| c. 900 BC–c. 500 BC | Central America [everyday life] | La Venta becomes the major centre of the second phase of Olmec civilization in Mexico. The site of San Lorenzo is abandoned, possibly in a violent overthrow of the local elite, or possibly for religious reasons. La Venta is a ceremonial or elite centre, supported by a large agricultural population. It has a large main pyramid in addition to smaller ones. |
| c. 600 BC–c. 480 BC | Greece [sculpture] | The Greek Archaic period of sculpture is evident, a typical form being the kouros, a rigid freestanding nude. |
| c. 500 BC | Greece [ships and shipping] | The Greeks introduce the trireme, a galley about 45 m/150 ft long and 6 m/20 ft wide with three banks of oars. The oars are worked from an outrigger that extends down the length of the hull, and the ship carries about 200 people, mostly oarsmen. It becomes the model warship for both the Greeks and the Romans. |
| c. 500 BC–c. 400 BC | Rome [wars] | Rome and its Latin allies are almost constantly at war with both the Etruscans in the north and the native mountain tribes to the south, in particular the Aequi and the Volscians. |
| c. 500 BC | Central America [everyday life] | The town of Monte Albán is founded in the Oaxaca region of Mexico. It becomes the capital of the Zapotec culture. The town is sited on a steep, high bluff in the centre of a valley, and dominates the surrounding area for the next 12 centuries. |
| c. 500 BC–c. 400 BC | Europe [everyday life] | The Celts begin to make an impression on European history. They are divided into a number of different tribes, sharing a distinctive decorative style of art, characterized by curving designs and mythical animals. These can be seen on their jewellery (gold and bronze torques), their weapons (decorated shields and sword scabbards), and their pottery and other vessels. The Celts probably originate in northwest and central Europe, France (particularly the area of Champagne), Switzerland, Lower Austria, and western Slovakia. The area of the western Hallstatt, Upper Austria, is also associated with the Celts. |
| c. 500 BC | Greece [philosophy] | Greek philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus centres his philosophy on the proposition that ‘everything flows’, and the belief that the cosmos is in a constant process of change. |
| c. 500 BC | Italy [art] | Etruscan art flourishes, especially in the fields of bronze, pottery, and tomb wall paintings. |
| 500 BC | Europe, Africa, Asia [earth sciences] | Greek traveller and geographer Hecataeus of Miletus, writes Ges periodos/Tour Around the World, a description of the geography and ethnography of Europe, northern Africa, and Asia – the first book on geography. |
| c. 500 BC | Greece, Rome [Graeco-Roman religion] | Phrygian religion influences Greece and, at a later date, Rome, with their mother goddess Cybele and her male attendant-god Attis. |
| 500 BC–490 BC | Persian Empire, Greece [Greek–Persian War (490 BC)] | King Darius the Great is enraged by mainland Greek intervention in Asia Minor. He demands earth and water, the symbols of submission, from the Greek city-states. Some, including Aegina, submit but Athens and Sparta disdainfully reject his demand and in 490 BC the Persian Wars begin. |
| c. 500 BC | Greece [health and medicine] | Greek physiologist Alcmaeon is the first person to dissect the human body for research purposes. He discovers the optic nerve, describes the difference between arteries and veins, and recognizes that the brain, which he describes in detail, is the source of intelligence. He also possibly practises vivisection. |
