What happened in the 6th century

World13

• AD 532Nika riots in Constantinople; the cathedral is destroyed. They are put down a week later by Belisarius and Mundus; up to 30,000 people are killed in the Hippodrome.
• AD 537Battle of Camlann, final battle of legendary King Arthur.
• Chess, as chaturanga, entered Persia from India and was modified to shatranj.
• AD 551Bumin Khagan founded the Turkic Khaganate in Central Asia
• By 6th century – Shilpa Shastras is written.
• Mid-6th century – Eternal Shiva, rock-cut relief in the Cave-Temple of Shiva at Elephanta Caves, is made
• Byzantine Empire acquires silk technology from China.
• AD 561First Council of Braga.
• AD 570Birth of the last Islamic Prophet Muhammad.
• AD 572Second Council of Braga.
• AD 577China's last of the Southern dynasties, the Chen dynasty invents matches. would eventually be conquered by the Visigoths in the 6th century]]
• AD 590Gregory the Great succeeds Pope Pelagius II (who dies of plague) as the 64th pope.
• AD 594Beginning of the Bengali Calendar or (বঙ্গাব্দ Bônggabdô or Banggabda).

Japan2

• Early 6th century – Haniwa, from Kyoto, is made during the Kofun period.
• AD 578The world's oldest ongoing company, Kongō Gumi, is founded in Osaka, Japan.

Europe24

• AD 507The Franks commanded by Clovis I wrest Aquitania from Alaric II's Visigoths at the Battle of Vouillé.
• AD 518Eastern Roman Emperor Anastasius I dies and is succeeded by Justin I.
• AD 522Romans obtain silkworm eggs and begin silkworm cultivation
• c. AD 524Boethius writes his On the Consolation of Philosophy.
• AD 525Having settled in Rome c. 500, Scythian monk Dionysius Exiguus invents the Anno Domini era calendar based on the estimated birth year of Jesus Christ.
• AD 527Justinian I succeeds Justin I as Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire.
• AD 529Saint Benedict of Nursia founds the monastery of Monte Cassino in Italy.
• AD 541First pandemic of bubonic plague (Plague of Justinian) hits Constantinople and the rest of Byzantine Empire.
• Mid-6th century – Cassiodorus founds a cenobitic monastery and scriptorium at Vivarium in Italy
• Early 6th century – Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe's apse's mosaic is completed.
• Early 6th century – Glendalough monastery, Wicklow Ireland founded on St. Kevin. Many similar foundations in Ireland and Wales.
• Early 6th century – Romano-British refugees settle in the Suebian Kingdom.
• Early 6th century – Irish colonists and invaders, the Scots, began migrating to Caledonia (later known as Scotland). Migration from south-west Britain to Brittany.
• AD 589Third Council of Toledo adds the "filioque" clause to the Nicene Creed in Spain.
• AD 595Pope Gregory sends Roman monks led by Augustine to England.

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Asia17

• AD 502Chinese annals mentioned the existence of the Buddhist Kingdom, Kanto Lim in South Sumatra, presumably in the neighborhood of present-day Palembang.
• AD 535Postulated volcanic eruption in the tropics which causes several years of abnormally cold weather, resulting in mass famine in the Northern Hemisphere. (See Extreme weather events of 535–536.) stela from China, Northern Wei period, was built in the early 6th century.]]
• AD 550Kingdom of Funan dies out.
• Chen dynasty from China invents matches in 577.
• Dionysius Exiguus creates the Anno Domini system, inspired by the birth of Jesus, in 525. This is the system upon which the Gregorian calendar and Common Era systems are based.
• In 589 AD, the Chinese scholar-official Yan Zhitui makes the first reference to the use of toilet paper in history.
• Early 6th century – Zen Buddhism enters Vietnam from China.
• Mid-6th century – Cave-Temple of Shiva at Elephanta Caves, Maharashtra, India, is built. Post-Gupta period.
• Mid-6th century – Jogeshwari Caves excavated during 6th century A.D. is one of the finest specimen of Brahmanical Rock-Cut Architecture and bears similarity with Elephanta Caves (Cave No. 1) and Dhumar Lena (Cave No. 29) at Ellora Caves.
• The technology of cutting and polishing diamonds was invented in India, Ratna Pariksha, a text dated to 6th century talks about diamond cutting.
• Vaghbata, Indian medical books.
• Significant to the history of agriculture, the Chinese author Jia Sixia wrote the treatise Qi Min Yao Shu in 535, and although it quotes 160 previous Chinese agronomy books, it is the oldest existent Chinese agriculture treatise. In over one hundred thousand written Chinese characters, the book covered land preparation, seeding, cultivation, orchard management, forestry, animal husbandry, trade, and culinary uses for crops.
• AD 552Buddhism introduced to Japan from Baekje during the Asuka period.
• AD 566Birth of Lǐ Yuān, founder of the Tang dynasty and Emperor of China under the name of Gaozu (618-626)
• AD 589China reunified under the Sui dynasty (589 – 618).

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Middle East11

• AD 531Reign of Persian Shah Khosrau I.
• Early 6th century – Vienna Genesis, from "Book of Genesis", probably made in Syria or Palestine, is made. It is now kept at Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Vienna.
• Backgammon (nard) invented in Persia by Burzoe.
• Early 6th century – Archangel ivory, panel of a diptych probably from the court workshop at Constantinople, is made. It is now kept at The British Museum, London.
• Early 6th century – first academy of the east the Academy of Gundeshapur founded in Iran by Khosrau I of Persia.
• Mid-6th century – Buddhist Jataka stories are translated into Persian by order of the Zoroastrian king Khosrau.
• Second half of 6th century – Virgin and Child with Saints and Angels, icon, is made. It is now kept at Saint Catherine's Monastery, Egypt.
• AD 553Second Council of Constantinople
• AD 579Reign of Persian Shah Hormizd IV.
• AD 590Bahram Chobin usurps the Persian throne.
• AD 591Khosrau II is restored as the Shah of Persia.

Latin America1

• Early 6th century – Ah Suytok Tutul Xiu founds Uxmal.

Africa3

• AD 545Nubian Kingdom of Nobatia converts to Christianity.
• AD 569Nubian kingdom of Alodia converts to Christianity.
• AD 569Nubian kingdom of Makuria converts to Christianity.