550s BC

Millennium:	1st millennium BC
Centuries:	7th century BC – 6th century BC – 5th century BC
Decades:	580s BC 570s BC 560s BC – 550s BC – 540s BC 530s BC 520s BC
Years:	559 BC 558 BC 557 BC 556 BC 555 BC 554 BC 553 BC 552 BC 551 BC 550 BC
Categories:	Births – Deaths – Architecture Establishments – Disestablishments

Events and trends

Carthage conquers Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica.
559 BC—King Cambyses I of Anshan dies and is succeeded by his son Cyrus II the Great.
558 BC—Hegesias is removed as Archon of Athens.
558 BC—The Chinese state of Jin defeats its rival Qin in battle.
556 BC—Pisistratus is exiled from Athens to Euboea.
556 BC—Labashi-Marduk succeeds Neriglissar as king of Babylon.
556 BC/555 BC—Nabonidus succeeds Labashi-Marduk as king of Babylon.
c. 550 BC—Colonisation of Greeks ends.
550 BC—Abdera is destroyed by the Thracians.
550 BC—The Temple of Artemis completed in Ephesus.
550 BC—Cyrus II the Great overthrows Astyages of the Medes, establishing the Persian Empire.
c. 550 BC—Temple of Hera I, Paestum, Italy, is built.
550 BC—Siddhartha Gautama founded Buddhism in Northern India after achieving enlightenment after six years of practicing penance and meditation.