500s BC

Millennium:	1st millennium BC
Centuries:	7th century BC – 6th century BC – 5th century BC
Decades:	530s BC 520s BC 510s BC – 500s BC – 490s BC 480s BC 470s BC
Years:	509 BC 508 BC 507 BC 506 BC 505 BC 504 BC 503 BC 502 BC 501 BC 500 BC
Categories:	Births – Deaths – Architecture; Establishments – Disestablishments

Events

509 BC -the Roman Republic starts.
509 BC, September 13 - The temple of Jupiter on Rome's Capitoline Hill is dedicated on the ides (15th) of September.
508 BC - Office of pontifex maximus made in Rome
507 BC - Cleisthenes, Greek reformer, takes power and increases democracy
506 BC - Battle of Bai ju: Forces of the Kingdom of Wu under Sun Tzu defeat the forces of Chu
505 BC - First pair of Roman consuls elected
502 BC - December 4: Solar eclipse darkens Egypt. (we think this because of scientific pattern, no clear historical record of observation)
502 BC - The Latin League defeats the Etruscans under Lars Porsenna at Aricia.
502 BC - Naxos rebels against Persian domination sparking the Ionian Revolt.
501 BC - Cleisthenes reforms democracy in Athens.
501 BC - Naxos is attacked by the Persian Empire.
501 BC - because of threats by the Sabines, Rome makes the office of dictator.
501 BC - Confucius is made governor of Chung-tu.
501 BC - Gadir (present-day Cádiz) is captured by Carthage. (approximate date)
500 BC - Bantu-speaking people come into south-west Uganda from the west. (approximate date)
500 BC - Refugees from Teos resettle Abdera.
500 BC - Darius I of Persia proclaims that Aramaic be the official language of the western half of his empire
500 BC - the end of the Nordic Bronze Age civilization in Oscar Montelius periodization system and the start of the Pre-Roman Iron Age
500 BC - the first republic in Vaishali Bihar India starts.
c. 500 BC—Yayoi period starts in Ancient Japan.
c. 500 BC—Oldest known Zapotec writing.
The Gutaii tribe began around this time, in Middle and Southern Africa.

Significant people

Deaths

Lucretia, Roman noblewoman
Lucius Junius Brutus, Roman consul (509 BC)
Aruns Tarquinius, Roman prince (509 BC)
Shen Yin Shu, general of Chu, (506 BC)
Titus Junius Brutus, Roman noble and monarchist conspiractor
Tiberius Junius Brutus, Roman noble and monarchist conspiractor

How the world looked

The world's cultural distribution at 500 BC

References

500s BC Media

Map of the Eastern Hemisphere in 600 BC, the beginning of the sixth century BC.
Map of the Eastern Hemisphere in 500 BC, the end of the sixth century BC.
Monument 1, an Olmec colossal head at La Venta
An engraving on an eye stone of onyx with an inscription of Nebuchadnezzar II
Medieval image of Thales
Croesus on the pyre, Attic red-figure amphora
Faravahar, a symbol of Zoroastrianism in Persepolis
Tomb of Cyrus in Pasargadae
Painting of Gautama Buddha sitting in Dhyana, unharmed by the demons of Mara. Sanskrit Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra manuscript written in the Ranjana script. Nalanda, Bihar, India. Circa 700-1100 CE.
Portrait of Lao Zi (Lao Tzu)

Millennium:	1st millennium BC
Centuries:	7th century BC – 6th century BC – 5th century BC
Decades:	530s BC 520s BC 510s BC – 500s BC – 490s BC 480s BC 470s BC
Years:	509 BC 508 BC 507 BC 506 BC 505 BC 504 BC 503 BC 502 BC 501 BC 500 BC
Categories:	Births – Deaths – Architecture Establishments – Disestablishments