550 BC

550 BC - RISE OF PERSIA

## MAIN EVENTS

### 562 BC - Hispania to Carthage

Near the end of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II in Babylonia, the Carthaginians under general Masae are said to have invaded Hispania at the behest of Arganthonius of neighboring Tartessos, and driven the Babylonians out. Meanwhile, Greek colonists settled Alalia in Corsica in 562 BC.

Nebuchadnezzar was followed in Babylonia in 562 BC by his son Amel-marduk (Evil-merodach), who was then overthrown in 560 BC by his general Neriglissar (Nergal-shar-utsur).

### 560 BC - Croesus in Lydia

In 560 BC, Croesus succeeded Alyattes II in Lydia. Where his father Alyattes had issued the first coin currency of electrum, Croesus issued the first coins that were pure gold. He also went on to subject Aeolia, Ionia, and Bithynia to Lydia.

Also in 560 BC, Tigranes I succeeded Orontes I Sakavakyats as satrap of Armina, though he surreptitiously began fortifying himself in violation of his vassalage to Astyages of Media, according to Xenophon.

In Eriu, Ailill Finn succeeded his father Art MacLugdach as High King, who had been slain by Fiachu Tolgrach and Fiachu's son Dui Ladrach, in 558 BC. Tolgrach failed to usurp the throne according to the earliest annals, and was slain in 556 BC, though later accounts did ascribe a reign to Tolgrach, who was of the opposing party of Erimon.

### 559 BC - Cyrus the Great in Persia

In 559 BC, Cyrus II the Great succeeded Cambyses I in Persia, still a vassal to Astyages of Media, who was also Cyrus' maternal grandfather.

In 553 BC Persia under Cyrus rebelled from Astyages, and in 550 BC the Persians overcame the Medes, with Cyrus replacing Astyages as ruler of the now Persian empire, and Cyaxares II continuing as only a viceroy of the Medes subject to Cyrus.

### 557-527 BC - Ministry of Mahavira in India

In 569 BC the prince Mahavira in India became an ascetic, and in 557 BC, he is said to have begun traveling around India preaching, teaching his philosophy, and starting what became the Jain religion, which says he achieved "omniscience" in that year. He continued until 527 BC, when according to Jainism he achieved "nirvana".

The belief in reincarnation had first been taught in India by a certain Yajnavalkya in ca. 700 BC; and was originally derived not from any direct revelation, but from a possible interpretation of some verses in the earlier Rig Veda poems; by this time, the possible interpretation had solidified into unquestioned dogma for all Indian sects.

### 557 BC - Babylonia invades Cilicia

Neriglissar of Babylonia invaded and annexed Cilicia in 557 BC. However, in 556 BC he was succeeded by his son Labashi-marduk, a youth, who reigned only a few months, and then was beaten to death, reportedly for evil deeds, and replaced by one of the conspirators, Nabonidus (Nabuna'id). Nabonidus reoccupied Cilicia, already becoming restless, later in 556 BC.

### 553 BC - Laptan IV changes name of Mittanauz to Fannaw

In 553 BC, following Salant, herzog of Mittanauz and Pannonia, his widow Rachaim then married graf Laptan IV of Bohemia, who was also Jewish. The state was renamed from Mittanauz to Fannaw, undoubtedly another variant of the name Panno, like the earlier name Pannaus (1460-1099 BC).

In Sicambria, Thuringus succeeded Ambron in 552 BC, and is said to have occupied what became known as Thuringia; perhaps the inhabitants were the source of the Hermanduri who appear around 1 AD.

### 551 BC - Harsiotef in Kush

Ethiopian historians, and the ancient Ethiopian kinglist unequivocally place Harsiotef in Napata, Meroe and Ethiopia in 551 BC, following Ziware Nibret Aspurta (Aspelta). However, the so-called 'conventional' reconstructed sequence, following Hinze in 1951, would put Harsiotef 150 years later, ca. 400 BC.