Century · 500 BCE – 401 BCE
The world in the 5th century BCE
From 500 BCE to 401 BCE the atlas holds 113 states standing at some time, 19 of them founded in it - Kingdom of Aksum and Warring States period the best known - and 23 ending in it. 76 wars, risings, treaties, discoveries and other events began - Battle of Thermopylae, Greco-Persian Wars and Battle of Marathon the best known of the events; 189 people were born.
A century here is counted as Wikidata counts it, 500 BCE to 401 BCE, and holds every row that began in it, however coarsely dated.
What began in the 5th century BCE
By decade first - wars and battles in red, risings, regime changes and massacres beside them, everything else in grey - then by kind, the best known first.
Wars and battles 66
- Battle of Thermopylae · battle · 480 BCE
- Greco-Persian Wars · war · 499 – 449 BCE
- Battle of Marathon · battle · 490 BCE
- Battle of Salamis · battle · 480 BCE
- Battle of Plataea · battle · 479 BCE
- Ionian Revolt · war · 499 – 493 BCE
- Battle of Mycale · battle · 479 BCE
- Sicilian Expedition · battle · 415 – 413 BCE
and 58 more in the atlas.
Regime change 1
- Athenian coup of 411 BC · adverse regime change · 411 BCE
Unrest and atrocity 3
- Mytilenean revolt · unrest · 428 – 427 BCE
- Achaemenid destruction of Athens · atrocity · 480 BCE
- Sack of Camarina · atrocity · 405 BCE
Famine and plague 1
- Plague of Athens · plague · 430 – 426 BCE
Natural disasters 1
- 464 BC Sparta earthquake · disaster · 464 BCE
Treaties 3
- Peace of Nicias · treaty · 421 BCE
- Peace of Callias · treaty · 449 BCE
- Thirty Years' Peace · treaty · 446 BCE
Works and ideas 1
- Allegory of the cave · literature · 401 BCE
States founded and fallen
Founded 19
- Kingdom of Aksum · state · 401 BCE – 960 CE
- Warring States period · state · 476 – 221 BCE
- Bosporan Kingdom · state · 437 BCE – 370 CE
- Yuezhi · state · 404 BCE – 42 CE
- Aetolian League · state · 401 – 188 BCE
- Nabataean Kingdom · state · 401 BCE – 106 CE
- Odrysian kingdom · state · 460 BCE – 46 CE
- Twenty-eighth Dynasty of Egypt · state · 404 – 399 BCE
- Kition · state · 450 – 312 BCE
- Zhao · state · 403 – 222 BCE
- Han (Warring States) · state · 403 – 230 BCE
- Wei (state) · state · 403 – 225 BCE
- Shaishunaga dynasty · state · 413 – 345 BCE
- Sarmatia · state · 401 BCE
and 5 more in the atlas.
Ended 23
- Spring and Autumn period · state · 771 – 476 BCE
- Twenty-seventh Dynasty of Egypt · state · 525 – 404 BCE
- Panchala · state · 901 – 401 BCE
- Kourion · state · 1051 – 401 BCE
- Vajjika League · state · 701 – 401 BCE
- Wu · state · 901 – 473 BCE
- Asmaka · state · 701 – 425 BCE
- Cai · state · 1045 – 447 BCE
- Cao · state · 1046 – 487 BCE
- Chen · state · 901 – 479 BCE
- Licchavis of Vaishali · state · 701 – 468 BCE
- Sarmatia · state · 401 BCE
- Haryanka dynasty · state · 544 – 413 BCE
- Kingdom of Tambapanni · state · 543 – 437 BCE
and 9 more in the atlas.
Born in the 5th century BCE
The best known first, by how many Wikipedias write about them.
- Plato · philosopher · 429 – 349 BCE
- Socrates · philosopher · 470 – 399 BCE
- Sophocles · philosopher · 496 – 406 BCE
- Herodotus · writer · 484 – 425 BCE
- Hippocrates · physician · 460 – 370 BCE
- Euripides · philosopher · 485 – 405 BCE
- Democritus · mathematician · 461 – 361 BCE
- Aristophanes · poet · 448 – 386 BCE
- Thucydides · writer · 461 – 395 BCE
- Xenophon · philosopher · 431 – 354 BCE
- Diogenes of Sinope · philosopher · 403 – 323 BCE
- Pericles · statesperson · 495 – 429 BCE
- Attila · ruler · 499 BCE – 453 CE
- Anaxagoras · astronomer · 500 – 428 BCE
- Protagoras · philosopher · 490 – 420 BCE
- Empedocles · naturalist · 492 – 434 BCE
- Zeno of Elea · mathematician · 490 – 425 BCE
- Gorgias · writer · 483 – 375 BCE
- Antisthenes · philosopher · 445 – 365 BCE
- Theocritus · poet · 401 – 260 BCE
- Alcibiades · military leader · 450 – 404 BCE
- Isocrates · writer · 436 – 338 BCE
- Aristippus · philosopher · 435 – 366 BCE
- Mozi · engineer · 470 – 391 BCE
and 165 more in the atlas.
States of the 5th century BCE
Every state that stood at some time in the 5th century BCE, by region, the best known first.
Europe16 states
- Ancient Greece · 1201 BCE – 600 CE
- Ancient Rome · 753 BCE – 476 CE
- Roman Republic · 509 – 27 BCE
- Macedonia · 808 – 167 BCE
- Etruscan civilization · 750 – 265 BCE
- Scythians · 700 – 201 BCE
- Colchis · 1701 – 164 BCE
- Scythia · 800 – 400 BCE
- Bosporan Kingdom · 437 BCE – 370 CE
- Aetolian League · 401 – 188 BCE
- Odrysian kingdom · 460 BCE – 46 CE
- Latin League · 651 – 338 BCE
and 4 more; every state of Europe.
Middle East and North Africa26 states
- Ancient Egypt · 4001 – 30 BCE
- Babylon · 1894 BCE – 1 CE
- Troy · 3000 BCE – 500 CE
- Achaemenid Empire · 550 – 330 BCE
- Phoenicia · 2500 – 64 BCE
- Persian Empire · 550 BCE – 1979 CE
- Kingdom of Aksum · 401 BCE – 960 CE
- Kingdom of Kush · 2180 BCE – 350 CE
- Ancient Carthage · 814 – 146 BCE
- Kingdom of Armenia · 553 BCE – 428 CE
- Moab · 1301 – 400 BCE
- Larsa · 4001 – 101 BCE
and 14 more; every state of Middle East and North Africa.
South Asia20 states
- Magadha · 1201 – 345 BCE
- Gandhara · 751 BCE – 535 CE
- Mahajanapadas · 600 – 345 BCE
- Yuezhi · 404 BCE – 42 CE
- Panchala · 901 – 401 BCE
- Avanti · 701 – 301 BCE
- Vajjika League · 701 – 401 BCE
- Shaishunaga dynasty · 413 – 345 BCE
- Malla · 601 – 301 BCE
- Surasena · 701 – 301 BCE
- Zhangzhung · 501 BCE – 625 CE
- Asmaka · 701 – 425 BCE
and 8 more; every state of South Asia.
East and Southeast Asia33 states
- Zhou dynasty · 1101 – 256 BCE
- Warring States period · 476 – 221 BCE
- Spring and Autumn period · 771 – 476 BCE
- Old Chosŏn · 2333 – 108 BCE
- Chu (state) · 722 – 223 BCE
- Qin · 905 – 221 BCE
- Yan (state) · 750 – 223 BCE
- Qi (state) · 1045 – 221 BCE
- Lu · 1101 – 249 BCE
- Zhao · 403 – 222 BCE
- Eastern Zhou · 771 – 256 BCE
- Han (Warring States) · 403 – 230 BCE
and 21 more; every state of East and Southeast Asia.
Americas and Oceania3 states
- Maya civilization · 2001 BCE – 1521 CE
- Olmecs · 650 – 351 BCE
- Zapotec civilization · 6701 BCE – 1201 CE
Location unknown15 states
- Argead dynasty · 700 – 309 BCE
- Chedi kingdom · 601 – 301 BCE
- Qedarites · 801 – 201 BCE
- Licchavis of Vaishali · 701 – 468 BCE
- Sarmatia · 401 BCE
- Oddiyana · 401 BCE – 1100 CE
- Kingdom of Tambapanni · 543 – 437 BCE
- Dao · 1001 – 222 BCE
- Kingdom of Rajarata · 601 BCE – 1300 CE
- Dai (Spring and Autumn period) · 1001 – 457 BCE
- Lü · 722 – 481 BCE
- Eastern Zhou (state) · 770 – 249 BCE
and 3 more; every state of Location unknown.
Its decades and years
The decades and years with a page of their own.
Open in the atlas
- On the timeline, 501 BCE – 401 BCE: every state, war and life of the 5th century BCE, region by region.
- On the map in 451 BCE: the borders of the year, its cities under their names of the year, and what happened where.
Wikidata (CC0) · data built 2026-10-07 · Pastlas v2.13.1, by Oleh Voronko. The published atlas and its data are for non-commercial use.