View source for 550s BC

==Events and trends==
*[[Carthage]] conquers [[Sicily]], [[Sardinia]], and [[Corsica]].
*[[559 BC]]—King [[Cambyses I of Anshan]] dies and is succeeded by his son [[Cyrus the Great|Cyrus II the Great]].
*[[558 BC]]—[[Hegias of Athens|Hegesias]] is removed as [[Archons of Athens|Archon]] of [[Athens]].
*558 BC—The [[China|Chinese]] state of [[Jin (Chinese state)|Jin]] defeats its rival state of [[State of Qin|Qin]] in battle.
*[[557 BC]]—The [[Persian people|Persians]] besiege Larissa ([[Calah]]) but fail to capture it until a [[solar eclipse]] occurs.<ref>Solar Eclipses and Ancient History. Jennings, S. Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Vol.2, pg. 172</ref>
*[[556 BC]]—[[Peisistratos (Athens)|Pisistratus]] is exiled from [[Athens, Greece|Athens]] to [[Euboea]].
*556 BC—[[Labashi-Marduk]] succeeds [[Neriglissar]] as king of [[Babylon]].
*556 BC—[[Nabonidus]] succeeds Labashi-Marduk as king of Babylon.
*c. [[550 BC]]—Colonisation of [[Greeks]] ends.{{clarify|date=March 2021}}
*550 BC—[[Abdera, Thrace|Abdera]] is destroyed by the [[Thrace|Thracians]].
*550 BC—[[Mago I]] begins his rule of [[Carthage]].
*550 BC—The [[Temple of Artemis]] is completed in [[Ephesus]].
*553-550 BC—[[Medo-Persian conflict]], the Persian king [[Cyrus II]] overthrows the Median king [[Astyages]], establishing the [[Achaemenid Empire|First Persian Empire]].
*c. 550 BC—The Temple of Hera I is built in what is now [[Paestum]], [[Italy]].
*550 BC—[[Siddhartha Gautama]] founds [[Buddhism]] in [[Northern India]] after achieving [[Enlightenment in Buddhism|enlightenment]] after six years of practicing [[penance]] and [[meditation]].