Centuries: 7th century BC - 6th century BC - 5th century BC

Decades: 620s BC - 610s BC - 600s BC - 590s BC - 580s BC - 570s BC - 560s BC - 550s BC - 540s BC - 530s BC

Events and trends

• 589 BC - Apries succeeds Psammetichus II as king of Egypt
• 588 BC - Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon begins siege of Jerusalem
• 586 BC - Jerusalem falls to the Babylonians, ending the Kingdom of Judah. The conquerors destroy the Temple of Jerusalem and exile the land's remaining inhabitants.
• 586 BC - Death of Zhou ding wang, King of the Zhou Dynasty of China.
• 585 BC - May 28 - A solar eclipse occurred, as predicted by Thales, while Alyattes was battling Cyaxares. This event led to a truce. This is one of the cardinal dates from which other dates can be calculated.
• 585 BC - Zhou jian wang becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty of China.
• 582 BC - Pythian Games founded at Delphi. (traditional date)
• 580 BC - Cambyses I succeeds Cyrus I as king of Anshan and head of the Achaemenid dynasty. (approximate date)
• 580 BC - Isthmian Games founded at Corinth. (traditional date)

Significant people

• Nebuchadnezzar II, King of Babylon
• 585 BC - Birth of Anaximenes of Miletus, Greek philosopher († 525 BC).
• 582 BC - Birth of Pythagoras in Samos, Greek philosopher and mathematician († 496 BC).
• 580 BC - Death of Cyrus I of Anshan (approximate date).