6th Century facts
While investigating facts about 6th Century, I found out little known, but curios details like:
Broccoli is a human innovation and a man-made food, being a result of the selective breeding of wild cabbage plants started around the 6th century BC
The oldest garden that has been tended to continuously is 973 years old, in China, and one of 50 surviving gardens called the Classical Gardens of Suzhou, founded in 6th Century.
In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across. Here are 50 of the best facts about 6th Century I managed to collect.
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In the 6th century a Swedish king – to demonstrate his low opinion of the Danes – sent a small dog to Denmark and officially made it their king. Appointing dogs to rule the conquered became a tradition in Scandinavia. They were given thrones and mansions, and routinely signed paw-print decrees.
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Buddhism, Jainism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Zoroastrianism were all formed in the 6th century BC. That century also gave us Pythagoras the philosopher, Xerxes I of Persia, and Sun Tzu, the author of "The Art of War".
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The Battle of the Eclipse, the last battle in a 6 year war between the Medes and the Lydians in 6th century BC, came to a sudden halt when a solar eclipse turned day into night. Both armies halted fighting and reached a peace agreement.
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Skellig Michael, the island which served as a filming location for the end of Star Wars: The Force Awakens and several scenes in The Last Jedi, was founded by a Gaelic Christian monastery between the 6th and 8th century and remained continuously occupied until abandoned in the late 12th century
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The concept of a spherical Earth dates back to the 6th century BC and it was confirmed by Hellenistic astronomy in the 3rd century BC
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In 1978 British explorer Tim Severin proved it was possible for a 6th century Irish boat clad in leather to make the journey across the Atlantic from Ireland to North America. This was done to test if St. Brendan the Navigators described journey across the Atlantic was possible at the time.
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Between the 6th and 8th centuries AD, England used to be made up of Seven Kingdoms.
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The Wildfyre in Game of Thrones was inspired by Greek Fire, used by the 6th Century Byzantine Empire. It burned on water and was vomited onto enemy ships via pressurized nozzles handled by specially trained men. It was so deadly, its guarded secrecy means nobody fully knows how they achieved it.
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Chess was believed to have been invented in the 6th century AD and is thought to have originated in India, originally called Chaturanga which then spread to Europe through Persia.
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"keel", as in a ship's keel, is the very first word in the English language recorded in writing, dating back to 6th century Latin
What is true about 6th century?
You can easily fact check it by examining the linked well-known sources.
The stone huts seen on the island on which Luke Skywalker resided in The Last Jedi were once part of a 6th century monastery.
In 6th century BC, Anaximander, a Greek philosopher, suggested that all land animals trace their origins to the sea, predating modern evolutionary theory by 2,400 years - source
In the 6th Century AD, the Catholic Church ruled that rabbits were fish so that clergymen could eat meat during fasts - source
In the late 6th century AD the Parthenon was converted to a Christian Church.
Name "poplar" originates from ancient Rome. During the 6th century, Romans planted poplars in areas where public meetings were held. Latin name for people is "populus", hence the name.
Plant sexuality was denounced by Christianity until the 19th century because the Bible says that plants were created on the 3rd day but "male and female" wasn't mentioned until animals and humans were created on the 6th day. "Deflowered" comes from thinking flowers were sexless things of beauty.
The story of Cinderella can be traced as far back as the 6th century BCE with the story of Rhodopis, a Greek courtesan whose shoe led to her marriage to an Egyptian pharaoh.
Lentils were integral part of diet in the monasteries during the 6th century due to widespread belief that lentils diminish sexual desire.
Banknotes were invented by Chinese in the 6th century for replacing coins as burial money. They started using it as currency in 812. The oldest conserved banknote is called "Kuan", made of mulberry tree bark, and dates from 1375.
Silk production only made it to Europe because Justinian I sent two Nestorian monks on a 2 year long, medieval Mission Impossible-style quest to China in the 6th Century.
The term "lesbian" does originate from the Greek island Lesbos, because that was the home of Sappho, a 6th century BCE poet whose work focused on the beauty of women and proclaimed her love for girls. The term "sapphic" also originates from her name.
