The 6th century is the period from  501 -  600 in accordance with the  Julian calendar in the Christian Era.
       
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 Events
      
       
          This  Buddhist  stela from 
China,  Northern Wei period, was built in the early 6th century.
 
        
      
       - The first academy of the east the Academy of  Gundeshapur founded in Iran by  Khosrau I of Persia.
- Irish colonists and invaders, the Scots, began migrating to  Caledonia (later known as Scotland)
-  Glendalough  monastery,  Wicklow Ireland founded by  St. Kevin
- The monastery on  Iona is founded by St. Columban
-  Zen Buddhists enter Vietnam from China.
- Buddhist  Jataka stories are translated into  Persian by order of the  Zoroastrian king  Khosrau.
- 537:  Battle of Camlann, final battle of King Arthur
- Buddhism introduced to Japan from  Baekje in  552, thus contributing to the changes that occurred in the  Asuka period.
- Outbreak of  bubonic plague in  Constantinople and the rest of the Roman Empire ( Plague of Justinian).
- Establishment of  Karantania, first stable and independent state of  Slovenians and of  Slavs.
- The  Kutriguri  Bulgars move into modern Romania.
- Jewish influence in  Aksum.
-  Nubia is largely converted to  Coptic Christianity.
- The area of modern  Aargau falls to the Franks.
- The Kingdom of  Funan dies out.
- Black Death raged over south east Asia.
-  Silk Road farther into Europe.
- 589-618:  Sui Dynasty of China
-  Old Irish language develops
-  Old Dutch language develops
 Significant persons
      
       -  Pope Gregory the Great (590-604)
- Arthur, defeated the  Anglo-Saxons
-  Justinian,  Byzantine Emperor (527-565)
-  Khosrau I of Persia,  Sassanid king (531-579)
-  Belisarius, last great Roman general
-  Gregory of Tours (c. 538-594)
-  Beowulf, (fictional?)  king of the Geats
-  Jordanes, author of the  Getica.
-  Procopius, Byzantine historian.
-  Bozorgmehr,  Persian sage.
- Muhammad, prophet of Islam, born cca in  570.
-  Empress Suiko of Japan
-  Taliesin, Welsh poet
-  Abraham Kidunaia
-  Austell
 Inventions, discoveries, introductions
      
       -  Dionysius Exiguus creates the Anno Domini system, inspired by the alleged birth of Jesus, in  525. This is the system upon which the  Gregorian calendar and  Common Era systems are based.
- Backgammon (nard) invented in Persia by  Burzoe
- Chess, as  chaturanga, entered Persia from India and was modified to  shatranj.
-  Breast-strap horse harness in use in Frankish kingdom
- Byzantine Empire acquires silk technology from China
- Vaghbata, Indian medical books
 Decades and years
      
       
        | 490s | 490 | 491 | 492 | 493 | 494 | 495 | 496 | 497 | 498 | 499 | 
       
        | 500s | 500 | 501 | 502 | 503 | 504 | 505 | 506 | 507 | 508 | 509 | 
       
        | 510s | 510 | 511 | 512 | 513 | 514 | 515 | 516 | 517 | 518 | 519 | 
       
        | 520s | 520 | 521 | 522 | 523 | 524 | 525 | 526 | 527 | 528 | 529 | 
       
        | 530s | 530 | 531 | 532 | 533 | 534 | 535 | 536 | 537 | 538 | 539 | 
       
        | 540s | 540 | 541 | 542 | 543 | 544 | 545 | 546 | 547 | 548 | 549 | 
       
        | 550s | 550 | 551 | 552 | 553 | 554 | 555 | 556 | 557 | 558 | 559 | 
       
        | 560s | 560 | 561 | 562 | 563 | 564 | 565 | 566 | 567 | 568 | 569 | 
       
        | 570s | 570 | 571 | 572 | 573 | 574 | 575 | 576 | 577 | 578 | 579 | 
       
        | 580s | 580 | 581 | 582 | 583 | 584 | 585 | 586 | 587 | 588 | 589 | 
       
        | 590s | 590 | 591 | 592 | 593 | 594 | 595 | 596 | 597 | 598 | 599 | 
       
        | 600s | 600 | 601 | 602 | 603 | 604 | 605 | 606 | 607 | 608 | 609 | 
      
      
       
        | Millennium | Century | 
       
        | 4th BC: | 40th BC | 39th BC | 38th BC | 37th BC | 36th BC | 35th BC | 34th BC | 33rd BC | 32nd BC | 31st BC | 
       
        | 3rd BC: | 30th BC | 29th BC | 28th BC | 27th BC | 26th BC | 25th BC | 24th BC | 23rd BC | 22nd BC | 21st BC | 
       
        | 2nd BC: | 20th BC | 19th BC | 18th BC | 17th BC | 16th BC | 15th BC | 14th BC | 13th BC | 12th BC | 11th BC | 
       
        | 1st BC: | 10th BC | 9th BC | 8th BC | 7th BC | 6th BC | 5th BC | 4th BC | 3rd BC | 2nd BC | 1st BC | 
       
        | 1st: | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 
       
        | 2nd: | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th | 16th | 17th | 18th | 19th | 20th | 
       
        | 3rd: | 21st | 22nd | 23rd | 24th | 25th | 26th | 27th | 28th | 29th | 30th | 
       
        | 4th: | 31st | 32nd | 33rd | 34th | 35th | 36th | 37th | 38th | 39th | 40th |