656 BC

Millennium:	1st millennium BC
Centuries:	8th century BC 7th century BC 6th century BC
Decades:	670s BC 660s BC 650s BC 640s BC 630s BC
Years:	659 BC 658 BC 657 BC 656 BC 655 BC 654 BC 653 BC

656 BC in various calendars

Gregorian calendar	656 BC DCLVI BC
Ab urbe condita	98
Ancient Egypt era	XXVI dynasty, 9
- Pharaoh	Psamtik I, 9
Ancient Greek era	31st Olympiad (victor)¹
Assyrian calendar	4095
Balinese saka calendar	N/A
Bengali calendar	−1248
Berber calendar	295
Buddhist calendar	−111
Burmese calendar	−1293
Byzantine calendar	4853–4854
Chinese calendar	甲子年 (Wood Rat) 2042 or 1835     — to — 乙丑年 (Wood Ox) 2043 or 1836
Coptic calendar	−939 – −938
Discordian calendar	511
Ethiopian calendar	−663 – −662
Hebrew calendar	3105–3106
Hindu calendars
- Vikram Samvat	−599 – −598
- Shaka Samvat	N/A
- Kali Yuga	2445–2446
Holocene calendar	9345
Iranian calendar	1277 BP – 1276 BP
Islamic calendar	1316 BH – 1315 BH
Javanese calendar	N/A
Julian calendar	N/A
Korean calendar	1678
Minguo calendar	2567 before ROC 民前2567年
Nanakshahi calendar	−2123
Thai solar calendar	−113 – −112
Tibetan calendar	阳木鼠年 (male Wood-Rat) −529 or −910 or −1682     — to — 阴木牛年 (female Wood-Ox) −528 or −909 or −1681

Relief of king Psamtik I making an offering

The year 656 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as year 98 Ab urbe condita . The denomination 656 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

Egypt

• Thebes submits to the Egyptian ruler Psamtik I of Sais, who has allied himself with Gyges of Lydia and employs Libyan soldiers in a rebellion against Assyrian rule with help from Carian and Ionian mercenaries. Psamtik permits the city's mayor Mentuemhat to retain his position, who is not only the most powerful Theban but also the fourth prophet of Amon.
• Psamtik I extends his control over all Egypt. The Twenty-fifth Dynasty, and subsequent Nubian period, end in Ancient Egypt.

Assyria

• King Shamash-shum-ukin of Babylon forms a secret alliance with Arabs, Aramaeans, Elamites, Persians, and Egyptians against his half brother Ashurbanipal.