480 BC

Centuries: 6th century BC – 5th century BC – 4th century BC

Decades: 530s BC 520s BC 510s BC 500s BC 490s BC – 480s BC – 470s BC 460s BC 450s BC 440s BC 430s BC

Years: 485 BC 484 BC 483 BC 482 BC 481 BC – 480 BC – 479 BC 478 BC 477 BC 476 BC 475 BC

Events

• King Xerxes I of Persia sets out to conquer Greece.
• Cimon and his friends burn horse-bridles as an offering to Athena and join the marines
• August 11 – The Battle of Thermopylae.
• Pleistarchus succeeds his father Leonidas I as king of Sparta.
• August – Battle of Artemisium – The Persian fleet fights an inconclusive battle with the Greek allied fleet.
• September 23 – Battle of Salamis.
• Persian invasion of Corfu.
• Battle of Himera – The Carthaginians under Hamilcar are defeated by the Greeks of Sicily, led by Gelon of Syracuse.

Births

• Euripides, Greek playwright.
• Antiphon, Attic orator.
• Philolaus, Greek mathematician and philosopher (+ circa 405 BC) (estimated date).

Deaths

• Leonidas I and 300 Spartans (died at Thermopylae).
• Nabu-rimanni, Chaldean astronomer and mathematician (estimated date).
• Xenophanes, Greek philosopher.