statue of Bel (Marduk, Merodach). 484 BC: Persians regain control of Egypt. 483 BC: Gautama Buddha dies. 483 BC: Xerxes I of Persia starts planning his expedition against Greece 481 BC: The Isthmus of Corinth ends a war between Athens and Aegina. 480 BC: King Xerxes I of Persia sets out to conquer Greece. 480 BC: Cimon and his friends burn horse-bridles as an offering to Athena and join the marines 480 BC: Pleistarchus succeeds his father Leonidas I as king of Sparta. August, 480 BC: Battle of Artemisium—The Persian fleet fights an inconclusive battle with the Greek allied fleet. August 11, 480 BC: The Battle of Thermopylae, a costly victory by Persians over the Greeks. September 23, 480 BC: Battle of Salamis between Greece and Persia, leading to a Greek victory. 480 BC: Battle of Himera—The Carthaginians under Hamilcar are defeated by the Greeks of Sicily, led by Gelon of Syracuse. 480 BC: Roman troops march against the Veientines. 470s BC 479 BC: The Battle of Plataea, the Greeks defeat the Persians, ending the Persian Wars. 479 BC: Battle of Mycale. 479 BC: Potidaea is struck by a tsunami. 479 BC: Chinese philosopher Confucius dies. 478 BC: Establishment of the Temple of Confucius at (modern-day) Qufu. 477 BC: The Delian League is inaugurated. 476 BC: Archidamus II succeeds his grandfather Leotychides, who is banished to Tegea, as king of Sparta. 475 BC: King Xuan of Zhou becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty. 474 BC: Battle of Cumae—The Syracusans under Hiero I defeat the Etruscans and end Etruscan expansion in southern Italy. 474 BC: Greek poet Pindar moves to Thebes. 473 BC: The Chinese State of Wu is annexed by the State of Yue. 472 BC: Carystus in Euboea is forced to join the Delian League (approximate date). 472 BC: The tragedy The Persians is produced by Aeschylus. 471 BC: Athenian politician Themistocles is ostracized. 460s BC 469 BC: Philosopher Socrates is born in Attica, Athens, Greece. 468 BC: Sophocles, Greek playwright, defeats Aeschylus for the Athenian Prize. 468 BC: Antium captured by Roman forces. 468 BC: King Zhending of Zhou becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty of China. 466 BC: Delian League defeats Persia at the Battle of Eurymedon. 466 BC: The Greek colony of Taras, in Magna Graecia, is defeated by Iapyges, a native population of ancient Apulia; Tarentine monarchy falls, with the installation of a democracy and