500 BC

Events in 500 BC 4

• 1500 BC – 500 BC Vedic period — the Vedas composed Sanskrit hymns and the roots of Hinduism Following the Indus decline, the Vedic period saw the composition of the Vedas — the oldest scriptures of Hinduism — in archaic Sanskrit. This era shaped Indian religion, the caste system, and the philosophical traditions later expressed in the Upanishads.
• 900 BC – 500 BC Etruscan Civilization: Origins & Villanova Period The Etruscan civilization emerged in the region of central Italy known as Etruria -- roughly modern Tuscany, Lazio north of the Tiber and western Umbria -- from indigenous Bronze Age and Early Iron Age populations. Their origins have been debated since antiquity: Herodotus claimed they came from Lydia in Asia Minor; Dionysius of Halicarnassus argued they were indigenous Italians; modern genetic and archaeological evidence strongly supports the indigenous origin theory, with Eastern Mediterranean cultural influences arriving through trade rather than migration. The Villanova culture (c.900-700 BC) represents the formative phase of Etruscan civilization: an Early Iron Age culture distinguished by its biconical cremation urns, sophisticated metalworking and proto-urban settlements that grow into the great Etruscan city-states.
• 500 BC – 428 BC Anaxagoras The Mind (Nous) Brought philosophy to Athens; proposed that "Nous" (Mind) is the ordering force of the universe.
• 500 BC Laozi and the founding of Taoism The Tao Te Ching — the way of nature and non-action Laozi (meaning "Old Master") is the legendary founder of Taoism, traditionally credited with writing the Tao Te Ching — 81 short chapters on the nature of the Tao (the Way). His philosophy of wu wei (non-action, going with the natural flow) stands in elegant contrast to Confucius's emphasis on ritual and duty. Taoism became one of China's three great philosophical traditions alongside Confucianism and Buddhism.