The 6th century is the period from
501 through
600 in line with the
Julian calendar.
In
the West, the century marks the end of
Classical Antiquity and the beginning of the
Middle Ages. The collapse of the
Western Roman Empire late in the previous century left Europe fractured into many small Germanic kingdoms competing fiercely for land and wealth. From the upheaval the
Franks rose to prominence and carved out a sizeable domain covering much of modern France and Germany. Meanwhile, the surviving
Eastern Roman Empire began to expand under Emperor
Justinian, who recaptured
North Africa from the
Vandals and attempted fully to recover
Italy as well, in the hope of reinstating Roman control over the lands once ruled by the
Western Roman Empire.
Owing in part to the collapse of the Roman Empire along with its literature and civilization, the sixth century is generally considered to be the least known about in the
Dark Ages.[a]
Early 6th century –
Irish colonists and invaders, the Scots, began migrating to
Caledonia (later known as
Scotland). Migration from south-west Britain to
Brittany.
502: Chinese annals mentioned the existence of the Buddhist Kingdom, Kanto Lim in South Sumatra, presumably in the neighborhood of present-day
Palembang.
In
589 AD, the Chinese scholar-official
Yan Zhitui makes the first reference to the use of
toilet paper in history.[4]
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.
Notes
^This view is shown in several reputable sources about the Dark Ages. In his book "The Inheritance of Rome: Illuminating the Dark Ages, 400-1000", the historian Chris Wickham writes that "the sixth century is the least documented of any century of the 'Dark Ages'".[1] Similarly, the historian Charles Oman writes in "The Dark Ages: 476-918" that "the 6th century was a period of such confusion and turmoil that it has been compared to the
deluge of Noah".[2] These sources reflect the widely accepted view among historians that the 6th century in the Dark Ages is the least known about.
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 6th century.
^Wickham, Chris (2009). "Introduction". The Inheritance of Rome: Illuminating the Dark Ages, 400-1000. New York: Viking. p. 6.
ISBN978-0-670-02098-0.
^Oman, Charles (1914). "The Sixth Century". The Dark Ages: 476-918. London: Rivingtons. p. 23.
^Roberts, J: "History of the World". Penguin, 1994.
^Green, Hilary (2022). International Trade in the Middle Ages. Amberley Publishing Limited.
ISBN978-1-4456-9841-0.
The 6th century is the period from
501 through
600 in line with the
Julian calendar.
In
the West, the century marks the end of
Classical Antiquity and the beginning of the
Middle Ages. The collapse of the
Western Roman Empire late in the previous century left Europe fractured into many small Germanic kingdoms competing fiercely for land and wealth. From the upheaval the
Franks rose to prominence and carved out a sizeable domain covering much of modern France and Germany. Meanwhile, the surviving
Eastern Roman Empire began to expand under Emperor
Justinian, who recaptured
North Africa from the
Vandals and attempted fully to recover
Italy as well, in the hope of reinstating Roman control over the lands once ruled by the
Western Roman Empire.
Owing in part to the collapse of the Roman Empire along with its literature and civilization, the sixth century is generally considered to be the least known about in the
Dark Ages.[a]
Early 6th century –
Irish colonists and invaders, the Scots, began migrating to
Caledonia (later known as
Scotland). Migration from south-west Britain to
Brittany.
502: Chinese annals mentioned the existence of the Buddhist Kingdom, Kanto Lim in South Sumatra, presumably in the neighborhood of present-day
Palembang.
In
589 AD, the Chinese scholar-official
Yan Zhitui makes the first reference to the use of
toilet paper in history.[4]
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.
Notes
^This view is shown in several reputable sources about the Dark Ages. In his book "The Inheritance of Rome: Illuminating the Dark Ages, 400-1000", the historian Chris Wickham writes that "the sixth century is the least documented of any century of the 'Dark Ages'".[1] Similarly, the historian Charles Oman writes in "The Dark Ages: 476-918" that "the 6th century was a period of such confusion and turmoil that it has been compared to the
deluge of Noah".[2] These sources reflect the widely accepted view among historians that the 6th century in the Dark Ages is the least known about.
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 6th century.
^Wickham, Chris (2009). "Introduction". The Inheritance of Rome: Illuminating the Dark Ages, 400-1000. New York: Viking. p. 6.
ISBN978-0-670-02098-0.
^Oman, Charles (1914). "The Sixth Century". The Dark Ages: 476-918. London: Rivingtons. p. 23.
^Roberts, J: "History of the World". Penguin, 1994.
^Green, Hilary (2022). International Trade in the Middle Ages. Amberley Publishing Limited.
ISBN978-1-4456-9841-0.