By place Europe • Spring –
Siege of Naples (542–543): The
Byzantine garrison (1,000 men) in
Naples surrenders to the
Ostrogoths, pressed by
famine and demoralized by the failure of two relief efforts. The defenders are well treated by King
Totila, and the garrison is allowed safe departure, but the
city walls are partly razed.
Africa • The fortress city of
Old Dongola (modern
Sudan) along the River
Nile becomes the capital of the
Kingdom of Makuria. Several
churches are built, including the "Old Church" (approximate date).
Persia • Summer –
Khosrow I,
Shahanshah of the
Sasanian Empire, invades
Syria again, and turns south towards
Edessa to
besiege the fortress city. • The
Hephthalites threaten the Sasanian Empire from the East. They extend their domain in
Central Asia (approximate date). •
Battle of Anglon: A Byzantine invasion of
Persarmenia is defeated by a much smaller force from the Sasanian Empire.
Asia • King
Pulakeshin I establishes the
Chalukya dynasty in
India. He extends his kingdom by conquering
Vakataka and the west coast of
Karnataka, giving him access to the valuable
Arabian Sea trade routes.
By topic Learning • Approximate date – The
Yupian (玉篇)
Chinese dictionary is edited by Gu Yewang.
Religion • The doctrine of
apocatastasis is condemned by the
Synod of Constantinople. •
Barsanuphius, a famous hermit close to
Gaza, retreats fully from the world after the death of
Seridus, abbot of the
nearby monastery, and fellow hermit
John the Prophet with whom he wrote over 850 letters to people seeking his
advice and guidance. Aelianos follows Seridus as abbot of the monastery. == Births ==