=645-628.= The Messenians make an unsuccessful attempt to throw off the yoke of Sparta.

[A] Date uncertain

=640.= Birth of Thales, one of the Seven Wise Men of Greece.  He taught the spherical form of the earth and the true causes of lunar eclipses; discovered the electricity of amber.  The Seven Sages, or Wise Men, are commonly made up of Thales, Solon, Bias, Chilo, Cleobulus, Periander, and Pittacus.

Media becomes independent of Assyria; she appears as a single united kingdom.

=625.= Media, Assyria, and Syria have a great irruption of Scythians in their borders.

=623.= “FOUNDATION OF BUDDHISM,” See i, 160.

=621.= [B](624).  Date of the legislation of Draco, at Athens.

=612.= Conspiracy of Cylon at Athens.

=609.= [B] Josiah is slain at Megiddo, when Necho, the Egyptian King, crushes the power of Judah.

=607.= [B] Nineveh taken by the Medes and Babylonians, who overthrow the Assyrian monarchy.

=605.= [B] Nebuchadnezzar defeats Necho at Carchemish.  Necho maintained a powerful fleet; the Phoenician ships under his order rounded the Cape of Good Hope.  Herodotus says that twice during this voyage the crews, fearing a lack of food, after landing, drew their ships on shore, sowed grain and waited for a harvest.  It will be noticed that this was over two thousand years before Vasco da Gama, to whom is usually given the credit of first circumnavigating Africa.

=597.= [B] Jerusalem captured by Nebuchadnezzar, who carries away the principal inhabitants.

=595.= The Delphic Games in Greece.  See “PYTHIAN GAMES AT DELPHI,” i, 181.

=594.= Adoption of the Constitution of Solon at Athens, See “SOLON’S EARLY GREEK LEGISLATION,” i, 203.

=586.= [B] Nebuchadnezzar captures and destroys Jerusalem; puts an end to the kingdom of Judah.  The Babylonish captivity.

=570.= [B] Egypt attacked by Nebuchadnezzar, who dethrones Hophra (Apries); he places Amasis on the throne.

=560.= Tyranny of Pisistratus at Athens.  The Grecian poor were still getting poorer, notwithstanding Solon’s legislation; they clamored for relief, placed Pisistratus at their head, and passed a decree allowing him to have a body-guard of fifty men armed with clubs.  Pisistratus then threw off all disguise and established himself in the Acropolis as tyrant of Athens.

=550.= [B] Cyrus, at the head of the Persians, destroys the Median monarchy.  See “CONQUESTS OF CYRUS THE GREAT,” i, 250.

=550.= [B] “RISE OF CONFUCIUS, THE CHINESE SAGE,” See i, 270.

=546.= Croesus, King of Lydia, overthrown by Cyrus.  See “CONQUESTS OF CYRUS THE GREAT,” i, 250.

=540.= [B] Calimachus invents the Corinthian order of architecture.

[B] Date uncertain.

=538.= Conquest of Babylon by Cyrus.  See “CONQUESTS OF CYRUS THE GREAT,” i, 250.

=529.= Death of Cyrus; Cambyses succeeds him on the throne of Persia.