1st millennium

From left, clockwise: Depiction of Jesus, the central figure in Christianity; The Colosseum, a landmark of the once mighty Roman Empire; Gunpowder is invented during the latter part of the millennium, in China; Chess, a new board game, becomes popular around the globe; The Western Roman Empire falls, ushering in the Early Middle Ages; The skeletal remains of a young woman, known as the "ring lady", killed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79; Attila the Hun, leader of the Hunnic Empire, which takes most of Eastern Europe (Background: Reproduction of ancient mural from Teotihuacan, National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City)

Millennia:	1st millennium BC 1st millennium AD 2nd millennium AD
Centuries:	1st century 2nd century 3rd century 4th century 5th century 6th century 7th century 8th century 9th century 10th century

The first millennium is a period of time that began on January 1, AD 1, and ended on December 31, AD 1000, of the Julian calendar. It was the first period of one thousand years in the Anno Domini or Common Era.

In Europe and the Mediterranean, the first millennium was a time of great transition. The 2nd century saw the peak of the Roman Empire, followed by its gradual decline during the period of Late Antiquity, the rise of Christianity and the Great Migrations. The second half of the millennium is characterized as the Early Middle Ages in Europe, and marked by the Viking expansion in the west, the rise of the Byzantine Empire in the east, and by the Islamic conquests throughout the Near East, North Africa and the Iberian peninsula, culminating in the Islamic Golden Age (700–1200 AD).

In Arabia, a man called Muhammad, become the leader and the final prophet of Islam. After his death, his companion enlarged the religion. The first millennium is considered as the greatest period for Muslims.

In East Asia, the first millennium was also a time of great cultural advances, notably the spread of Buddhism to East Asia. In China, the Han dynasty is replaced by the Jin dynasty and later the Tang dynasty until the 10th century sees renewed fragmentation in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. In Japan, a sharp increase in population followed when farmers' use of iron tools increased their productivity and crop yields. The Yamato court was established. The Indian subcontinent was divided among numerous kingdoms throughout the first millennium.

In Mesoamerica, the first millennium was a period of enormous growth known as the Classic Era (200–900 AD). Teotihuacan grew into a metropolis and its empire dominated Mesoamerica. In South America, pre-Incan, coastal cultures flourished, producing impressive metalwork and some of the finest pottery seen in the ancient world.

In North America, the Mississippian culture rose at the end of the millennium in the Mississippi and Ohio river valleys. Numerous cities were built; Cahokia, the largest, was based in present-day Illinois, and may have had 30,000 residents at its peak about 1250 AD. The circumference of the 10-story-high Monks Mound at Cahokia was larger than that of the Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan or the Great Pyramid in Egypt.

Civilizations, kingdoms and dynasties

The civilizations, kingdoms and dynasties in this section are organized according to the United Nations geoscheme

Kingdoms and civilizations of the 1st millennium AD

Africa	Americas	Asia	Europe	Oceania
Nok Ghana Empire Christian Nubia (Nobatia, Makuria, Alodia) Aksumite Empire Abbasid Caliphate Fatimid Caliphate Kingdom of Kangaba Igbo-Ukwu Kingdom of Nri Kanem Empire Ife Awka	Maya civilization Huastec Teotihuacan Toltec Totonac Zapotec Mixtec Teuchitlan Kaan Kingdom Tikal Palenque Tonina Caracol Copan Kingdom of Quito Muiscan Confederation Tairona Chimor Tiwanaku Wari culture Moche culture Lima culture Nephities Lamanities	Parthian Empire Han dynasty Xiongnu Three Kingdoms Sassanid Empire Jin dynasty Gupta Empire Byzantine Empire Sui dynasty Chola dynasty Tang dynasty Volga Bulgaria Song dynasty Goguryeo Buyeo Baekje Silla Balhae Gaya confederacy Srivijaya	Roman Empire Anglo-Saxon England Irish Kingdoms Merovingian dynasty Carolingian Empire West Francia Middle Francia East Francia Holy Roman Empire Kingdom of France Bulgarian Empire Viking Kievan Rus'	Tuʻi Tonga Empire

Events

The events in this section are organized according to the United Nations geoscheme

Events and trends of the 1st millennium AD

	Africa	Americas	Asia	Europe	Oceania
1st century	70 Kandake Amanikhatashan sends Kushite cavalry to aid Roman Emperor in Jerusalem revolt 100 rise of the Aksum 100 Khoekhoe reach southern coast of Africa	1 Cahuachi established 50 Pyramid of the Sun began	25 Han Dynasty reestablished under Guangwu 33 Christianity begins 70 Jewish diaspora	9 Rhine established as boundary between Rome and Germany 47 London founded 58 Alpes Cottiae becomes a Roman province 79 Pompeii destroyed	1 Caroline Islands colonized
2nd century	150 Rhapta, hint of pre-Swahili, Periplus of the Erythraean Sea 200 Bantu reach east Africa 200 Nok culture ends	150 Cahuachi becomes dominant ceremonial site in southern Peru	184 Yellow Turban Rebellion	106 Dacia becomes a Roman province 166 Siege of Aquileia 180 End of the Macromannic Wars
	Africa	Americas	Asia	Europe	Oceania
3rd century	212 Egyptians granted Roman citizenship 230 Aksum wars with Himyar and Saba alliance 300 Aksum prints own coins	250 Rise of Laguna de los Cerros 292 Stela 29 inscribed 300 Tikàl conquers El Mirador	208 Battle of Red Cliffs during the decline of the Han Dynasty 280 Jin reunifies China	212 Roman citizenship extended to all free people in the empire 214 Hispania divided into Gallaecia, Tarraconensis, Baetica and Lusitania 286 Diocletian divides the empire East and West	300 Eastern Polynesian culture develops
4th century	333 Aksum converts to Christianity 350 Meroe comes to an end 350 King of Anwar, Kaja Maja	378 Teotihuacan conquers Waka, Tikal, and Uaxactun, the beginning of its conquest of the Maya	319 Rise of Gupta Empire in South Asia 393 Last Olympic Games	313 Edict of Milan 370 Huns invade Eastern Europe 396 Alaric and the Visigoths invade Greece
	Africa	Americas	Asia	Europe	Oceania
5th century	401 c. camel main transport for trans-Sahara 429 Vandal invasion 500 Nubia split into Nobadia, Makuria, Alodia		420 Southern and Northern Dynasties period begins	407 Vandals enter Iberia 421 Romans defeat Persians 476 Fall of Roman Empire	500 Settlement of Hawaii, Easter Island, Society Islands, Tuamotus and Mangareva
6th century	520 Kaleb attacks Yemen 533 Belisarius invades Africa 540 Nubia converts to monophysite Christianity	600 Wari' conquer Peru 600 Construction of Palenque	538 Buddhism introduced in Japan. 570 Birth of the Islamic prophet Muhammad	507 Battle of Vouillé 535 Byzantine army invades Italy 585 Visigoths conquer Suevi kingdom
	Africa	Americas	Asia	Europe	Oceania
7th century	641 Muslims invade Africa 690 Za Dynasty founded 697 Carthage destroyed	650 Settlement of Xochitecatl and Cacaxtla 700 Teotihuacan destroyed	618 Tang Dynasty established 632 Rise of Islam 651 Islamic conquest of Persia	c.680 Bulgarian Empire was founded;	700 Settlement of the Cook Islands
8th century	702 Aksum attacks Arabia 706 Arabic in Egypt 789 Independent Morocco	738 Quiriguá becomes independent of Copan 750 Sacred Cenote built at Chichén Itzá 780 Murals at Bonampak abandoned	738 Battle of Rajasthan and invasion of India by Umayyad Caliphate was averted 755 An Shi Rebellion	717 Siege of Constantinople 718 Islamic conquest of Spain
	Africa	Americas	Asia	Europe	Oceania
9th century	801 c. Kanem Empire founded 801c. Aksum declines, capital moved to interior 900c. Igbo-Ukwu founded		835 Ganlu Incident	872 Norway unites 896 Hungarians invade Carpathia	900 Settlement of New Zealand
10th century	905 Tulunids ejected 909 Fatimid established 969 Fustat captured	950 Great Serpent Mound constructed 990 Toltecs conquer Chichén Itzá	907 Political upheaval of the Five Dynasties begins 960 Song dynasty established	958 Denmark unites 985 Erik the Red founds colony in Greenland	1000 Polynesians build stone temples

Significant people

The people in this section are organized according to the United Nations geoscheme

Significant people of the 1st millennium AD

	Africa	Americas	Asia	Europe	Oceania
1st century	Natakamani Zoskales Amanikhatashan		Jesus of Nazareth Paul of Tarsus Kanishka	Caesar Augustus Nero Pliny the Elder
2nd century	Gadarat Septimius Severus Gärmat	Yax Moch Xoc	Cai Lun Zhang Heng	Plutarch Ptolemy Commodus
	Africa	Americas	Asia	Europe	Oceania
3rd century	Macrinus King Aphilas of Aksum Endubis	Curl Snout	Mani Cao Cao Zhuge Liang	Diocletian
4th century	Ezana King Kaja Maja Ousanas	Siyaj K'ak'	Empress Jingū Samudragupta	Constantine I
	Africa	Americas	Asia	Europe	Oceania
5th century	Augustine of Hippo Nezool Ouazebas	K'inich Yax K'uk' Mo'	Attila the Hun Aryabhata	Geiseric	Hawaiiloa
6th century	Saifu Gelimer Saint Frumentius		Muhammad Emperor Wen of Sui Khosrau I	Clovis I Theodoric the Great Justinian I
	Africa	Americas	Asia	Europe	Oceania
7th century	Gregory the Patrician Bilal Ibn Rabah Za Alieman	K'inich Janaab' Pakal Waxaklahùn Ubàh K'awìl	Abu Bakr Umar Uthman Ali	Saint Isidore of Seville Kubrat Asparukh
8th century	Mai Sef of Saif Ghana Majan Dyabe Cisse Merkurios of Makuria		Abū Ḥanīfa Muḥammad ibn Idrīs al Shāfīʿī Abi Ishaq Li Bai	Saint Bede Charles Martel Tervel
	Africa	Americas	Asia	Europe	Oceania
9th century	Mai Fune Bilikisu Sungbo Georgios I		Ahmad ibn Hanbal Muhammad al-Bukhari Abu Dawood Muhammad Khwarizmi Bayazid Bastami	Charlemagne Alfred the Great Krum
10th century	Ubayd Allah al-Mahdi Billah Georgios II Rafael	Ce Acatl Topiltzin	Abū Rayḥān al-Bīrūnī Ḥasan ibn Alhazen Al Battani Emperor Taizu of Song	Simeon I Otto the Great Bjarni Herjólfsson Erik the Red	'Aho'eitu

Inventions, discoveries, introductions

Inventions, discoveries and introductions

Communication	Math and Science	Agriculture	Transportation	Warfare
Woodblock printing Paper	Algebra Ptolemaic system Steel	Coffee Hops	Horseshoe Stirrup Magnetic compass	Greek fire Chess Gunpowder

Centuries and decades

1st century	0s	10s	20s	30s	40s	50s	60s	70s	80s	90s
2nd century	100s	110s	120s	130s	140s	150s	160s	170s	180s	190s
3rd century	200s	210s	220s	230s	240s	250s	260s	270s	280s	290s
4th century	300s	310s	320s	330s	340s	350s	360s	370s	380s	390s
5th century	400s	410s	420s	430s	440s	450s	460s	470s	480s	490s
6th century	500s	510s	520s	530s	540s	550s	560s	570s	580s	590s
7th century	600s	610s	620s	630s	640s	650s	660s	670s	680s	690s
8th century	700s	710s	720s	730s	740s	750s	760s	770s	780s	790s
9th century	800s	810s	820s	830s	840s	850s	860s	870s	880s	890s
10th century	900s	910s	920s	930s	940s	950s	960s	970s	980s	990s