490 BC: At the Battle of Marathon on the east coast of Greece, the Athenians beat the Persians and bring an end to the First Persian War.

486 BC: Peria: Xerxes demands tribute from Greek city-states

480 BC: Greece: 3rd Persian expedition: Xerxes invades, battle of Thermopylae occurs

460 BC: Egypt: Egyptians revolt against Persia

460 BC: Greece: 1st Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta

446 BC: Greece: Athens and Sparta conclude 30 Year's War

440 BC: Rome: Plebians earn right to marry patricians

431 BC: Greece: Second Peloponnesian War

430 BC: Greece: Plague in Athens

429 BC: Greece: Pericles dies in plague

429 BC: Greece: Plato is born

409 BC: Carthage invades Sicily

399 BC: Greece: Socrates is condemned to death

384 BC: Greece: Birth of Aristotle, philosopher (dies 322).

366 BC: Rome: First Plebian council elected in Rome

360 BC: Greece: Thebes becomes most powerful city-state. China: Crossbow becomes most important weapon in warfare.

359 BC: Macedonia: Philip II rules (to 336).

338 BC: Persia: Darius III starts rule

336 BC: Greece: Philip of Macedon is murdered. He is succeeded by his son, Alexander III, known as "the Great."

334 BC: Alexander the Great begins campaign against Persia and defeats Darius III in Anatolia.

333 BC: Alexander the Great defeats Darius III again at battle of Issus. He takes the city of Tyre after siege. End of Phoenician empire.

332 BC: Alexander invades and conquers Egypt. Work begins on construction of his new city, Alexandria.

331 BC: Alexander restarts Persian invasion

330 BC: Darius III is assassinated, leaving Alexander in control of Persia.

327 BC: Alexander begins invasion on India.

323 BC: Alexander dies at Babylon, aged 32. His body is buried at Alexandria, Egypt. Alexander the Great's generals argue over divison of his empire (to 319). Ptolemy rules in Egypt (to 285). Hellenistic period begins (to 31).

321 BC: India: Chandragupta founds Mauryan dynasty (to 184).

320 BC: Egypt: Ptolemy captures Jerusalem

316 BC: Greece: Alexander's mother Olympias is murdered

300 BC: Treaty between Rome and Carthage.

287 BC: Rome: Full equality between patricians and plebeians is agreed. Greece: Birth of Archimedes, mathematician (dies 212).

276 BC: Greece: Birth of Euclid, mathematician (dies 194).

273 BC: India: King Asoka rules Mauryan empire (to 232), uniting central and northern India. He becomes a Buddhist.

264 BC: First Punic War between Rome and Carthage (to 241) begins a century of struggle for control of the Mediterranean.

250 BC: Hebrew scripture is translated into Greek

247 BC: India: Asoka rules the Maurya Empire

241 BC: Rome: Peace between Rome and Carthage

238 BC: Carthaginians begin conquest of Spain.

237 BC: Rome: Birth of Scipio Africanus, the general who leads Rome in the Second Punic War (dies 183).

221 BC: China: Qin dynasty unites the country for the first time in one empire (to 207). Greece: Philip V rules Macedonia (to 179). Egypt: Ptolemy IV Philopater rules (to 203.)

218 BC: Second Punic War (to 202). Hannibal crosses the Alps with elephants.

217 BC: Hannibal defeats Roman army at Lake Trasimene in Italy.

216 BC: Hannibal wins another great victory, at Cannae, inflicting one of the worst defeats the Romans suffer.

215 BC: Hannibal is defeated by the Roman, Marcellus, at Nola in southern Italy.

212 BC: China: to maintain his position of power the emperor, Shi Huangdi, has all historical documents burned and books are banned. After this time a silk-based material is used for writing on, and Chinese script is standardized

203-201 BC: Africa: HAnnibal is recalled to Carthage to repel a Roman invasion by Scipio. Scipio defeats Hannibal at Zama and ends Second Punic War. Carthage surrenders Spain and Mediterranean lands and Carthagian fleet is destroyed.

202 BC: China: Region of the Han dynasty(to A.D.9), founded by Lui Pang.

184 BC: India: Region of the Sunga dynasty(to 172), founded in the Ganges Valley, by Pushayanitra.

183 BC: Hannibal commits suicide to avoid being captured by the Romans.

155 BC: China: Early writings are compiled, inculding important Taoist manuscripts.

145 BC: Egypt: Ptolemy VII Judea proclaimed an independent kingdom.

140 BC: China: Emperor Wu Ti expands the empire(to 87).

124 BC: China: philosophical teachings of Confucius become offical.

108 BC: Wu Ti, emperor of China, conquers Korea.

100 BC: China: A general history and standard religious texts are complied, along with a list of Chinese literature.

89 BC: Rome: Roman army under Sulla regains control of Italy; all Italians are granted Roman citizenship.

88 BC: Civil war is waged in Rome(to 82). Sulla is victorious.

87 BC: Anatolia: Sulla defeats Mithradates and takes Athens. China: Death of Wu Ti leads to a period of disorder.

82 BC: Sulla becomes dictator of Rome. He launches a vicious attack on all his opponents and many are killed.

78 BC: Rome: Sulla dies. Revolt of Lepodis is defeated by Pompey the Great, who rules with Crassus.

78 BC: India: Most of northern India is under the rule of Kanishkal of Kushan dynasty(to A.D.1000.

70 BC: Rome: Birth of Virgil, poet(dies 19 BC). His most famous work is the fall of Troy.

65 BC: Rome: Pompey invades Syria and conquers Palestine

61 BC: Rome: Julius Caesar wins his first major victories, in Spain.

60 BC: Triumvirate(joint rule by three people) of Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus in Rome.

58 BC: Caesar is appointed governor of Gaul, part of present day France(The Gauls are a branch of the Celts.)

55 BC: Caesar conquers northern Gaul and attempts unsuccessfully to invade Britain.

54 BC: Second invasion of Britain by Caesar. Cassivellaunus, a powerful British leader, agrees to pay tribute to Rome.

52 BC: Rome: Pompey is appointed sole consul in Rome

51 BC: Caesar completes conquest of Gaul. Egypt: Cleopatra VII and her brother, Ptolemy XIII, become joint rulers of Egypt.

50 BC: Rome: Rivalry between Caesar and Pompey comes to a head.

50 BC-50 AD: Buddhism spreads along the Silk Road to China from India.

49 BC: Rome: Senate orders Caesar to give up his command in Gaul

48 BC: Caesar defeats Pompey at Pharsalus in Greece. Pompey flees to Egypt.

47 BC: Pompey is assassinated, possibly by order of Cleopatra. Caesar conquers Cleopatra's enemies. Judea; Antipater becomes procurator of Judea; his son Herod becomes governor of Galilee.

46 BC: Rome: Caesar returns to Rome with Cleopatra

44 BC: Caesar is assassinated by a group of Romans led by Brutus and Cassius.

43 BC: Rome: Second Triumvirate is formed by Octavian, Mark Antony, and Marcus Lepidus. Birth of Ovid, the poet who wrote Metamorphoses(dies AD17). Cicero, the orator, is put to death for denouncing Mark Antony.

42 BC: Rome: Murders of Caesar, Brutus and Cassius kill themselves

40 BC: Rome: Anthony marries Octavia

37 BC: Rome: Anthony also marries Cleopatra

32 BC: Octavian declares war on Antony and Cleopatra.

31 BC: Battle of Actium, at which Octavian defeats Antony and Cleopatra.

30 BC: Antony and Cleopatra commit suicide. OCtavian declares Egypt a Roman province.

27 BC: Rome: Octavian given supreme power by the Roman Senate, thus effectively ending the Roman Republic. He takes the title August and becomes the first emperor od Rome(to AD 14).

5 BC: Probable birth of Jesus