440 BC

Centuries:	6th century BC - 5th century BC - 4th century BC
Decades:	470s BC 460s BC 450s BC - 440s BC - 430s BC 420s BC 410s BC
Years:	443 BC 442 BC 441 BC - 440 BC - 439 BC 438 BC 437 BC

440 BC by topic
Politics
State leaders - Sovereign states
Birth and death categories
Births - Deaths
Establishments and disestablishments categories
Establishments - Disestablishments v • d • e

Events

Samos, an autonomous member of the Delian League and one of Athens' principal allies with a substantial fleet of its own, quarrels with Miletus and appeals to Athens for assistance. Pericles decides in favour of Miletus, so Samos revolts. Pericles then sails to Samos with a fleet to overthrow its oligarchic government and install a democratic one. Sparta threatens to interfere. However, at a congress of the Peloponnesian League, its members vote not to intervene on behalf of Samos against Athens.

Democritus proposes the existence of indivisible particles, which he calls atoms.

Polykleitos completes one of his greatest statues, the Doryphorus (The Spear Bearer) (approximate date).
The stela, Demeter, Persephone and Triptolemos, from Eleusis, is made (approximate date). It is now kept at the National Archeological Museum in Athens.
A temple for Poseidon is erected in Sounion.

Ducetius, a Hellenized leader of the Sicels and founder of a united Sicilian stateast:440 edC