557 BC

The year 557 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as year 197 Ab urbe condita. The denomination 557 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Millennium:	1st millennium BC
Centuries:	7th century BC 6th century BC 5th century BC
Decades:	570s BC 560s BC 550s BC 540s BC 530s BC
Years:	560 BC 559 BC 558 BC 557 BC 556 BC 555 BC 554 BC

557 BC in various calendars

Gregorian calendar	557 BC DLVI BC
Ab urbe condita	197
Ancient Egypt era	XXVI dynasty, 108
- Pharaoh	Amasis II, 14
Ancient Greek era	55th Olympiad, year 4
Assyrian calendar	4194
Balinese saka calendar	N/A
Bengali calendar	−1149
Berber calendar	394
Buddhist calendar	−12
Burmese calendar	−1194
Byzantine calendar	4952–4953
Chinese calendar	癸卯年 (Water Rabbit) 2140 or 2080     — to — 甲辰年 (Wood Dragon) 2141 or 2081
Coptic calendar	−840 – −839
Discordian calendar	610
Ethiopian calendar	−564 – −563
Hebrew calendar	3204–3205
Hindu calendars
- Vikram Samvat	−500 – −499
- Shaka Samvat	N/A
- Kali Yuga	2544–2545
Holocene calendar	9444
Iranian calendar	1178 BP – 1177 BP
Islamic calendar	1214 BH – 1213 BH
Javanese calendar	N/A
Julian calendar	N/A
Korean calendar	1777
Minguo calendar	2468 before ROC 民前2468年
Nanakshahi calendar	−2024
Thai solar calendar	−14 – −13
Tibetan calendar	阴水兔年 (female Water-Rabbit) −430 or −811 or −1583     — to — 阳木龙年 (male Wood-Dragon) −429 or −810 or −1582

Events

• May 19: The Persians besieged Larissa, a.k.a. Calah, but could not capture it. However, when a solar eclipse occurred, the inhabitants left their city and it was taken.[1]
• Mahavira (b. 599 BC) attained omniscience in this year.[2]
• Labashi-Marduk was king of Babylon during this year. He succeeded Neriglissar, who reigned three years, and was followed by Nabonidus, the last king, who reigned 17 years.[3]
• Santorini, Greece suffered from a volcanic eruption.[4]

Births

• Siddharta Gautama, a.k.a. Buddha[5] (Year of birth not precisely known)

References

1. Solar Eclipses and Ancient History. Jennings, S. Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Vol.2, pg. 172
2. http://www.sivanandaonline.org/public_html/?cmd=displaysection&section_id=1633
3. http://www.studylight.org/dic/hbd/view.cgi?number=T636
4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-02-28. Retrieved 2012-10-25.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
5. http://www.bartleby.com/45/3/1001.html