540s BC facts for kids
| Millennium: | 1st millennium BC |
| Centuries: | 7th century BC – 6th century BC – 5th century BC |
| Decades: | 570s BC 560s BC 550s BC – 540s BC – 530s BC 520s BC 510s BC |
| Years: | 549 BC 548 BC 547 BC 546 BC 545 BC 544 BC 543 BC 542 BC 541 BC 540 BC |
| Categories: | Births – Deaths – Architecture Establishments – Disestablishments |
The 540s BC was a time of big changes in the ancient world. Powerful empires grew, new leaders took charge, and important ideas spread. This decade saw major events in places like Persia, Greece, and China.
Contents
Major Events of the 540s BC
Persia's Growing Power
- 546 BC—The strong Persian leader, Cyrus the Great, defeated King Croesus of Lydia. Lydia was a rich kingdom in what is now Turkey. This battle happened near the Halys River.
- 546 BC—Cyrus then took over all of Lydia. He made Pasargadae his new main city, or capital.
- 546 BC—Cyrus set up a military base, called a garrison, in Sardis. He also added the Greek cities of Ionia in Asia Minor to the Persian Empire. This gave Persia control of important ports on the Mediterranean Sea.
- 540 BC—Cyrus the Great began to attack Babylonia, another powerful kingdom.
- c. 540 BC—The Persians conquered the city of Xanthos in Lycian, which is in southern Turkey today.
Changes in Ancient Greece
- 546 BC—Pisistratus became the ruler of Athens. He took power from the wealthy families who had been in charge.
- 546 BC—The architect Eupalinos from Megara built amazing water channels, called aqueducts. These aqueducts helped bring water to the city of Athens.
- 543 BC—Pisistratus, the ruler of Athens, made the island of Delos a sacred place. This meant it was kept very clean and pure.
- c. 540 BC—The Greek city of Elea was founded in southern Italy.
Developments in China and India
- 546 BC—A peace meeting happened between different kingdoms in China. A treaty, or agreement, was signed between the kingdoms of Jin, Chu, and others.
- 546 BC—There was a sudden change in government, called a coup d'état, in the Qi kingdom.
- 544 BC—King Jing became the new King of the Zhou Dynasty in China.
- 543 BC—A statesman named Zi Chan guided the State of Zheng in China. They started to use a formal code of law, which means written rules for everyone to follow.
- 543 BC—A prince from North India named Vijaya traveled to Sri Lanka. He started a new royal family there.
People Moving and Art Being Made
- 544 BC—People from the city of Teos moved to Abdera, Thrace. They did this to escape from the growing power of Persia.
- c. 540 BC—The artist Amasis Painter created a black-figure decoration on a large jar called an amphora. It showed the god Dionysus with his followers, called maenads. This art is now in Paris, France.
- c. 540 BC—Another artist, Exekias, made a black-figure decoration on an amphora called The Suicide of Ajax. This artwork is now in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France.
Important People of the 540s BC
- 549 BC—The future Persian king, Darius I, was born.
- 547 BC—King Croesus of Lydia passed away.
- c. 546 BC—Anaximander, an important Greek thinker and philosopher, died.
- 545 BC—Zhou ling wang, a King of the Zhou Dynasty in China, died.
- 544 BC—Sun Tzu, a famous Chinese general and writer, was born.
- 543 BC—Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, passed away. This is a traditional date in places like Thailand.
- 543 BC—Thales, another important Greek thinker and philosopher, died.
- c. 540 BC—Amyntas I became the king of Macedon.
- Amasis Painter was a famous Greek painter.
- Exekias was another well-known Greek painter.
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540s BC Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.