What happened in the 8th century BC

World5

• 776 BCretrospectively set as the first Olympiad. The history of the Olympic Games is believed to reach as far back as the 13th century BC.
• 774 BCEnd of the reign of king Pygmalion of Tyre.
• June 15, 763 BC: A solar eclipse on this date is used to fix the chronology of the Ancient Near East.
• 724 BCThe diaulos footrace introduced at the Olympics.
• 712 BCNuma Pompilius creates the office of Pontifex Maximus.

Europe17

• c. 800 BCEtruscan civilization.
• 797 BCThespieus, King of Athens, dies after a reign of 27 years and is succeeded by his son Agamestor.
• 778 BCAgamestor, King of Athens, dies after a reign of 17 years and is succeeded by his son Aeschylus.
• 755 BCAeschylus, King of Athens, dies after a reign of 23 years and is succeeded by Alcmaeon.
• 753 BCAlcmaeon, King of Athens, dies after a reign of 2 years. He is replaced by Harops, elected Archon for a ten-year term.
• April 21, 753 BC: Rome founded by Romulus (according to tradition). Beginning of the Roman 'Ab urbe condita' calendar.
• Mid-8th century BC: Model of temple, found in the Sanctuary of Hera, Argos, is made. It is now at National Archeological Museum, Athens.
• Greeks colonize the Mediterranean and Black Seas.
• Thraco-Cimmerian influence in Central Europe.
• Greeks adopt alphabetic writing.
• 747 BCThe Lusatian culture city at Biskupin is founded.
• 734 BCSyracuse (Sicily) was founded as a colony by Corinth.
• 734 BCNaxus in Sicily founded as a colony of Chalcis in Euboea. (traditional date)
• 716 BCRoman legend marks this as the date that Romulus ended his rule.
• 706 BCSpartan immigrants found Taras (Tarentum, the modern Taranto) colony in southern Italy.

2 more in the app

Asia12

• 788 BCThe Cholas from India established a dynamic city port and industrial center at Sungai Batu in the Old Kedah Kingdom, located in what is now Malaysia or the Malay Peninsula. Large-scale iron smelting operations were carried out there, and the port served as an important entrepôt and trade center. Iron was the major commodity exported from Sungai Batu, with the Old Kedah Kingdom historically known by various names such as Kataha, Qalah, and Chie-Cha, among others. Excavation works at this ancient city are still ongoing.
• 782 BCFounding of Erebuni (Էրեբունի) by the orders of King Argishtis I at the site of current-day Yerevan.
• 782 BCDeath of King Xuan of Zhou, king of the Zhou dynasty of China.
• 781 BCKing You of Zhou becomes king of the Zhou dynasty of China.
• 780 BCThe first historic solar eclipse is recorded in China.
• 772 BCPārśvanātha, 23rd Tirthankara of Jainism died and attained nirvana.
• 771 BCEnd of the Western Zhou dynasty in China as "western" barbarian tribes sack the capital Hao. King You of Zhou is killed. Crown Prince Ji Yijiu escapes and will reign as King Ping of Zhou.
• 770 BCBeginning of the Eastern Zhou dynasty in China as King Ping of Zhou becomes the first King of the Zhou to rule from the new capital of Chengzhou (today Luoyang).
• The state of Zhongli in China is founded.
• 743 BCDuke Zhuang of the Chinese state of Zheng comes to power.
• 722 BCSpring and Autumn period of China's history begins as King Ping of Zhou of the Zhou dynasty reigns in name only.
• 719 BCKing Huan of Zhou of the Zhou dynasty becomes ruler of China.

Middle East30

• 783 BCShalmaneser IV succeeds his father Adad-nirari III as king of Assyria.
• 773 BCDeath of Shoshenq III, king of Egypt.
• 773 BCAshur-Dan III succeeds his brother Shalmaneser IV as king of Assyria.
• 756 BCFounding of Cyzicus.
• 755 BCAshur-nirari V succeeds Ashur-Dan III as king of Assyria.
• February 26, 747 BC: Nabonassar becomes king of Babylon.
• Late 8th century BC: Earrings, crown and rosettes, from the tomb of Queen Yabay in Kalhu (modern Nimrud, Iraq) are made. They are now at Iraq Museum, Baghdad. Discovered in 1988.
• Second half of the 8th century BC: In the Kingdom of Judah, Jerusalem begins an expansion in population and size, going from a small town into a major city.
• 747 BCMeles becomes king of Lydia.
• 739 BCHiram II becomes king of Tyre.
• 732 BCHoshea becomes the last king of Israel.
• 730 BCOsorkon IV succeeds Sheshonq IV as king of the Twenty-second dynasty of Egypt.
• 730 BCMattan II succeeds Hiram II as king of Tyre.
• 728 BCPiye invades Egypt, conquering Memphis, and receives the submission of the rulers of the Nile Delta. He founds the Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt.
• 705 BCSennacherib succeeds Sargon II as king of Assyria.

15 more in the app

Africa1

• 730 BCPiye succeeds his father Kashta as king of the Nubian kingdom of Napata.