This was the age when Islam, from Mohammed to Ibn Sina, came to dominance and served as a means of preserving the classical learning, and advancing it in various ways, until al Gazali (at the start of the Eighth Age) turned it in on itself and away from rationality. In Europe missionaries were spreading Christianity to its outer regions like Britain. Christian rulers like Charlemagne and Alfred supported learning. At the same time there were important technological developments in China.
"The concept embodied in the term "Dark Ages", however, has some validity. The period from the fifth to the eighth century witnessed a marked decline in intellectual activity, and a falling off of standards in sanitation, water supply, communications and domestic comfort. The obscurity of the period is a serious drawback for historians, since the lack of written records means that for most subjects the only evidence comes from acanty archaeological findings. In the Byzantine and Iranian Empires, in this period, civilisation remained at a high level, but written evidence from these two cultures is very sparse." [D. Hill p.2]
David, aka Dewi, (d.601), Welsh bishop, patron saint of Wales.
Augustine of Canterbury (d.604), missionary of christianity in England, first archbishop of Canterbury.
Gregory I 'the Great' (c.540 - 604) Pope 590, systematization of ritual and chants. The bulk of classical music is to sacred texts, and even atheists and agnostics have written Masses. The earliest music notation was a sort of shorthand called "Neumes", written aboove the text.
Mohammed (c.570 - c.632) founder of Islam.
(The Venerable) Bede & & (673 -735), historian, Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation.
Abu Jafar al Mansur & (712 - 775) Caliph 754, founded Baghdad 764.
Alcuin (735 - 804) educationalist, calligrapher.
Charlemagne & & & (747 - 814).
Harun al Rashid & & & & & (763, or 766? - 809) fifth Caliph.
"A Persian astronomer Mohammad al-Fazari &, and his father Ibrahim, c.750, investigated the plane astrolabe, and built an example, an astronomical instrument and analog computer that was important in locating and predicting the positions of the Sun, Moon, Planets and stars." [But see Antikythera Mechanism -100].
Al Khwarizmi (c.780 - c.850) mathematician, from whose name we derive the term "algorithm", and from the title of whose main work we derive the word "algebra".
Abu Jafar al Mamun (786 - 833) Caliph 813, established a university at which many Muslim scholars worked.
al Kindi & & & mathematician, maintained that space and time must be finite, since infinity leads to paradoxes.
Alfred & (849 - 899) first King of England.
al-Battani & aka Albategnius (853 - 929), astronomer who calculated accurate values for the length of the year, precession of equinoxes, and inclination of Earth's axis, his work is cited by Copernicus.
Wang Jie, publisher, Diamond Sutra & China 868 earliest dated printed book (actually a scroll, printed in 7 parts from carved wooden blocks).
al Farabi (c.870 - c.950) musician and philosopher.
as Suli (880 - 946) shatranj (chess) expert, solved the knight's tour problem.
Ibn Yunus (c.950 - 1009) astronomer al-Zij al-Hakimi al-Kabir (Astronomical Handbook) and Kitab ghayat al-intifa' (Book of Useful Tables).
al Haitham & & & & & & aka Alhazen (965 - 1040), physicist who studied light and vision Kitab-al-Manadhir (Book of Optics).
Ibn Sina aka Avicenna (980 - 1037) physician and philosopher.
1000: Japan: Sei Shonagon, lady in waiting to Emperor Sadako, starts to compile her Pillow Book diary with observations of contemporary life.
1022: Japan: Lady Murasaki writes novel The Tale of Genji.
1030: Italy: Guido d'Arezzo (c.995 - c.1033), Micrologos, pioneered improved music notation, including "sol-fa" naming the notes of the scale with syllables from plainchant, and use of a parallel lines forming a "stave".
Bi Sheng & Printing with moveable clay type, China 1041.
Crab supernova & & 1054 Chinese and American Indian astronomers observe the Crab supernova explosion which formed the Crab nebula.
William the Conqueror (1027 - 1087), leads Norman invasion of England 1066, Domesday Book 1086.