550 BC – 540 BCs

Events in 550 BC – 540 BC 4

• 1200 BC – 550 BC Zoroaster and the rise of Zoroastrianism One of the world's earliest monotheistic faiths The prophet Zoroaster (Zarathustra) taught a dualist vision of a single supreme god, Ahura Mazda, locked in cosmic struggle with evil. Zoroastrianism became the dominant religion of the Persian empires for over a thousand years and influenced ideas of heaven, hell and judgement in later faiths.
• 678 BC – 550 BC Median Empire The Medes unify the Iranian peoples The Medes were the first to unify the Iranian tribes into a single state, overthrowing Assyrian dominance and forging an empire across the plateau. Their kingdom was absorbed by Cyrus the Great when he founded the Achaemenid empire, but it laid the groundwork for a unified Iran.
• 550 BC – 330 BC Achaemenid Empire — First Persian Empire The largest empire the ancient world had yet seen Founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC, the Achaemenid Empire stretched from the Balkans and Egypt to the Indus Valley — the largest empire the world had yet seen. It was renowned for its tolerance of subject peoples, its network of royal roads and the administrative system of satrapies.
• 544 BC – 496 BC Sun Tzu writes The Art of War The most influential military treatise in history Sun Tzu (Sun Wu) was a military strategist from the state of Wu during the Spring and Autumn period. His Art of War — 13 chapters on strategy, deception, terrain and leadership — is the oldest and most widely read military manual ever written. It has influenced military commanders, business strategists and political leaders worldwide for 2,500 years.