DATES B.C. | GREECE | IRAN | MESOPOTAMIA |
Solon, archon (since c . 620) | ACHAEMENIDS (since c . 700) | ||
550 | 539: Cyrus conquers Babylon | ||
Pisistratus (tyrant) (539–528) | Cambyses II (530–522) Darius I (522–486) | ACHAEMENIAN PERIOD Revolts of Nebuchadrezzar III and Nebuchadrezzar IV (522–521) | |
500 | Median wars (490–478) | Xerxes I (485–465) | Revolts of Bêl-shimanni and Shamash-erîba (482). Xerxes sacks Babylon |
Artaxerxes I (464–424) | c. 460: Herodotus in Babylon? The Murashû family, bankers at Nippur (455–403) | ||
450 | Pericles (strategus) (443–430) | ||
Peloponnesian war (431–404) | Darius II (423–405) | Nabû-rimânni and Kidinnu astronomers | |
400 | Artaxerxes II (404–359) | 401: Xenophon in Babylonia | |
Philip of Macedonia (359–337) | Artaxerxes III (358–338) | ||
350 | Alexander the Great (336–323) | Darius III (335–331) | Gaugameles (331), Alexander enters Babylon and dies there in 323 |
DIADOCHI Seleucos I (305–281) SELEUCIDS | HELLENISTIC PERIOD 311: beginning of the era of Seleucos | ||
300 | c. 300, Seleucia-on-the-Tigris founded | ||
Antiochos I (281–260) | Last royal inscriptions in Akkadian (Antiochos I) | ||
Antiochos II (260–246) | Berossus writes the ‘Babyloniaca’ . | ||
250 | ARSACID PARTHIANS Arsaces (250–248) | ||
Seleucos II (245–226) | Tiridates I (248–211) | ||
Antiochos III (222–187) | Temples built in Uruk | ||
200 | Artabanus I (211–191) | ||
Antiochos IV (175–164) Demetrios I (162–150) | Mithridates I (171–138) | Greek theatre at Babylon | |
150 | Demetrios II (145–126) | Artabanus II (128–124) | 144: Mithridates founds Ctesiphon Demetrios reconquers Babylonia |
Antiochos VIII (126–96) | Mithridates II (123–88) | 126: Artabanus II snatches Babylonia from the Seleucids | |
100 | PARTHIAN PERIOD Major building works | ||
Orodes I (80–76) | Assyria repopulated | ||
Antiochos XIII (69–65) 64: Pompey conquers Antioch | Phraates III (70–57) Orodes II (57–37) | Kingdoms of ADIABENE (Assyria), OSRHOENE (Edessa = Urfa) and CHARACENE (ancient sea-land). | |
50 | Crassus defeated at Carrhae (Harran) (53 B.C. ) |
DATES B.C. | ROME | IRAN | MESOPOTAMIA |
50 | Caesar and Antony | ||
Phraates IV (37–2) | 38: Labienus' war against the Parthians | ||
ROMAN EMPIRE Octavius Augustus (–27 to 14) | |||
A.D. | |||
Tiberius (14–37) | Artabanus III (11–38) | ||
Caligula (37–41) Claudius (41–54) | |||
50 | Vologazes I (51–78) | ||
Nero (54–68) | Foundation of Hatra ( c . 70? ) | ||
Vespasian (70–79) Domitian (81–96) | Pacorus II (78–115) | 74/75: Last known cuneiform text | |
Trajan (98–117) | |||
100 | Osroes (109–128) | Temple of Gareus at Uruk ( c . 110 ) | |
Hadrian (117–138) | 114–117: Trajan’s campaigns in Mesopotamia takes Ctesiphon and reaches the Arabo-Persian Gulf | ||
Antoninus (138–161) | Mithridates IV (128–147) | ||
150 | Marcus Aurelius (161–180) | Vologazes III (148–192) | Kingdom of HATRA ( c . 160–240) |
Commodus (180–192) | 164: Cassius, legate of Syria, conquers Nisibin and Ctesiphon | ||
Septimus Severus (193–211) | Vologazes IV (192–207) | 197: Septimus Severus conquers Ctesiphon Caracalla murdered at Carrhae ( Harran ) | |
200 | Caracalla (211–217) | Artabanus V (208–226) SASSANIDS | SASSANIAN PERIOD |
Alexander Severus (222–235) | Ardeshir I (224–241) Shapur I (241–272) | 226: Ardeshir conquers Mesopotamia 232: Unsuccessful campaign of Alexander Severus . | |
250 | Valerian (253–260) | 240: Ardeshir destroys Hatra 256: Shapur destroys Assur 260: Valerian prisoner of Shapur I | |
Aurelian (270–275) | Bahram II (276–293) | 262: Odenath (Palmyra), allied to the Romans, marches on Ctesiphon | |
Diocletian (285–305) | |||
300 | Narses (293–302) | 296: War against Narses, then peace. Rome gains provinces in Mesopotamia | |
Constantine (312–337) | Shapur II (309–379) | ||
Constantius II (337–361) | 338–350: Wars, then peace between Constantius and Shapur II . | ||
350 | The Romans invade Mesopotamia, then withdraw because of starvation . | ||
Julian the Apostate (361–363) | |||
Jovian (363–364) | Jovian evacuates Roman strongholds in Northern Mesopotamia . | ||
Theodosus (379–395) | Bahram IV (388–399) | Floruit of Christian literature in Syriac at Edessa, Nisibin and Arbela (Erbil) | |
400 | BYZANTINE EMPIRE (395–1453) | Yezdegerd I (399–420) | Intermittent wars between Byzantines and Sassanids. Economic decline of Mesopotamia . |
| | | |
651 | 637: Beginning of the conquest of Mesopotamia by Moslem Arabs . |