Following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire late in the previous century, Europe fractured into many small Germanic Kingdoms, which competed fiercely for land and wealth. From this upheaval the Franks rose to prominence, and carved out a sizeable domain encompassing much of modern France and Germany. Meanwhile, the surviving Eastern Roman Empire began to expand under the emperor Justinian, who eventually recaptured North Africa from the Vandals, and attempted to fully recover Italy as well in the hope of re-establishing Roman control over the lands once ruled by the Western Roman Empire. Following Justinian's death, most of his gains were lost. The Sassanid Empire reached the peak of its power under Khosrau I in the 6th century. [1]
In 589 AD, the Chinese scholar-official Yan Zhitui makes the first reference to the use of toilet paper in history.
Significant to the history of agriculture, the Chinese author Jia Sixia wrote the treatise Chi Min Yao Shu in 535, and although it quotes 160 previous Chinese agronomy books, it is the oldest existent Chinese agriculture treatise. In over one hundred thousand written Chinese characters, the book covered land preparation, seeding, cultivation, orchard management, forestry, animal husbandry, trade, and culinary uses for crops.
References
^ Roberts, J: "History of the World.". Penguin, 1994.
^ Roberts, J: "History of the World.". Penguin, 1994.
