481 BC

Millennium:	1st millennium BC
Centuries:	6th century BC – 5th century BC – 4th century BC
Decades:	510s BC 500s BC 490s BC – 480s BC – 470s BC 460s BC 450s BC
Years:	484 BC 483 BC 482 BC – 481 BC – 480 BC 479 BC 478 BC

481 BC by topic
Politics
State leaders – Sovereign states
Birth and death categories
Births – Deaths
Establishments and disestablishments categories
Establishments – Disestablishments

**481 BC in other calendars**
Gregorian calendar	481 BC
Ab urbe condita	273
Armenian calendar	N/A
Bahá'í calendar	-2324 – -2323
Bengali calendar	-1073
Berber calendar	470
Buddhist calendar	64
Burmese calendar	-1118
Byzantine calendar	5028 – 5029
Chinese calendar	[[Sexagenary cycle\|]]年 (2156/2216) — to — [[Sexagenary cycle\|]]年 (2157/2217)
Coptic calendar	-764 – -763
Ethiopian calendar	-488 – -487
Hebrew calendar	3280 – 3281
Hindu calendars
- Bikram Samwat	-424 – -423
- Shaka Samvat	N/A
- Kali Yuga	2621 – 2622
Holocene calendar	9520
Iranian calendar	1102 BP – 1101 BP
Islamic calendar	1136 BH – 1135 BH
Japanese calendar
Korean calendar	1853
Thai solar calendar	63

Year 481 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Vibulanus and Fusus (or, less frequently, year 273 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 481 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Events

By place

Persian Empire

The Persian King Xerxes I arrives at Sardis and begins to build up his great army and navy for the invasion of Greece. Egypt contributes 481 ships.

Greece

The Congress at the Isthmus of Corinth, under the presidency of Sparta, brings together a number of the Greek city states, who agree to the end of the war between Athens and Aegina. They also discuss the threat from the Persians. Athens is unwilling to place her forces under Sparta and its king Leonidas. Gelo, tyrant of Syracuse, wants high command, but Sparta and Athens refuse. However, during the Congress, Gelo has to withdraw due to Carthage's plans to invade Sicily. Finally, Themistocles agrees that Athens' navy serve under a Spartan admiral to achieve the unity of the Greek states. Nevertheless, Thebes and Thessaly are unwilling to support Athens against the Persians and Crete decides to remain neutral.

China

The Spring and Autumn Period, which has begun in 722 BC, ends, while the Warring States Period officially begins in 403 BC.

Births

Protagoras, Greek presocratic philosopher (d. c. 420 BC)

Deaths

Sima Niu, the highest ranking aristocrat among the disciples of Confucius