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cf Herodotus c440BC [map]
Greece
Over the last few centuries, Greek city states have been searching for stable political forms: monarchy, oligarchy, tyranny, etc.
Athens, emphasizing production of wine and olive oil, is taking over commercial dominance from Corinth [pix]
Corinth has just started minting silver coins depicting Pegasus [gold later] and begun reconstructing their Temple of Apollo (Doric style) [pic] ditto
Solon reformed Athens government 30 years ago [background] [etext fragments] [Plutarch] [rave]
Pisistratus has dedicated himself to ruling Athens, but it won't be until 546 that he begins his 20-year dictatorship.
Chilon of Sparta is about to come to power [background]
The city-states of Boetia (just west of Athens) are beginning to band together. Their best-known son was Hesiod, 150 years back, who reworked various near-eastern creation myths.
The Olympic games have been held every four years for more than 200 years. [info]
The Greek preference for homosexuality is at its historic peak. [essay]
Sappho had died on Lesbos within the last decade. [website]
(Homer might have composed his epics on the island of Chios 200 years ago.)
Miletus (a Greek colony on the southwest coast of Asia Minor) is struggling with Lydia for dominance of the lucrative Black Sea trade
pre-Socratic philosophers in Miletus: Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes [info] influenced by Zoroaster? [analysis] [passim]
Phocaea (Gk colony north of Miletus) has been exploring the western Mediterranean, founded Marseille (Massalia), imports first tin from Britain
Ephesus (between Miletus and Phocaea) has started building the Artemisium in Ionic style
?18yo Pythagoras is still on Samos, supposed to have studied in Egypt and Phoenicia [info] vegetarian, oldest theory of reincarnation, maybe derived from Zoroaster???
extensive colonisation of Italy and Sicily over last 200 years
Italy
Etruria [background] has been supplying Greek traders with iron for 200 years, but the power center has started shifting to Rome. [background]
Romans have drained (and then paved) the Forum valley as a central meeting place, and established the cattle-market beside the river Tiber
Servius Tullius is the Etruscan-born king of Rome; the Roman senate is based on 22 tribes (4 urban, 17 rural); their army of 6000 is organised into hoplite-inspired 'centuries' of 100 men; they've captured Alba Longa to dominate Latium
The Roman Republic will be founded by 500 BC.
Celts from northern Europe are starting to cross the Alps and visiting Italy.
Europe
Herodotus in 440BC would associate the Celts with the Danube. [debate]
Ireland
Celts also began migrating into Ireland around this time, probably from Spain, ruling via iron swords and chariots. [info] [info?]
Lydia
Croesus is just coming into to power [bio] [essay] But he'll immolate himself in 547 when Cyrus conquers Lydia.
silver coins: pic
Palestine
Jerusalem was burnt by the Babylonians in 586 BC, ending the First Temple. Many Jews have been deported to Babylonia. The local puppet ruler Gedaliah rules from Mizpah. [archeo]
Most of the Old Testament has been composed [dates], perhaps only 60 years earlier under Josiah. [review] An earlier "Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel" must have been used as a source, because archeology has confirmed some named kings back as far as 885BC. [info]
The 'Deutero-Isaiah' is about to compose his prophesy of the Suffering Servant. [KJV] He may have been influenced by Cyrus's Zoroastrianism. [essay]
And Cyrus will very soon repatriate 50,000 Jews.
Lachish: ostracon
Phoenician colonists from Tyre had been mining silver in Spain [cite] for several centuries, and had founded Carthage on the Tunisian coast more than 200 years ago. [info] [govt] [art]
Ezekiel on Tyre c580BC [KJV]
Egypt
Nebuchadnezzar had invaded Egypt in 564BC.
Pharaoh Ahmose II (aka Amasis) of the 26th dynasty [bio] [info] [Herodotus]
Necho had financed the (clockwise) circumnavigation of Africa c600BC. It was done by Phoenician sailors and took 3 years. [cite]
Or, alternate chronology: [website]
Babylonia
The Babylonians and Medes had crushed the Assyrians in 609BC. [history/ethics]
Nebuchadnezzar (of the Hanging Gardens: pic, info) has dominated the middle east for four decades. [bio] [info] But he will die next year and be succeeded by three different kings in the next six years.
Between 605 and 586 Nebuchadnezzar had laid waste to Judah, and brought 10,000 wealthy Jews to captivity in Babylon. Inspired by Jeremiah and Baruch, these have been doing well for themselves.
Between 556 and 539, the king of Babylonia will be the hapless Nabonidus, driven by religious visions that mislead him into abandoning the city to its fate. [info] The biblical book of Daniel will mis-remember him under the name Nebuchadnezzar.
Persia
Cyrus is about 13yo [cite] but will become king at 17, and launch his empire: [bio] [article] to promote Zoroastrianism? [essay]
Herodotus: [etext] #Cyrus-bio
Nabonidus Chronicle: [etext]
Media:
Astyages has been ruling for 22 years. [context]
Zarathustra (Greek: Zoroaster) might have been 65yo, having had his religious vision at age 30 (or 40?). [bio] [info]
Zoroastrian views of Satan, resurrection, heaven, and hell [info] [info] and their approach to laws-of-purity [info] may have influenced Jewish exiles in Babylonia.
Gedrosia: [info]
India: Aryans reach the Ganges? [cite] Vedantic Age produces Upanishads? [info]
Nepal: birth of Buddha [bio] [map]
China: the Zhou dynasty was in its 'Spring and Autumn' period [info] [more] the king was Lingwang [cite]
Lao-tzu, founder of Taoism, had been born in 604 BC. [info] [etext] more
Confucius would be born in 551BC. [bio] [website]
Japan: 'Final Jomon' culture produces goddess-figurines [info] [pix]
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