Aeschylus was born in 525 BCE in Elefsina. An Athenian playwright, Aeschylus is often called the father of tragedy. He is credited with adding a second actor, which allowed for real dialogue and conflict on stage, and with reducing the role of the chorus. Only seven of his many plays survive, among them The Persians, based on his own experience of the Persian Wars, and the Oresteia, the only complete trilogy to come down from antiquity. He fought at Marathon, and according to tradition he wished his epitaph to mention that service rather than his drama.
Before and after
- 535 BCEBirth of Heraclitus
- c. 535 BCEGreek tragedy is born at the Athenian festival of Dionysus
- 530 BCEConstruction of Tomb of Cyrus the Great
- 530 BCEDeath of Cyrus the Great
- 525 BCEBirth of Aeschylus
- from 525 BCE to 404 BCETwenty-seventh Dynasty of Egypt
- c. 520 BCECarving of the Behistun inscription
- from c. 510 BCE to 323 BCEClassical Greece
- c. 510 BCEThe Roman Republic is founded
More in Art, literature & culture
- from c. 776 BCE to 500 CEAncient Olympic Games
- c. 430s BCEHerodotus writes the Histories
- 2nd century BCEVenus de Milo
- c. 4 BCENativity of Jesus
- June 313 CEEdict of Milan
- 325 CEFirst Council of Nicaea
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 6th century BCE.