6th Century BC

The 6th century BC started the first day of 600 BC and ended the last day of 501 BC.

Pāṇini, in India, composed a grammar for Sanskrit, in this century or slightly later. This is the oldest still known grammar of any language.

In the Near East, the first half of this century was dominated by the Noe-Babylonian or Chaldean empire, which had risen to power late in the previous century after successfully rebelling against Assyrian rule. The Kingdom of Judah came to an end in 587 BC when Babylonian forces under Nebuchadnezzar II captured Jerusalem, and removed most of its population to their own lands. Babylonian rule was toppled however in the 540s, by Cyrus, who founded the Persian Empire in its place. The Persian Empire continued to expand and grew into the greatest empire the world had known at the time.

In Iron Age Europe, the Celtic expansion was in progress. China was in the Spring and Autumn Period.

• Mediterranean: Beginning of Greek philosophy, flourishes during the 5th century BC
• The late Hallstatt culture period in Eastern and Central Europe, the late Bronze Age in Northern Europe
• East Asia: The Spring and Autumn Period. Chinese philosophy become the orthodoxy of China. Confucianism, Legalism and Moism flourish. Laozi founds Taoism
• Middle East: During the Persian empire, Zoroaster, aka Zarathustra, founded Zoroastrianism, a dualistic philosophy. This was also the time of the Babylonian captivity of the ancient Jews
• Ancient India: The Buddha and Mahavira found Buddhism and Jainism
• The decline of the Olmec civilization in America