evolving in Hinduism, a process which takes place over the following 200 years (approximate date).source
• 400 BCETheodorus from Phokaia in Asia Minor, builds the Tholos of Delphi, the sanctuary of Athena Pronaia in Delphi (approximate date).source
• 400 BCEZoroastrianism becomes the faith of many Persians. The Zoroastrians believe in a struggle between their god, Mazda, and the devil. They believe that the birth of their founder, the prophet Zarathustra, was the beginning of a final epoch that is to end in an Armageddon and triumph of good over evil.source
• 400 BCEIndia had the biggest epic on earth - The Mahabharata.source