istoryworld
Events relating to asia
The optimistic concept of the Messiah is part of the Jewish response to captivity in Babylon
The Indian physician Susruta pioneers plastic surgery of the nose
Cyrus, king of the Persians, takes Ecbatana, capital city of the Medes, and establishes the first Persian empire
Croesus builds a spectacular temple at Ephesus in honour of Artemis, or Diana
Polo originates in the Persian empire, probably as part of the training of the imperial cavalry
Indian medical theory maintains that the body consists of three humours - spirit, phlegm and bile
K'ung-fu-tzu, or Confucius, teaches a practical philosophy which will profoundly influence Chinese history
Aramaic, a Semitic language from Syria, becomes the lingua franca of the Middle East
Sardis, the capital city of the Lydian ruler Croesus, is taken by the Persians
Cyrus annexes the Greek territory of Ionia as part of his empire, giving Persia a presence on the Aegean
A Persian army captures Babylon and brings it into the empire of Cyrus the Great
Returning to Jerusalem, the Jews begin to rebuild the Temple
Cyrus the Great is buried in an austerely impressive tomb at Pasagardae, in Persia
Darius I wins the Persian throne and ushers in the heyday of the Achaemenid empire
Darius starts to build a spectacular new palace and capital at Persepolis
The Chinese become the first people to cast iron, after developing a furnace which can reach a very high temperature
A Persian rug, woven with a knotted pile, is placed in the tomb of a Scythian chieftain and survives to this day
The 10,000 elite troops of the Persian empire, known as the Immortals, demonstrate the power of a professional standing army
The secret of lacquer, the sap of a tree which can be hardened by moisture, is discovered in China
The great network of roads built by Darius I has at its centre the 2000-mile royal road from Susa to Sardis
The Chinese I Jing, or 'Classic of Changes', is compiled as a book of divination
Darius I adopts Zoroastrianism as the religion of the Persian empire
The Magi, possibly converting from an earlier Iranian religion, become the priests of Zoroastrianism
The Chinese philosophy of alternating opposites is expressed as yin and yang
The Upanishads, written over a long period from oral tradition, are the mystical texts of early Hinduism
