Ancient World
Battle of Aegospotami (405 BC): Lysander Destroys Athens' Fleet
Decisive Spartan victory: about 170 Athenian ships were captured, Athens was besieged and surrendered in 404 BC, ending the Peloponnesian War.
Era · c. 3000 BC – AD 500
Ancient World
The first cities, empires and written records, from the pyramids of Egypt to Greece and the Roman Empire.
Ancient World
Thirty Tyrants (404-403 BC): Oligarchy and Terror in Athens
The oligarchy collapsed after about eight months of rule; democracy was restored in 403 BC under a general amnesty.
Ancient World
Diogenes of Sinope (c. 404 BC): The Cynic Philosopher in a Jar
Diogenes became the model of the Cynic way of life, whose ideals of self-sufficiency and living according to nature strongly influenced Stoicism.
Ancient World
Partition of Jin (403 BC): The Birth of Han, Zhao and Wei
The great state of Jin was divided among the Han, Zhao and Wei lineages, whose heads were formally recognised as feudal lords in 403 BC.
Ancient World
Battle of Cunaxa (401 BC): Cyrus the Younger's Bid for Persia
Artaxerxes II won when Cyrus the Younger was killed, although Cyrus's Greek mercenaries were undefeated on their part of the field and later marched home.
Ancient World
March of the Ten Thousand (401 BC): Xenophon's Anabasis
Most of the Greek mercenaries survived a retreat of well over 1,500 kilometres and reached the Black Sea, later returning to service in Thrace and Asia Minor.
Ancient World
Tollund Man: The Iron Age Bog Body Found in Denmark
One of the best-preserved prehistoric bodies ever found; his head is displayed at the Silkeborg Museum.
Ancient World
Kaminaljuyu: The Highland Maya City Beneath Guatemala City
Kaminaljuyu became the dominant city of the southern Maya highlands and a key centre for early Maya writing, art and trade.
Ancient World
Mahabharata: The Ancient Indian Epic and Its Historical World
The Mahabharata became a foundational text of Hinduism and one of the most influential works of world literature.
Ancient World
Laozi and the Tao Te Ching: Origins of Daoism in Ancient China
The Tao Te Ching became the founding text of Daoist philosophy and religion and one of the most translated books in the world.
Ancient World
Trial of Socrates (399 BC): Athens Condemns Its Philosopher
Socrates was convicted of impiety and corrupting the young, sentenced to death and executed by drinking hemlock.
Ancient World
Fall of Veii (396 BC): Rome Conquers Its Etruscan Rival
Rome destroyed Veii as an independent city, annexed its territory and became the dominant power in the lower Tiber valley.