515 BC
# 515 BC

The year 515 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as year 239 Ab urbe condita . The denomination 515 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

### By topic

**Art and architecture**

* February 25 – The Second Temple in Jerusalem is completed.
* Construction of Persepolis begins.
* Euphronios creates the Death of Sarpedon, a red-figure decoration on a calyx krater. It is now in the collection of the Archaeological Museum of Cerveteri.

## Births

* Parmenides, Greek religious philosopher (d. 450 BC)

## Deaths

* Arcesilaus III of Cyrene, the sixth Greek Cyrenaean King, was assassinated in 515 BC
* King Liao of Wu (Chinese: 吳王僚), king of the state of Wu in the Spring and Autumn period from 526 to 515 BC, assassinated by Zhuan Zhu in 515 BC
* Pheretima (Cyrenaean Queen), wife of the Greek Cyrenaean King Battus III and the last recorded queen of the Battiad dynasty in Cyrenaica
* Polycrates, son of Aeaces, the tyrant of Samos from c. 538 BC to 522 BC
* Zhuan Zhu, an assassin in the Spring and Autumn period.
