View source for 449 BC

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{{BC year in topic|449}}
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Year '''449 BC''' was a year of the [[Roman calendar|pre-Julian Roman calendar]]. At the time, it was known as the '''Third year of the decemviri''' and the '''Year of the Consulship of Potitus and Barbatus''' (or, less frequently, '''year 305 ''[[Ab urbe condita]]'''''). The denomination 449 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.

== Events ==
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=== By place ===
==== Greece ====
* The [[Ancient Greece|Greek]] city-states make peace with the [[Achaemenid Empire|Persian Empire]] through the [[Peace of Callias]], named after [[Callias II]], the chief Greek ambassador to the Persian Court, an Athenian who is a brother-in-law of [[Cimon]]. [[Athens]] agrees to end its support for the [[Egypt]]ian rebels still holding out in parts of the [[Nile Delta]], while the Persians agree not to send ships of war into the [[Aegean Sea]]. Athens now effectively controls all the Greek city states in [[Ionia]].
* [[Pericles]] begins a great building plan including the re-fortification of Athens main port [[Piraeus]] and its long walls extending to Athens main city.
* Pericles proposes the "Papyrus Decree" allowing the use of 5,000 [[Talent (weight)|talents]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Fornara |first=Charles W. |title=Athens from Cleisthenes to Pericles |last2=Samons |first2=Loren J. |date=1991 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-06923-7 |location=Berkeley |pages=94}}</ref> to finance the massive rebuilding program of Athenian temples. This leads to a meeting ("Congress") of all Greek states in order to consider the question of rebuilding the temples destroyed by the Persians. The Congress fails because of [[Sparta]]'s opposition.
* Pericles places the Athenian sculptor [[Phidias]] in charge of all the artistic aspects of his reconstruction program. Construction begins on the [[Temple of Hephaestus]] in [[Athens]], while the Athenian Senate commissions [[Callicrates]] to construct a temple to [[Athena Nike]] on the [[Acropolis]].
* The [[Second Sacred War]] erupts between Athens and Sparta, when Sparta forcefully detaches [[Delphi]] from [[Phocis]] and renders it independent.

==== Rome ====
* The [[Law of the Twelve Tables]] (developed by the [[Decemvirate]]s) is formally promulgated in 450 B.C. The Twelve Tables are literally drawn up on twelve ivory tablets which are posted in the [[Forum Romanum]] so that all Romans can read and know them.
* When the Decemvirate's term of office expires, the decemviri refuse to leave office or permit successors to take office. [[Appius Claudius Crassus]] is said to have made an unjust decision which would have forced a young woman named [[Verginia]] into prostitution, prompting her father to kill her. This leads to an uprising against the Decemvirate forcing the decemviri to resign their offices. The ordinary magistrates ([[magistratus ordinarii]]) are re-instituted. Appius Claudius is said to have committed suicide as a result of these events.

=== By topic ===
==== Literature ====
* [[Herodotus]] completes his ''[[The Histories of Herodotus|History]]'', which records the events concerning the [[Greco-Persian Wars|Persian War]].
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== Births ==
*

== Deaths ==
* [[Appius Claudius Crassus]], former [[decemvir]] ([[suicide]])

== References ==
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[[Category:449 BC| ]]