6th century BC
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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"By the sixth century B.C., this development had led to the partial dissolution of the old ways of life, and even to a series of political revolutions and reactions. And it had led not only to attempts to retain and to arrest tribalism by force, as in Sparta, but also to that great spiritual revolution, the invention of critical discussion, and in consequence of thought that was free from magical obsessions. At the same time we find the first symptoms of a new uneasiness. The strain of civilization was beginning to be felt."--The Open Society and Its Enemies (1945) by Karl Popper |
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The sixth century BC started the first day of 600 BC and ended the last day of 501 BC.
In India, Panini, sometime during this century, composed a grammar for Sanskrit, which is the one of oldest extant grammar of any language after 15 other proto-dravidian languages like Brahmi.
In the Near East, the first half of this century was dominated by the Neo Babylonian or Chaldean empire, which had risen to power late in the previous century after successfully rebelling against Assyrian rule. The Kingdom of Judah came to an end in 587 BC when Babylonian forces under Nebuchadnezzar II captured Jerusalem, and removed most of its population to their own lands. Babylonian rule was toppled however in the 540's, by Cyrus, who founded the Persian Empire in its place. The Persian Empire continued to expand and grew into the greatest empire the world had yet known.
In Iron Age Europe, the Celtic expansion was in progress. China was in the Spring and Autumn Period.
- Mediterranean: Beginning of Greek philosophy, flourishes during the 5th century BC.
- The late Hallstatt culture period in Eastern and Central Europe, the late Bronze Age in Northern Europe.
- East Asia: The Spring and Autumn Period. Chinese philosophy become the orthodoxy of China. Confucianism, Legalism and Moism flourish. Laozi founds Taoism.
- Middle East: During the Persian empire, Zoroaster, aka Zarathustra, founded Zoroastrianism, a dualistic philosophy. This was also the time of the Babylonian captivity of the ancient Jews.
- Ancient India: The Buddha and Mahavira found Buddhism and Jainism.
- The decline of the Olmec civilization in America.
