Century · 600 BCE – 501 BCE
The world in the 6th century BCE
From 600 BCE to 501 BCE the atlas holds 115 states standing at some time, 16 of them founded in it - Milan and Verona the best known - and 19 ending in it. 27 wars, risings, treaties, discoveries and other events began - Siege of Jerusalem, Battle of Pelusium and Battle of the Eclipse the best known of the events; 119 people were born.
A century here is counted as Wikidata counts it, 600 BCE to 501 BCE, and holds every row that began in it, however coarsely dated.
What began in the 6th 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 22
- Siege of Jerusalem · battle · 589 – 587 BCE
- Battle of Pelusium · battle · 525 BCE
- Battle of the Eclipse · battle · 585 BCE
- Sicilian Wars · war · 580 – 265 BCE
- Battle of Pteria · battle · 547 BCE
- Battle of Thymbra · battle · 547 BCE
- Fall of Babylon · battle · 539 BCE
- Siege of Jerusalem · battle · 597 BCE
and 14 more in the atlas.
Unrest and atrocity 3
- Medo-Persian conflict · unrest · 553 – 550 BCE
- Athenian Revolution · unrest · 508 – 507 BCE
- Overthrow of the Roman monarchy · unrest · 510 – 509 BCE
States founded and fallen
Founded 16
- Milan · state · 600 BCE
- Verona · state · 550 BCE
- Roman Republic · state · 509 – 27 BCE
- Achaemenid Empire · state · 550 – 330 BCE
- Persian Empire · state · 550 BCE – 1979 CE
- Kingdom of Armenia · state · 553 BCE – 428 CE
- Mahajanapadas · state · 600 – 345 BCE
- Twenty-seventh Dynasty of Egypt · state · 525 – 404 BCE
- Epirus · state · 501 – 146 BCE
- Zhangzhung · state · 501 BCE – 625 CE
- Ba · state · 501 – 316 BCE
- Tauri · state · 600 BCE – 100 CE
- Haryanka dynasty · state · 544 – 413 BCE
- Kingdom of Tambapanni · state · 543 – 437 BCE
and 2 more in the atlas.
Ended 19
- Babylonia · state · 1901 – 539 BCE
- Kingdom of Judah · state · 930 – 586 BCE
- Elam · state · 2700 – 539 BCE
- Lydia · state · 1200 – 546 BCE
- Urartu · state · 861 – 590 BCE
- Roman Kingdom · state · 753 – 509 BCE
- Edom · state · 1301 – 533 BCE
- Neo-Babylonian Empire · state · 626 – 539 BCE
- Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt · state · 664 – 525 BCE
- Dilmun · state · 3001 – 501 BCE
- Ancient Israel and Judah · state · 1201 – 586 BCE
- Kosala · state · 701 – 501 BCE
- Median kingdom · state · 678 – 550 BCE
- Anga Kingdom · state · 1101 – 501 BCE
and 5 more in the atlas.
Born in the 6th century BCE
The best known first, by how many Wikipedias write about them.
- Confucius · philosopher · 551 – 479 BCE
- The Buddha · religious leader · 563 – 483 BCE
- Pythagoras · mathematician · 571 – 496 BCE
- Sun Tzu · philosopher · 544 – 496 BCE
- Aeschylus · writer · 525 – 456 BCE
- Cyrus the Great · monarch · 600 – 530 BCE
- Heraclitus · physicist · 535 – 471 BCE
- Parmenides · philosopher · 515 – 470 BCE
- Darius the Great · monarch · 550 – 486 BCE
- Pindar · poet · 518 – 437 BCE
- Xenophanes · philosopher · 570 – 478 BCE
- Xerxes I · statesperson · 519 – 465 BCE
- Mahavira · religious leader · 540 – 527 BCE
- Anaximenes of Miletus · astronomer · 585 – 525 BCE
- Anacreon · poet · 570 – 485 BCE
- Themistocles · politician · 524 – 459 BCE
- Leucippus · physicist · 501 BCE
- Pāṇini · writer · 520 – 460 BCE
- Artaxerxes I · ruler · 501 – 424 BCE
- Cambyses II · ruler · 559 – 522 BCE
- Simonides of Ceos · poet · 556 – 469 BCE
- Cleisthenes · politician · 570 – 501 BCE
- Theognis of Megara · poet · 570 – 485 BCE
- Cambyses I · person · 600 – 559 BCE
and 95 more in the atlas.
States of the 6th century BCE
Every state that stood at some time in the 6th century BCE, by region, the best known first.
Europe15 states
- Milan · 600 BCE
- Ancient Greece · 1201 BCE – 600 CE
- Ancient Rome · 753 BCE – 476 CE
- Verona · 550 BCE
- Roman Republic · 509 – 27 BCE
- Macedonia · 808 – 167 BCE
- Etruscan civilization · 750 – 265 BCE
- Scythians · 700 – 201 BCE
- Roman Kingdom · 753 – 509 BCE
- Colchis · 1701 – 164 BCE
- Scythia · 800 – 400 BCE
- Latin League · 651 – 338 BCE
and 3 more; every state of Europe.
Middle East and North Africa32 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
- Babylonia · 1901 – 539 BCE
- Kingdom of Judah · 930 – 586 BCE
- Elam · 2700 – 539 BCE
- Lydia · 1200 – 546 BCE
- Persian Empire · 550 BCE – 1979 CE
- Urartu · 861 – 590 BCE
- Kingdom of Kush · 2180 BCE – 350 CE
and 20 more; every state of Middle East and North Africa.
South Asia22 states
- Magadha · 1201 – 345 BCE
- Gandhara · 751 BCE – 535 CE
- Mahajanapadas · 600 – 345 BCE
- Kosala · 701 – 501 BCE
- Anga Kingdom · 1101 – 501 BCE
- Panchala · 901 – 401 BCE
- Avanti · 701 – 301 BCE
- Vajjika League · 701 – 401 BCE
- Videha · 851 – 501 BCE
- Malla · 601 – 301 BCE
- Surasena · 701 – 301 BCE
- Zhangzhung · 501 BCE – 625 CE
and 10 more; every state of South Asia.
East and Southeast Asia27 states
- Zhou dynasty · 1101 – 256 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
- Eastern Zhou · 771 – 256 BCE
- Jin (Chinese state) · 1101 – 376 BCE
- Wu · 901 – 473 BCE
- Song · 1101 – 286 BCE
and 15 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 unknown16 states
- Argead dynasty · 700 – 309 BCE
- Chedi kingdom · 601 – 301 BCE
- Qedarites · 801 – 201 BCE
- Licchavis of Vaishali · 701 – 468 BCE
- Pradyota dynasty · 682 – 544 BCE
- 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
- Gandhara (Mahabharata) · 1501 – 535 BCE
and 4 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, 601 BCE – 501 BCE: every state, war and life of the 6th century BCE, region by region.
- On the map in 551 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.