520s BC

Centuries: 7th century BC - 6th century BC - 5th century BC

Decades: 570s BC - 560s BC - 550s BC - 540s BC - 530s BC - 520s BC - 510s BC - 500s BC - 490s BC - 480s BC - 470s BC

Events and Trends

• 529 BC - Cambyses II succeeds his father Cyrus as ruler of Persia
• 526 BC - Psammetichus III succeeds Amasis II as king of Egypt
• 525 BC - Egypt: Cambyses II, ruler of Persia, conquers Egypt. This is considered the end of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty, and the start of the Twenty-seventh Dynasty
• 521 BC - Smerdis succeeds Cambyses II as ruler of Persia
• 521 BC - Darius I succeeds Smerdis as ruler of Persia
• 520 BC - Zhou dao wang becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty of China but dies before the end of the year.
• 520 BC - Cleomenes I succeeds Anaxandridas as king of Sparta. (approximate date)

Significant People

• 529 BC, July - Death of Cyrus the Great, ruler of ancient Persia
• 527 BC - Death of Peistratus, Athenian general
• 525 BC - Birth of Aeschylus, author of Greek tragedies
• 525 BC - Death of Anaximenes of Miletus, Greek philosopher (born 585 BC).
• 522 BC - Birth of Pindar, Greek poet
• 521 BC, March - Death of Cambyses II, ruler of ancient Persia (suicide)
• 521 BC, October - Death of Gaumata, ruler of ancient Persia
• 521 BC - Death of Zhou jing wang, King of the Zhou Dynasty of China.
• 520 BC - Death of Zhou dao wang, King of the Zhou Dynasty of China