Notes on James
Ussher, Annals of the World (1658).
515 BC: The second Temple in Jerusalem is finished
(P1032).
514 BC: Darius (Ahasuerus) chooses
Esther to be his new queen (Est. 2:16-17). The story of Esther unfolds during
the course of this year (P1035).
502 BC: Ionian cities along the western
coast of Anatolia rebel against Darius (P1055). The Athenians support the
rebellion by providing 20 ships under an able commander (P1058).
500 BC: Athenians join the Ionians in
attacking, overwhelming, and burning down the Persian provincial capital of
Sardis. The Persian army pursues the Athenians and punishes them. Surviving
Athenians abandon the Ionians and return home despite ongoing appeals for
further assistance (P1060). When Darius hears of Athenian complicity in the
burning of Sardis, he orders an assistant to say to him three times at every
meal, “‘Sir, remember the Athenians’” (P1061).
Pre-Socratic
philosopher Anaxagoras is born on the Ionian island of Clazomenae on the
western coast of Anatolia (P1063).
497 BC: The Persian navy and army
conquer and destroy Miletus, center of the Ionian rebellion (P1073). The
following year, the remaining rebellious cities of Ionia suffer the same fate
(P1076).
490 BC: Battle of Marathon between a
huge Persian army and a relatively small number of men from Platea and Athens
under Miltiades. The Greeks achieve a stunning victory (P1093).
485 BC: Darius dies (P1099) and his son
Xerxes succeeds him (P1100).
484 BC:
The historian Herodotus is born in the city of Helicarnassus on the west coast
of Anatolia (P1102).
480 BC: Xerxes marches leads his army
and navy to conquer Hellenia. Under his command he has over thousands of ships,
tens of thousands of cavalry, and hundreds of thousands of soldiers
(P1012-1013).
Leonidas, king of Sparta, leads 300 Spartans, along with 200 men from
Thespia and Thebes, against the Persian army at a chokepoint called Thermopylae. He and his men all die but
not before delaying the Persian army for three days, killing 20,000 enemy
soldiers, and acting heroically enough to be remembered to this day (P1021).
When the Persian army reaches Athens, they
find the city deserted, loot it, then burn it down (P1123-1124).
Greek ships commanded by Themistocles defeat
the much larger Persian navy at the Battle of Salamis (P1125).
After
witnessing this naval disaster, Xerxes sends the remainder of his fleet to
guard his bridge across the Hellespont between Europe and Asia. He then hastens
the bulk of his army to cross it before any further disaster befalls him
(P1132-1133). Famine and disease ravage the soldiers left behind to complete
the conquest of Hellenia (P1136).
479 BC: The Greek army decisively
defeats the Persian army at the Battle of Platea (P1153). News of these Greek
victories encourages Ionian cities to renew their rebellion against the Persian
empire (P1158).
473 BC: Xerxes is murdered. His son
Artaxerxes becomes emperor (P1176).
467 BC: Ezra, priest and scribe,
receives permission from Artaxerxes to go to Jerusalem to help the city recover
its vitality (P1202). A large number of Jews in Babylon return with Ezra (Ezra
7:6-9, 8:1-14, 30) (P1203). The journey takes about four months (P1204).
454 BC: Artaxerxes also give Nehemiah
permission to go to Jerusalem and help it. So begins the 70 weeks of years
spoken by Gabriel to Daniel (Neh. 2:1-6, Dan. 9:24-25) (P1227). That same year
he enables the people of Jerusalem to complete the rebuilding of the city’s
wall despite internal and external enemies (Neh. 6:1-19) (P1234).
1st
day, 7th month: Ezra reads the Law to all the Jews in and around
Jerusalem (Neh. 8:1-12) (P1238).
442 BC: Nehemiah returns to the
emperor’s service (Neh. 5:14, 13:6) (P1262). He soon returned and corrected
faults that had so quickly appeared during his absence (Neh. 13) (P1263).
431 BC: The Peloponnesian War, pitting
Athens and Sparta against one another, begins (P1276).
430 BC: A plague ravages Athens. Hippocrates
aids victims (P1279).
428 BC: Pericles dies (P1284).
Anaxagoras, his teacher, also dies (P1285).
425 BC: Artaxerxes dies and is
succeeded by his son Xerxes (P1290).
424 BC: Xerxes is murdered by his
brother (P1295).
416 BC: Malachi, last of the prophets
until John the Baptist, helps Nehemiah call the Jews in Jerusalem back to
Yahweh (P1305).
Copyright © 2017
by Steven Farsaci. All rights reserved.
