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627 CE

This year falls in the Early Middle Ages (c. 500–1000 CE). In western Europe new kingdoms replace the western Roman Empire, while the Byzantine Empire continues in the east. Islam begins in Arabia in the seventh century and its caliphates soon reach from Spain to Central Asia, and China is reunited under the Sui and Tang dynasties.

Within fifteen years

Ruler · Early Middle Ages · Saudi ArabiaUmar ibn al-Khattabr. 634–644Second caliph of Islam, ruling from 634 to 644, born about 584. Under him Arab armies destroyed the Sassanid Persian Empire and took Syria, Palestine and Egypt from Byzantium. He organized the conquered lands with garrison cities and a register of pensions, laying the foundations of the Islamic state.

Civilization · Early Middle Ages · Tang dynastyTang dynasty618–907The Tang dynasty was China's cosmopolitan golden age. Its capital Chang'an was the largest city in the world, full of Persian merchants and Buddhist monks. Poetry, painting, and printing flourished before rebellion broke it.