Century overview
The world in the 8th century
701 – 800. 89 events across 7 regions. Below, the century’s most significant events by region — what each part of the world was doing during the same stretch of time.
Europe
Showing 6 of 25 events from this century
- Founding of Lorsch Abbey
Lorsch Abbey was founded in 764 as one of the most important monasteries of the Carolingian Empire. Its remains are among the most important pre-Romanesque–Carolingian style buildings in Germany. The abbey was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1991.
- Foundation of the first Salzburg Cathedral
Saint Vergilius founded a church dedicated to Saints Rupert and Vergilius on the remnants of a Roman town in Salzburg in the late 8th century. It was rebuilt in 1181 after a fire and later completely remodeled in the Baroque style in the 17th century to become the present Salzburg Cathedral, where composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was baptized.
- Founding of the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba
The Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba was first established in the 8th century. The site was originally a Christian basilica of Saint Vincent, which was converted into a mosque in 786, becoming one of the most accomplished works of Moorish architecture.
- Carving of the Madara Rider
The Madara Rider is a large rock relief carved on the Madara Plateau in northeastern Bulgaria in the 8th century, 23 metres high, depicting a horseman defeating a lion. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.
- Founding of the Abbey of Saint Gall
The Abbey of Saint Gall was founded around the 8th century in St. Gallen, Switzerland, established by Saint Othmar on the site of Saint Gall's hermitage. The Benedictine monastery became one of the most important abbeys in Europe, with one of the oldest monastic libraries in the world.
- Founding of Reichenau Abbey
Around the 8th century, the itinerant saint Pirmin founded a Benedictine monastery on Reichenau Island in southern Germany, with support from Charles Martel and local nobles.
East Asia
Showing 6 of 24 events from this century
- An Lushan Rebellion
The An Lushan Rebellion (755–763) was a major civil war in mid-Tang China, launched by military governors An Lushan and Shi Siming. Lasting over seven years, the rebels captured the capital Chang'an but ultimately failed due to internal divisions and Tang counterattacks. Spanning the reigns of three emperors, it marked the Tang dynasty's shift from prosperity to decline.
- Origins of woodblock printing
Woodblock printing is the earliest printing technique, originating in China. Widely used across East Asia for reproducing text and images, its origins date back to the 8th century, though the exact date is uncertain. Initially used for textiles, it was later applied to paper and became widespread during the Tang dynasty.
- Founding of Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei
Enryaku-ji Temple was founded on Mount Hiei around the late 8th century by Saichō (Dengyō Daishi), who introduced the Tendai school of Buddhism from China. It became the headquarters of the Tendai sect and profoundly influenced Japanese Buddhism; the founders of the Pure Land, Shin, Sōtō Zen, and Nichiren schools all trained there. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site 'Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto' inscribed in 1994.
- Founding of Kōfuku-ji Temple
Kōfuku-ji was founded around the 8th century in Nara as the familial temple of the powerful Fujiwara clan. As the head temple of the Hossō school, it became one of the Seven Great Temples of Nara and a major Buddhist center in ancient Japan. The temple was later inscribed as part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara World Heritage site.
- Establishment of Kasuga-taisha
Kasuga-taisha was established in the 8th century in Nara as the tutelary shrine of the Fujiwara family, enshrining deities such as Takemikazuchi. The shrine embodies the fusion of Fujiwara political power and Shinto belief, later ranking among the Twenty-Two Shrines and becoming a World Heritage site.
- Founding of Tōshōdai-ji Temple
Tōshōdai-ji Temple was founded in Nara, Japan, by the Chinese monk Jianzhen (Ganjin). Built in the architectural style of Tang China, it is the head temple of the Risshū sect. Its Golden Hall is considered an archetype of classical style. The temple later became a National Treasure and part of the UNESCO World Heritage site 'Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara.'
West Asia
Showing 6 of 17 events from this century
- Rise of the Abbasid Caliphate
The Abbasid dynasty came to power after overthrowing the Umayyads through revolution, establishing a caliphate centered in Iraq with Baghdad as its capital. They abolished Arab supremacy, promoted equality among Muslims, and their rule is known as the Islamic Golden Age. Their rule lasted until the 13th century.
- Battle of the Zab
On January 25, 750, Abbasid forces defeated the Umayyad army on the banks of the Great Zab River, marking the end of the Umayyad Caliphate and the rise of the Abbasid Caliphate, which would shift the center of the Islamic world eastward.
- Construction of the Al-Aqsa Mosque (Qibli Mosque)
The Al-Aqsa Mosque, also known as the Qibli Mosque, was constructed as the main prayer hall within the Al-Aqsa mosque compound on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. According to Muslim tradition, construction began under the Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab at a site believed to be where the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven during the Night Journey. Completed in the 7th century, it became an important early Islamic sanctuary.
- Foundation of the Umayyad Mosque
The Umayyad Mosque was founded around 705 (or between 706 and 715) in Damascus under the Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid I. It became one of the oldest and largest mosques in the world, revered as the fourth holiest site in Islam and venerated for housing the head of John the Baptist.
- House of Wisdom founded
The House of Wisdom was founded in Baghdad in the late 8th century by Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid, initially as a library and translation institute. It flourished under his successor al-Mamun, becoming a major intellectual center of the Islamic Golden Age.
- Battle of Akroinon
In 740, the Byzantine Empire decisively defeated an Umayyad Arab army at Akroinon in Phrygia. The Arab raids into Anatolia had been ongoing for over a century, and the 740 expedition was the largest in recent decades. Emperor Leo III and his son Constantine V confronted a force of about 20,000 under Abdallah al-Battal. The Byzantine victory, combined with Umayyad troubles on other fronts and internal instability, ended major Arab incursions into Anatolia for three decades.
South Asia
Showing 6 of 9 events from this century
- Founding of Vikramaśīla Monastery
Vikramashila was a Buddhist monastic university and a center of Tantric learning in ancient India, located in present-day Bihar. It was founded by King Dharmapala of the Pala dynasty between the late eighth and early ninth century to counter the decline of Nalanda. The institution housed around a hundred teachers and a thousand students, teaching philosophy, Sanskrit, and Tantrism. Atisha, a key figure in the second transmission of Buddhism to Tibet, is said to have been its abbot. The monastery was destroyed by Muslim troops in the early thirteenth century.
- Grand Mosque of Banbhore
The Grand Mosque of Banbhore is an early medieval mosque located within the archaeological site of Banbhore in Thatta District, Sindh, Pakistan, representing an early example of Islamic architecture in South Asia.
- Construction of Borobudur Temple
Around the 8th to 9th centuries, a Mahayana Buddhist temple was built in Magelang Regency, Central Java, Indonesia: Borobudur. The massive structure, with a 123-meter square base and 35-meter height, consists of nine stacked platforms, adorned with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. As the world's largest Buddhist temple, it represents a pinnacle of Buddhist architecture.
- Construction of Pattadakal Group of Monuments
In the 8th century CE, the Pattadakal Group of Monuments began construction in present-day Karnataka, India. The complex includes several Hindu and Jain temples built by the Chalukya dynasty. Its architectural style blends northern and southern Indian forms, representing a peak in architectural art of the period.
- Construction of the Kailasa Temple
Around the 8th century, craftsmen at Ellora in India began carving a colossal rock-cut Hindu temple from a massive basalt cliff, working downward from the top. The Kailasa Temple is the largest rock-cut Hindu temple in the world, renowned for its immense scale, architecture and sculptural achievements, and is considered a masterpiece of Indian rock-cut architecture.
- Founding of Wat Phra Mahathat
Wat Phra Mahathat in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand, was founded around the 8th century. It later became a regional center of Theravada Buddhism.
Central Asian steppe
Showing 6 of 8 events from this century
- Formation of the Uyghur Khaganate
The Uyghur Khaganate was a nomadic empire established by the Uyghur people, a Turkic group, on the Mongolian Plateau. It was a tribal confederation under Uyghur nobility.
- Founding of the Türgesh Khaganate
In 699, with the decline of the Western Turkic Khaganate, the Türgesh leader Uch Elig founded a khaganate at Suyab, asserting independence. The new power swiftly took control of former Western Turkic lands, becoming a major force in the Central Asian steppe and later interacting with the Tang dynasty and the Umayyad Caliphate.
- Erection of the Orkhon Inscriptions
In the 8th century, the Göktürks erected memorial steles in the Orkhon Valley for two princes. The inscriptions, in Old Turkic and Chinese, are the earliest written records of a Turkic language. The site is in present-day Mongolia.
- Battle of the Day of Thirst
In 724, an Umayyad army under Muslim ibn Sa'id al-Kilabi was campaigning in the Ferghana Valley when it learned of the advance of the Türgesh Khaganate under Suluk and began a hasty retreat to the Syr Darya. The Arabs endured an 11-day pursuit by Türgesh cavalry before reaching the river. There, caught between the Türgesh and local Transoxianian forces, they broke through and crossed to Khujand. The defeat led to the collapse of Umayyad rule over much of Transoxiana, which remained a contested region until around 740.
- Battle of the Defile
In July 731, an Umayyad army was ambushed by the Türgesh Khaganate in the Takhtakaracha Pass near Samarkand. After three days of fierce fighting, the Umayyad forces broke through but suffered heavy casualties, with their relief column almost annihilated. The battle weakened Umayyad military power in Transoxiana and marked the rise of Türgesh influence.
- Battle of Talas
In July 751, at the Talas River near Taraz in Central Asia, the army of the Abbasid Caliphate — by some accounts supported by Tibetan contingents — fought the Tang dynasty and its Central Asian allies. During the battle the Karluks defected from the Tang side, and the Tang army was defeated, ending Tang influence in Transoxiana and halting further westward expansion.
Central & South America
Showing 4 of 4 events from this century
- Emergence of Muisca Confederations in the Colombian highlands
Around the 8th century, the Muisca people formed multiple loose confederations in the central Andean highlands of present-day Colombia. These confederations, composed of chiefdoms such as Zac, Zipa, Iraca, and Tundama, covered an area of approximately 25,000 km² across the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, corresponding to modern Boyacá, Cundinamarca, and parts of Santander. They represented several independent regional entities rather than a single unified political structure.
- Outbreak of the Third Tikal–Calakmul War
The third major war erupted between Tikal and Calakmul, two superpowers of the Classic Maya period, reflecting the protracted struggle for hegemony.
- Discovery of the Túcume Archaeological Site
Túcume is a pre-Hispanic site located in the lower La Leche Valley in northwestern Peru, covering over 220 hectares and comprising 26 major pyramids and mounds. The site is locally known as the 'Pyramids of Túcume' or Purgatory.
- Formation of the Kingdom of Nicoya
The Kingdom of Nicoya (also called Cacicazgo or Lordship of Nicoya) was a pre-Columbian indigenous polity centered on the Nicoya Peninsula in present-day northwestern Costa Rica, controlling extensive territories on both shores of the Gulf of Nicoya. Its political, economic, and religious center was the city of Nicoya, which governed several provinces and numerous tributary villages. By the 16th century, before European contact, it was the most important chiefdom in the region.
North Africa
Showing 2 of 2 events from this century
- Founding of Ez-Zitouna University
Ez-Zitouna University originated from the Al-Zaytuna Mosque in Tunis, built at the end of the 7th or early 8th century, which evolved into a major Islamic learning center in North Africa and later became a medieval public university.
- Berber Revolt (740–743)
Between 740 and 743, during the reign of the Umayyad caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik, a major Berber revolt erupted. Inspired by Kharijite preachers, the Berbers rose against heavy taxes and Arab rule, led initially by Maysara al-Matghari in Tangier. The revolt spread to the rest of the Maghreb and crossed the strait to al-Andalus.
Years in the 8th century
2 years in this century have enough records for a page of their own.