15th century BC

The 15th century BC was the century that lasted from 1500 BC to 1401 BC.

Events

 * 1504 BC – 1492 BC: Egypt conquers Nubia and the Levant.
 * 1500 BC – 1400 BC: The Battle of the Ten Kings took place around this time.
 * 1500 BC: Coalescence of a number of cultural traits including undecorated pottery, megalithic burials, and millet-bean-rice agriculture indicate the beginning of the Mumun Pottery Period on the Korean peninsula.
 * c. 1490 BC: Cranaus, legendary King of Athens, is deposed after a reign of 10 years by his son-in-law Amphictyon of Thessaly, son of Deucalion and Pyrrha.
 * 1487 BC: Amphictyon, son of Deucalion and Pyrrha and legendary King of Athens, dies after a reign of 10 years and is succeeded by Erichthonius I of Athens, a grandson of Cranaus.
 * c. 1480 BC: Queen Hatshepsut succeeded by her stepson and nephew Thutmosis III. Period of greatest Egyptian expansion (4th Nile cataract to the Euphrates).
 * c. 1469 BC: In the Battle of Megiddo, Egypt defeats Canaan (Low Chronology).
 * c. 1460 BC: The Kassites overrun Babylonia and found a dynasty there that lasts for 576 years and nine months.


 * 1437 BC: Legendary King Erichthonius I of Athens dies after a reign of 50 years and is succeeded by his son Pandion I.
 * 1430 BC – 1178 BC: Beginning of Hittite empire.
 * c. 1420 BC: Crete conquered by Mycenae—start of the Mycenaean period. First Linear B tablets.
 * 1400 BC: In Crete the use of bronze helmets (discovery at Knossos).
 * 1400 BC: Palace of Minos destroyed by fire.
 * c. 1400 BC: Linear A reaches its peak of popularity.
 * c. 1400 BC: The height of the Canaanite town of Ugarit. Royal Palace of Ugarit is built.
 * Myceneans conquers Greece and border of Anatolia.
 * The Tumulus culture flourishes.
 * Earliest traces of Olmec civilization.

Inventions, discoveries, introductions

 * The Shang dynasty Chinese capital city at Ao had massive defensive walls of 20 m in width at the base and enclosed an area of some 2100 yd2.

Sovereign states
See: List of sovereign states in the 15th century BC.