1st - 11th Centuries
Gallery
Swedish Runes
ca. 200 CE
Carolingian Script,
ca. 840;
note clarity
of letters
1-1099 C.E.
Most early dates are approximate
0:
Reformed Chinese writing in li-shu style prefigures modern Chinese.
8:
Ovid completes his mythological verse tales,
Metamorphoses.
10:
Livy's
History of Rome
reflects his admiration for its early civilization.
14:
Rome sets up network of relay runners carrying messages 50 miles in a day.
20:
Strabo's
Geographia
and histories describe the Mediterranean world.
37:
Seneca the Elder dies after writing history of Rome.
46:
Paul begins preaching Christianity.
47:
Fire destroys estimated 40,000 of Alexandrian Library's 700,000 volumes.
50:
Paul writes his
Epistles
.
50:
Many books now assembled as codices, not scrolls.
50:
Philo dies after trying to reconcile Greek philosophy, Jewish thought.
60:
Petronius' satirical
Satyricon
describes vulgarity of Roman luxury.
65:
Mark writes the first
Gospel
.
65:
Lucan's epic poem tells of civil war between Caesar and Pompey.
65:
Suicide of Seneca the Younger, author of
Dialogues
on Stoic thought.
68:
History of the Jewish War
by a general, Flavius Josephus.
78:
Pliny the Elder dies after compiling the known science of his time.
80:
John completes the last book of the Gospels while in Ephesus.
100:
Mayas adorn pyramids with wall mural painting of mythology.
100:
Tacitus'
Annals of Imperial Rome
describes corrupt emperors.
100:
Roman couriers carry government mail across the empire.
100:
Most books of the
New Testament
are completed.
100:
In India, Vatsyayana writes of erotic arts, the
Kama Sutra.
105:
Chinese imperial eunuch T'sai Lun credited with inventing paper, old invention
113:
Pliny the Younger dies; compiled letters describing the life of Rome.
120:
Plutarch dies after writing of lives of important Greeks and Romans.
120:
Epictetus'
Discourses
support Stoic concept of calm, disciplined life.
122:
Suetonius dies; wrote sensational reports on the lives of
The Twelve Caesars
.
125:
Juvenal's
Satires
speak of "bread and circuses" to keep Romans pacified.
150:
Ptolemy's
Almagest
places the earth at center of a static universe.
160:
Galen's medical treatises will influence but limit medicine for 1,300 years.
160:
Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius writes Stoic
Meditations
in army camp.
160:
Apuleius'
The Golden Ass
, only Latin fiction to survive in its entirety.
175:
Chinese classics are carved in stone that will later be used for rubbings.
180:
In China, an elementary zoetrope.
191:
Rome's Palatine Library destroyed by fire.
200:
In China, the "suan-pan" abacus; in Japan, the "soroban" abacus.
200:
Monks start to use uncial script based on Greek alphabet.
220:
Tertullian supports early Christianity: "It is certain because it is impossible."
230:
Japanese begin keeping historical records.
231:
In Caesarea, Origen founds school, ties Christianity to Greek philosophy.
235:
Dio Cassius dies. His extant histories cover end of republic, rise of imperial Rome.
250:
Paper use spreads west from China to central Asia.
270:
Plotinus dies after
Enneads
creates foundation of Neo-Platonism.
272:
Most of Alexandrian Library destroyed during civil war.
300:
First evidence of Christian plays.
300:
In Japan, sumo wrestling.
300:
Chinese couriers during Han Dynasty reach Persia, other far countries.
300:
Goths carve runic alphabet on wood and stone; will continue for 1,000 years.
325:
Council of bishops at Nicaea sets course of Catholic Christianity.
338:
Jewish calendar is improved by altering length of years.
350:
In Egypt, parchment book of
Psalms
bound in wood covers.
350:
Chinese develop xylography, printing of books from wooden blocks.
350:
Chinese bucolic literature flourishes.
370:
Rome is said to have 28 public libraries.
386:
Singing, including "Hallelujah" hymns, introduced into Christian church.
391: Archbishop reportedly orders destruction of Alexandrian Library.
393:
Church sanctions 27 books of the
New Testament
; Christian
Bible
is complete.
400:
Books cut into pages and bound in codex manner are preferred to scrolls.
400:
Writing systems, vocabulary, spread from India to Southeast Asia.
400:
Palestinian
Talmud
, first of two, completed.
400:
A poet, Claudian, writes biased accounts of last days of the Roman empire.
401:
Augustine writes his
Confessions
.
405:
Jerome translates the
Bible
into Latin, the
Vulgate
.
413:
Augustine writes
The City of God
three years after Visigoths sack Rome.
415:
Murder by monks of woman philosopher Hypatia held to be start of Medieval era.
425:
Constantinople University is founded.
450:
Ink on seals is stamped on paper in China. This is true printing.
450:
Beginnings of Old English; it will last 700 years.
450:
In India, Kalidasa, greatest of classical Sanskrit writers.
476:
In India, mathematician Ayabhata writes of roots and powers of numbers.
496:
Pope Gelasius I issues a list of banned books.
500:
Indian epic poem, the
Ramayana
, is written.
500:
Greek and Latin versions of the
New Testament
in the
Codex Bezae
.
510:
Indian astronomer Aryabhata refers to the zero and place values.
520:
The start of Western monasticism will keep learning alive in Christian Europe.
521:
Boethius'
On Music
will be Western standard for 1,000 years.
524:
Awaiting execution, Bo‘thius writes
The Consolation of Philosophy
in prison.
525:
Dionysius'
Exiguus
starts "B.C.", "A.D."; incorrectly dates birth of Jesus.
529:
Emperor Justinian closes Athenian School of Philosophy, 1,000 years old.
535:
Justinian codifies Roman law, the basis of modern civil law.
540:
Cassiodorus founds monastery with focus on copying ancient manuscripts.
550:
Chess is invented in India.
550:
Buddhism enters Japan, leading to growth of literacy, book publishing.
560:
Procopius writes biased first-hand histories of the Byzantine world.
590:
Irish monks bring manuscripts to Luxeuil, first French monastery.
595:
In India, calculations done with nine numerals and zero, the decimal system.
598:
The first school in England, at Canterbury.
600:
Beginnings of Gregorian plainsong chants.
600:
Books printed in China.
600:
Babylonian Talmud
, second of two, completed.
600:
In China,
The Water Dragon Classic
leads to the study of fengshui.
606:
Chinese officials establish written examination for civil service positions.
615:
The first records of the teachings of Mohammed.
619:
In China, large orchestras.
622:
Isidore of Seville's
Origins
, encyclopedic attempt to record world's knowledge.
622:
Start of the Muslim lunar year calendar.
641:
Arab invaders destroy book copying industry at Alexandria.
637:
Conquering Arabs destroy library at Caesarea (modern Israel).
650:
Muslim caliphs set up regular pigeon post.
650:
Arab rulers create a news service.
650:
The chapters of the
Qur'an
(
Koran
) are collected.
683:
In the Khmer kingdom of Cambodia, the concept of zero appears as a dot.
691: Dome of the Rock inscriptions are earliest extant quotes from Qur'an.
700:
Sizing agents are used to improve paper quality.
700:
Lindisfarne Gospels
are written, an example of handsome calligraphy.
712:
In Japan,
Records of Ancient Matters
, the sacred book of Shinto.
716:
Codex Amitianus
combines
Old
and
New Testaments
in 1,030 folios.
731:
In England, the Venerable Bede writes
Ecclesiastical History
.
740:
A newspaper is printed in China.
740:
Kibi no Makibi develops katakana, first of two syllabic Japanese alphabets.
740:
Moors invade Spain, bringing learning and advanced culture.
750:
The Chinese, with the world's most advanced technology, block-print on paper.
750:
Golden age of Chinese poetry, art.
750:
The Indian zero appears in China, Islamic countries.
751:
Paper made outside of China, in Samarkand by Chinese captured in war.
760:
Indian numerals, including zero, reach Java.
764:
Japanese Empress Shotoku orders printing of one million Buddhist charms.
765:
Picture books printed in Japan.
770:
Oldest surviving printing: a Buddhist prayer for Japanese Empress Shotoku.
771:
Mayan calculation includes place values and the zero.
793:
Paper-making moves west to Baghdad at the height of Islamic culture.
800:
Irish
Book of Kells
, masterpiece of illumination; now at Dublin's Trinity College.
800:
Charlemagne encourages a revival of learning, the "Carolingian Renaissance."
800:
Western Europe gets a small, neat script style, the "Carolingian Miniscule."
800:
The
Gregorian Chant
originates in the Frankish Empire.
813:
In Baghdad, "House of Knowledge" preserves ancient Greek scientific writing.
816:
In Japan, Kobo Daishi founds Shingon Buddhism center at Mount Koya.
820:
In Baghdad, al-Khwarizmi, develops algebra, algorithms.
830:
Reference is made to a Chinese printed book.
850:
In Moorish Spain, the gobar numerals are used, prefiguring modern numerals.
850:
Arab and Jewish scholars raise European awareness of, interest in Aristotle.
850:
Arab philosopher al-Kindi starts neoplatonic school of Islamic thought.
850:
The Slavs get a writing system; the Cyrillic alphabet will soon follow.
863:
Irish philosopher Erigena writes
On the Distribution of Nature
.
863:
Two brothers, both monks, develop the Cyrillic alphabet.
868:
The Diamond Sutra, block-printed book in China; it's the oldest existing book.
871:
Monks begin Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, history of England, in Latin.
835:
Japanese Buddhist priest, K˛kai, develops hiragana, a syllabic alphabet.
875:
Amazed Western travelers to China see toilet paper.
890:
Alfred the Great supervises translation of Latin works into Old English.
900:
The 1001 Arabian Nights
of tales within a tale.
900:
China's Tang Dynasty has courier system with more than 1,600 stations.
940:
Jewish philosopher Saadiah translates Hebrew literature into Arabic.
942:
Welsh prince orders laws to be written down.
950:
Papermaking spreads west to Damascus and Cairo.
950:
Folded books appear in China in place of rolls.
950:
Women in a Chinese harem invent playing cards.
950:
Lady Li Fu-jen, a Chinese calligrapher, paints on bamboo.
970:
Chinese government introduces paper money.
972:
First woman playwright since ancient Rome, Hroswitha of Gandersheim, dies.
975:
First airmail parcel post: pigeons each carry one cherry to Arab caliph.
980:
First appearance in Christian Europe (Spain) of Indian-Arabic numerals.
983:
An encyclopedia, the
Taiping Yulan
, is produced in China
998:
Archbishop Gerbert, scholar and book collector, becomes Pope Sylvester II.
1000:
In Japan, Lady Sei Shonagon reveals her amours in
The Pillow Book
.
1000:
Epic poems
Beowulf
and the
Song of Roland
are written down.
1000:
Mayas in Yucatan, Mexico, make writing paper from tree bark.
1002:
Murasaki Shikabu's
Tale of Genji
, is the world's first novel.
1020: India's Kandariya Mahedeva Hindu temple displays erotic friezes and statues.
1030: Italian monk Guido d'Arezzo creates solfège system to learn music by ear.
1030:
Persian mystic philosopher-physician Avicenna (Ibn Sina) writes
Book of Healing
.
1035:
Japanese use waste paper to make new paper.
1038:
Arab scholar, Alhazen, describes a room-size camera obscura.
1048:
Death in Afghanistan of famed Islamic scholar Abu Raiham al Biruni.
1048:
Pi Sheng, a Chinese commoner, fabricates movable type using clay.
1068:
Invading Turks destroy Fatimite Library in Cairo.
1083:
Sima Guang completes history of China, a 17-year task.
1086:
The Domesday Book
, census of people and property, reveals life in England.
Sources
for the timeline and accompanying information.
Copyright © Irving Fang and Kristina Ross, 1995-1996. All rights reserved.
