istoryworld
Events relating to athens
Sennacherib moves the Assyrian capital to a new site at Nineveh
The island of Sicily is colonized from the eastern Mediterranean by both Phoenicians and Greeks
The Assyrian king, Sennacherib, destroys with great brutality the city of Babylon
The Egyptian city of Memphis falls to an Assyrian army, soon to be followed by Thebes
The Areopagus, named from the hill on Athens where it meets, is the council through which the nobles keep power in their own hands
Hereditary aristocrats hold nearly all political power and own most of the land in Attica
The Babylonians defeat an Egyptian army at Carchemish, but do not press on into Egypt
Phoenicians sail round the Cape of Good Hope and bring back the surprising news that the sun was seen to the north of them
The free smallholding peasants of Attica fall increasingly into debt, compelled to pay a sixth of all their produce to a creditor
Solon is elected archon in Athens, immediately cancelling the debts of the peasants of Attica and making it illegal to enslave a debtor
Solon makes every Athenian citizen a member of the ecclesia, responsible for the election of archons, thus laying the first cornerstone of Athenian democracy
The Babylonian king Nebuchadrezzar II begins a siege of Tyre which lasts for thirteen years before the city capitulates
The Greek philosopher Anaximander argues that humans must have descended from an animal of a different kind, because human infants need protection for so long
Peisistratos seizes power in Athens and rules as a benevolent dictator for more than thirty years
Cyrus, king of the Persians, takes Ecbatana, capital city of the Medes, and establishes the first Persian empire
An Etruscan dynasty rules in Rome and Etruscan influence is now dominant throughout central Italy
Larache is founded as a Carthaginian colony on the Atlantic coast of Africa
Sardis, the capital city of the Lydian ruler Croesus, is taken by the Persians
Cyrus annexes the Greek territory of Ionia as part of his empire, giving Persia a presence on the Aegean
Thespis, traditionally considered the first actor, wins the drama competition in Athens
The Phoenician cities, liberated from Babylonian rule, willingly accept inclusion in the Persian empire
The Persians defeat an Egyptian army at Pelusium and then capture Memphis
The Athenian ruler Hippias is toppled by the nobles of Attica, with the help of Sparta
According to legend, the Etruscans are driven from Rome by popular outrage after the rape of Lucretia by Sextus Tarquinius
