10th century BC

Millennium:	1st millennium BC
Centuries:	11th century BC 10th century BC 9th century BC
Decades:	990s BC 980s BC 970s BC 960s BC 950s BC 940s BC 930s BC 920s BC 910s BC 900s BC
Categories:	Births – Deaths Establishments – Disestablishments

Map of the world in 1000 BC

The 10th century BC started the first day of 1000 BC and ended the last day of 901 BC. This period followed the Bronze Age collapse in the Near East, and the century saw the Early Iron Age take hold there. The Greek Dark Ages which had come about in 1200 BC continued. The Neo-Assyrian Empire is established towards the end of the 10th century BC. In Iron Age India, the Vedic period is ongoing. In China, the Zhou Dynasty is in power. The European Bronze Age continued with Urnfield culture. Japan was inhabited by an evolving hunter-gatherer society during the Jomon period.

Events

Gold burial mask of Pharaoh Psusennes I, discovered 1940 by Pierre Montet.

• 1000 BC: India—Iron Age of India. Iron Age kingdoms rule India—Panchala, Kuru, Kosala, Videha are Janapada states.
• 993 BC: Amenemope succeeds Psusennes I as king of Egypt.
• 993 BC: Archippus, Archon of Athens dies after a reign of 19 years and is succeeded by his son Thersippus.
• 984 BC: Osorkon the Elder succeeds Amenemope as king of Egypt.
• 982 BC: The end of first period (1197 BC—982 BC) by Sau Yung's concept of the I Ching and history.
• 978 BC: Siamun succeeds Osorkon the Elder as king of Egypt.
• 967 BC: Solomon becomes king of the Israelites, according to the Books of Kings.
• 967 BC: Tiglath-Pileser II becomes King of Assyria.
• 965 BC: David, king of the ancient Israelites, died.
• 962 BC: Solomon becomes king of Israel, following the death of his father, King David. (traditional date)
• 959 BC: Psusennes II succeeds Siamun as king of Egypt.
• 957 BC: Solomon completes the construction of the First Temple in Jerusalem.
• c. 953 BC: Alternative date to the Founding of Rome.
• 952 BC: Thersippus, King of Athens dies after a reign of 41 years and is succeeded by his son Phorbas.
• 947 BC: Death of King Mo of Zhou, King of the Zhou Dynasty of China.
• 946 BC: King Gong of Zhou becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty of China.
• 945 BC: Egypt: Psusennes III dies, the last king of the Twenty-first Dynasty. Shoshenq I succeeds him, the founder of the Twenty-second Dynasty.
• 935 BC: Death of King Gong of Zhou, King of the Zhou Dynasty of China.
• 935 BC: Death of Tiglath-Pileser II king of Assyria.
• 934 BC: King Yi of Zhou becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty of China.
• 925 BC: Solomon, king of the ancient Israelites, died.
• c. 925 BC: Partition of ancient Israel into the Kingdoms of Judah and Israel.
• 924 BC: Osorkon I succeeds his father Shoshenq I as king of Egypt.
• 922 BC: Phorbas, Archon of Athens, dies after a reign of 30 years and is succeeded by his son Megacles.
• 912 BC: Adad-nirari II succeeds his father Ashur-Dan II as king of Assyria.
• 911 BC: Abijah, king of Judah, dies.
• 910 BC: Death of King Yi of Zhou, King of the Zhou Dynasty of China.
• 909 BC: King Xiao of Zhou becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty of China.
• 909 BC: Jeroboam, the first king of the northern Hebrew kingdom of Israel, dies and is succeeded by his son Nadab.
• 900s BC: India—Vedic India—Yajnavalkya writes the Shatapatha Brahmana, in which he describes the motions of the sun and the moon.
• c. 900 BC: the Villanovan culture emerges in northern Italy.
• c. 900 BC: Foundation of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.
• 900 BC: Kingdom of Kush.

Late 10th century BC:

• Centaur, from Lefkandi, Euboea is made. It is now at the Archaeological Museum of Eretria in Greece.
• Foundation of Sparta.
• The kingdom of Ethiopia is founded by Menelik I, who according to legend was the son of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.
• First extant evidence of written Aramaic language.
• The earliest known settlement in Plymouth, England dates back to this era.
• Creation of ceremonial golden hats in Central Europe.

Significant persons

• David, king of the ancient Israelites (1040 BC–970 BC)
• Snake Spine Ajaw of Palenque, semi legendary (967 BC-?
• Solomon, king of the ancient Israelites (1011 BC–931 BC)
• Zoroaster, ancient Iranian prophet (approximate date, estimates range from 1000 BC to 600 BC)

Sovereign States

See: List of sovereign states in the 10th century BC.