• Irish colonists and invaders, the Scots, began migrating to Caledonia (later known as Scotland)
• Glendalough monastery, Wicklow Ireland founded by St. Kevin[?]
• Zen Buddhism adherants enter Vietnam from China.
• Buddhist Jataka stories are translated into Persian by order of the Zoroastrian king Khusru[?].
• Buddhism introduced to Japan from Baekje[?] (Korea) in 552.
• Outbreak of bubonic plague in Constantinople and the rest of the Roman Empire.

Significant persons

• Pope Gregory the Great (590-604)
• Arthur, defeated the Anglo-Saxons
• Justinian, Byzantine Emperor (527-565)

Inventions, Discoveries, Introductions

• heavy plow in use in Po valley, Italy
• breast-strap horse harness in use in Frankish kingdom
• Byzantine Empire acquires silk technology from China

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