610

This article is about the year 610.

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in?=
cp=6th century
c=7th century
cf=8th century

yp1=607
yp2=608
yp3=609
year=610
ya1=611
ya2=612
ya3=613
dp3=580s
dp2=590s
dp1=600s
d=610s
dn1=620s
dn2=630s
dn3=640s__NOTOC__

Events

By Place

Byzantine Empire

* October 4 — Heraclius arrives by ship from Africa at Constantinople, overthrows East Roman Emperor Phocas and becomes Emperor. His first major act is to change the official language of the East Roman Empire from Latin to Greek (already the language of the vast majority of the population). Because of this, after AD 610 the East Roman Empire is customarily referred to as the Byzantine Empire (the term Byzantine is a modern term invented by historians in the 18th Century; the people of the Empire itself always referred to themselves as "Ρωμιούς" - in English, Romious).

Europe

* The Avars try to invade Italy.
* Gundemar succeeds Witteric as king of the Visigoths.
* The Serbs begin to settle in the Balkans.

By Topic

Arts and Sciences

* Paper technology is imported into Japan from China by the Korean Buddhist priest, Dam Jing.

Religion

* According to Islamic belief, the archangel Gabriel first appears to Muhammad, reciting to him the first verses of surat Iqra (al-`Alaq), thus beginning the revelation of the Qur'an (approximate date).
* St. Columbanus and St. Gall begin missionary work in Bregenz.
* St. John the Merciful becomes Patriarch of Alexandria.

Births

* Lai Ji

Deaths

* Phocas, Byzantine emperor (by mob)
* Witteric, king of the Visigoths
* Waraqah ibn Nawfal, Cousin of Muhammad and first to declare him a prophet