The world in the 7th century

In the 7th century (601 to 700 CE), the timeline shows 120 states, empires and colonies and 116 peoples across 12 regions. The most significant include Republic of Venice, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Empire, Ghana Empire (Wagadu) and Kingdom of Aksum.

Events

609 Grand Canal completed, East Asia. The Sui finish a network of canals linking Hangzhou, the Yangtze, the Yellow River and the north, carrying southern grain to the capitals for over a thousand years.
622 The Hijra, Middle East. Muhammad and his followers leave Mecca for Medina, founding the first Muslim community. The year becomes the start of the Islamic calendar.
628 Brahmagupta's rules for zero, South Asia. Working at Bhinmal in Rajasthan, Brahmagupta writes the first known rules for calculating with zero and negative numbers.
636 Battles of Yarmouk and Qadisiyyah, Middle East. Arab armies crush the Byzantines at the Yarmouk River and then the Sasanians at Qadisiyyah, opening Syria and Iraq to Islamic rule.
641 Arab conquest of Egypt, North and West Africa. Amr ibn al-As takes Babylon fortress and then Alexandria, ending Byzantine rule. He founds Fustat, the nucleus of later Cairo.
645 Taika reforms, East Asia. After a palace coup against the Soga clan, the Japanese court begins land and tax reforms modeled on Tang China.
652 The Baqt treaty, North and West Africa. After failing to take Dongola, an Arab army agrees a treaty with Makuria trading slaves for grain and cloth. It keeps the peace for some six centuries.
668 Silla unifies Korea, East Asia. With Tang help Silla destroys Goguryeo, then fights the Tang until 676 to take control of the peninsula south of the Taedong river.
670 Founding of Kairouan, North and West Africa. Uqba ibn Nafi founds Kairouan in Tunisia as a garrison for the conquest of the Maghreb. Its Great Mosque becomes a centre of Islamic learning.
671 Yijing studies at Srivijaya, Southeast Asia. The Chinese monk Yijing stops at Srivijaya on his way to India and advises pilgrims to study Sanskrit and Buddhist texts there first.
680 Battle of Karbala, Middle East. Umayyad troops kill Husayn, grandson of Muhammad, and his small band at Karbala. His death becomes the central event of Shia Islam.
695 Tikal defeats Calakmul, Mesoamerica and Caribbean. Jasaw Chan K'awiil of Tikal defeats Yich'aak K'ahk' of Calakmul, ending the dominance of the Snake kingdom in the southern lowlands.

Central and Southern Africa

Western Bantu-speaking farmers c. 1000 BCE to 1400 CE
Eastern Bantu-speaking farmers c. 1000 BCE to 1300 CE
Central African forest foragers c. 3200 BCE to the present
San hunter-gatherers c. 3200 BCE to the present
Khoisan hunter-gatherers c. 3200 BCE to 1100 CE
Pastoral Neolithic herders c. 3000 BCE to 700 CE
Khoekhoe herders c. 100 BCE to 1904 CE
Bantu farmers of the Congo basin c. 500 BCE to 1500 CE
Iron Age farmers of South Africa c. 300 to 1300 CE
Iron Age farmers of the Zambezi c. 200 to 1000 CE
Austronesian settlers of Madagascar c. 400 to 1100 CE
East African hunter-gatherers c. 3200 BCE to the present
Coastal Bantu farmers (Kwale ware) c. 100 to 800 CE
Kisalian culture c. 700 to 1300 CE

North and West Africa

Ghana Empire (Wagadu) c. 300 to 1200 CE
Kingdom of Aksum c. 100 to 940 CE
Makuria c. 450 to 1312 CE
Kanem Empire c. 700 to 1387 CE
Amazigh (Berber) tribes c. 3200 BCE to the present
Cushitic-speaking pastoralists c. 3200 BCE to the present
Medjay, Blemmyes and Beja nomads c. 2300 BCE to the present
Sahelian cereal farmers c. 1500 BCE to the present
West African yam and oil palm farmers c. 1500 BCE to the present
Chadic-speaking farmers c. 1000 BCE to the present
Sao culture c. 500 BCE to 1600 CE
Coptic Christians c. 300 CE to the present
Saharan camel nomads (Sanhaja and Tuareg) c. 300 CE to the present
Jenne-Jeno (Middle Niger towns) c. 250 BCE to 1400 CE
Garamantes c. 500 BCE to 700 CE
Alodia c. 500 to 1504 CE
Nobatia c. 400 to 700 CE
Byzantine Egypt 395 to 641 CE
Arab caliphal Egypt 641 to 868 CE
Byzantine Africa (Exarchate) 534 to 698 CE
Umayyad and Abbasid Ifriqiya 670 to 800 CE

Europe

Republic of Venice c. 697 to 1797 CE
Byzantine Empire 395 to 1453 CE
Gaelic Ireland c. 500 BCE to 1607 CE
Kingdom of Wessex c. 519 to 927 CE
Kingdom of Mercia c. 527 to 918 CE
First Bulgarian Empire 681 to 1018 CE
Khazar Khaganate c. 650 to 969 CE
Merovingian Kingdom 481 to 751 CE
Avar Khaganate c. 567 to 822 CE
Lombard Kingdom 568 to 774 CE
Visigothic Kingdom of Toledo 507 to 711 CE
Sami people c. 1000 BCE to the present
Volga Finnic peoples c. 1800 BCE to 1100 CE
Baltic Finnic tribes c. 1500 BCE to 1250 CE
Basques (Vascones) c. 500 BCE to the present
Baltic tribes c. 1000 BCE to 1290 CE
San Marino c. 301 CE to the present
Kingdom of Gwynedd c. 450 to 1216 CE
Kingdom of Powys c. 450 to 1160 CE
Old Saxons c. 100 to 804 CE
West Slavic tribes c. 500 to 1160 CE
Kingdom of Strathclyde c. 450 to 1030 CE
Picts c. 297 to 843 CE
Volga Bulgaria c. 700 to 1236 CE
Alemanni c. 213 to 746 CE
Duchy and Principality of Benevento c. 571 to 1077 CE
Migration and Vendel periods c. 400 to 793 CE
East Slavic tribes c. 500 to 882 CE
Kingdom of Kent c. 455 to 825 CE
Kingdom of East Anglia c. 550 to 918 CE
Dal Riata c. 500 to 850 CE
Kingdom of Northumbria c. 604 to 954 CE
South Slavic tribes c. 550 to 850 CE
Byzantine Italy (Exarchate of Ravenna) 554 to 751 CE
Kutrigurs and Utigurs c. 460 to 632 CE
Frisian Kingdom c. 600 to 734 CE
Byzantine Spania 552 to 624 CE
Old Great Bulgaria c. 632 to 668 CE
Samo's realm c. 623 to 658 CE

Middle East

Byzantine Empire 395 to 1453 CE
Sasanian Empire 224 to 651 CE
Umayyad Caliphate 661 to 750 CE
Rashidun Caliphate 632 to 661 CE
Khazar Khaganate c. 650 to 969 CE
Byzantine Syria and Palestine 395 to 640 CE
Muhammad's state at Medina 622 to 632 CE
Arab Bedouin tribes c. 900 BCE to the present
Aramaic-speaking Mesopotamians c. 1100 BCE to 700 CE
Kurdish tribes and emirates c. 640 CE to the present
Caucasian Albania c. 150 BCE to 705 CE
Bavandids 651 to 1349 CE
Lazica (Egrisi) c. 100 to 697 CE
Ghassanids c. 220 to 638 CE
Lakhmids c. 300 to 602 CE
Principality of Iberia 588 to 888 CE
Arminiya (Arab Armenia) 654 to 884 CE
Persian Armenia (Marzpanate) 428 to 646 CE
Sasanian Yemen c. 570 to 628 CE

South Asia

Anuradhapura Kingdom 377 BCE to 1017 CE
Pallava dynasty c. 275 to 897 CE
Chalukyas of Badami 543 to 753 CE
Empire of Harsha 606 to 647 CE
Munda-speaking peoples c. 1500 BCE to the present
Tibeto-Burman hill peoples c. 1000 BCE to the present
Vedda people c. 900 BCE to the present
Eastern Iranian peoples c. 1500 BCE to 1000 CE
Kamarupa c. 350 to 1140 CE
Western Ganga dynasty c. 350 to 1000 CE
Chahamanas of Shakambhari c. 650 to 1194 CE
Eastern Chalukyas c. 624 to 1070 CE
Licchavi dynasty of Nepal c. 400 to 750 CE
Pandya dynasty (first empire) c. 590 to 920 CE
Maitraka dynasty c. 475 to 776 CE
Karkota dynasty c. 625 to 855 CE
Nezak Huns c. 484 to 665 CE
Turk Shahis c. 665 to 822 CE
Brahman dynasty of Sindh c. 632 to 712 CE
Maukhari dynasty c. 550 to 606 CE
Gauda Kingdom c. 590 to 625 CE

Central and North Asia

First Turkic Khaganate 552 to 603 CE
Sogdiana c. 545 BCE to 722 CE
Kingdom of Khotan c. 200 BCE to 1006 CE
Western Turkic Khaganate 603 to 742 CE
Second Turkic Khaganate 682 to 744 CE
Uralic hunter-fishers of western Siberia c. 3200 BCE to 1000 CE
Yukaghir peoples c. 1000 BCE to the present
Chukchi, Koryak and Itelmen peoples c. 1000 BCE to the present
Evenki and Even reindeer herders c. 500 CE to the present
Kingdom of Kucha c. 100 BCE to 840 CE
Okhotsk culture c. 500 to 1200 CE
Afrighid dynasty c. 305 to 995 CE
Yenisei Kyrgyz c. 550 to 1207 CE
Kurykans c. 550 to 1000 CE
Tang Protectorate General to Pacify the West 640 to 790 CE
Gaochang kingdom 498 to 640 CE
Turgesh Khaganate 699 to 766 CE
Eastern Turkic Khaganate 603 to 630 CE
Xueyantuo 628 to 646 CE

East Asia

Tang dynasty 618 to 907 CE
Silla 57 BCE to 668 CE
Goguryeo 37 BCE to 668 CE
Baekje 18 BCE to 660 CE
Unified Silla 668 to 935 CE
Balhae 698 to 926 CE
Tibetan Empire 618 to 842 CE
Asuka period 538 to 710 CE
Sui dynasty 581 to 618 CE
Formosan Austronesian peoples c. 3200 BCE to the present
Qiang peoples c. 1300 BCE to the present
Zhangzhung c. 500 BCE to 644 CE
Epi-Jomon culture c. 300 BCE to 700 CE
Mohe c. 400 to 926 CE
Emishi c. 600 to 1100 CE
Satsumon culture c. 700 to 1200 CE
Tuyuhun c. 285 to 670 CE
Wu Zhou 690 to 705 CE

Southeast Asia

Austronesian peoples c. 2200 BCE to 900 CE
Srivijaya c. 650 to 1377 CE
Champa c. 192 to 1832 CE
Pyu city-states c. 200 BCE to 1050 CE
Dvaravati c. 550 to 1050 CE
Third Chinese domination (Sui and Tang) 602 to 938 CE
Chenla c. 550 to 802 CE
Philippine Negrito foragers c. 3200 BCE to the present
Orang Asli (Semang and Senoi) c. 2000 BCE to the present
Dayak peoples of Borneo c. 1000 BCE to the present
Langkasuka c. 100 to 1400 CE
Kutai Martadipura c. 350 to 1605 CE
Sunda Kingdom c. 669 to 1579 CE
Haripunjaya c. 660 to 1292 CE
Tarumanagara c. 358 to 669 CE
Early Ly dynasty (Van Xuan) 544 to 602 CE

North America

Dorset culture c. 500 BCE to 1300 CE
Pacific Northwest peoples c. 500 CE to the present
Mogollon culture c. 200 to 1450 CE
Hohokam c. 300 to 1450 CE
Unangan (Aleut) peoples c. 2500 BCE to the present
Dene (Northern Athabaskan) peoples c. 500 BCE to the present
Basketmaker culture c. 1500 BCE to 750 CE
Woodland period cultures c. 1000 BCE to 1000 CE
Norton tradition c. 1000 BCE to 800 CE
Chumash c. 500 CE to the present
California peoples (Ohlone, Miwok, Pomo, Tongva) c. 500 CE to the present
Laurel complex c. 500 BCE to 1000 CE
Plains Woodland cultures c. 500 BCE to 900 CE
Fremont culture c. 1 to 1300 CE
Birnirk culture c. 600 to 1000 CE

Mesoamerica and Caribbean

Classic Maya civilization c. 250 to 900 CE
Chibchan chiefdoms (Costa Rica and Panama) c. 500 BCE to 1570 CE
Zapotec state (Monte Albán) c. 500 BCE to 850 CE
Tikal (Mutal) c. 90 to 900 CE
Kaan kingdom (Calakmul) c. 400 to 900 CE
Guayabo de Turrialba c. 1000 BCE to 1400 CE
Early farmers of the northern deserts c. 1500 BCE to 700 CE
Greater Nicoya cultures c. 500 BCE to 1522 CE
Cholula c. 300 BCE to 1519 CE
Kaminaljuyu c. 800 BCE to 800 CE
Gran Coclé chiefdoms c. 1 to 1520 CE
Teuchitlán tradition c. 300 BCE to 900 CE
Diquís culture c. 500 to 1530 CE
Chalchihuites culture c. 200 to 1100 CE
El Tajín (Classic Veracruz) c. 600 to 1200 CE
Ostionoid culture c. 600 to 1200 CE
Caracol 331 to 859 CE
La Quemada c. 500 to 900 CE
Copan 426 to 822 CE
Palenque (Baakal) 431 to 799 CE
Puuc cities (Uxmal) c. 700 to 1000 CE
Xochicalco c. 650 to 900 CE

South America

Moche (Mochica) c. 100 to 800 CE
Tiwanaku c. 400 to 1000 CE
Tupi-Guarani peoples c. 500 CE to the present
Marajoara culture c. 400 to 1400 CE
Nazca culture c. 100 BCE to 800 CE
Wari Empire c. 600 to 1000 CE
Fuegian canoe peoples (Yaghan, Kawésqar) c. 3200 BCE to the present
Sambaqui shell-mound builders c. 3200 BCE to 1000 CE
Jê peoples c. 1 CE to the present
Patagonian peoples (Tehuelche, Selk'nam) c. 1 CE to the present
Barrancoid culture c. 1000 BCE to 1000 CE
Quimbaya culture c. 1 to 1550 CE
Tairona c. 200 to 1600 CE
Zenú culture c. 200 BCE to 1000 CE
Cañari c. 500 to 1532 CE
San Agustín culture c. 1 to 900 CE
Recuay culture c. 1 to 700 CE
El Molle culture c. 1 to 700 CE
Lima culture c. 100 to 650 CE
Tierradentro culture c. 600 to 900 CE
Aguada culture c. 600 to 900 CE

Oceania

Aboriginal Australian peoples c. 3200 BCE to the present
Papuan farmers and foragers c. 3200 BCE to the present
Ancestral Polynesian society c. 850 BCE to 1000 CE
Tasmanian Aboriginal peoples c. 3200 BCE to the present
Uninhabited c. 3200 BCE to 1280 CE
Uninhabited c. 3200 BCE to 1000 CE
Torres Strait Islanders c. 500 BCE to the present
Island Melanesian societies c. 500 BCE to the present
Pre-Latte Chamorro c. 1500 BCE to 900 CE
Fijian chiefdoms c. 500 BCE to 1874 CE
Eastern Micronesian islanders c. 100 BCE to the present