623

Year 623 (DCXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 623 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Millennium:	1st millennium
Centuries:	6th century 7th century 8th century
Decades:	600s 610s 620s 630s 640s
Years:	620 621 622 623 624 625 626

623 in various calendars

Gregorian calendar	623 DCXXIII
Ab urbe condita	1376
Armenian calendar	72 ԹՎ ՀԲ
Assyrian calendar	5373
Balinese saka calendar	544–545
Bengali calendar	30
Berber calendar	1573
Buddhist calendar	1167
Burmese calendar	−15
Byzantine calendar	6131–6132
Chinese calendar	壬午年 (Water Horse) 3319 or 3259     — to — 癸未年 (Water Goat) 3320 or 3260
Coptic calendar	339–340
Discordian calendar	1789
Ethiopian calendar	615–616
Hebrew calendar	4383–4384
Hindu calendars
- Vikram Samvat	679–680
- Shaka Samvat	544–545
- Kali Yuga	3723–3724
Holocene calendar	10623
Iranian calendar	1–2
Islamic calendar	1–2
Japanese calendar	N/A
Javanese calendar	513–514
Julian calendar	623 DCXXIII
Korean calendar	2956
Minguo calendar	1289 before ROC 民前1289年
Nanakshahi calendar	−845
Seleucid era	934/935 AG
Thai solar calendar	1165–1166
Tibetan calendar	阳水马年 (male Water-Horse) 749 or 368 or −404     — to — 阴水羊年 (female Water-Goat) 750 or 369 or −403

Borders of Slav territories under Samo's rule

Events

Byzantine Empire

• Byzantine–Sassanid War: Emperor Heraclius invades Armenia, leaving his son Constantine (age 11) and co-regent Bonus to defend Constantinople against the Persians still at Chalcedon (modern Turkey). He sails with 5,000 reinforcements to join the Byzantine army at Trapezus. Raising additional forces in Pontus, Heraclius strikes through the mountains of Armenia and the northern sub-Caucasian principalities. He plunders Media (Azerbaijan), and avoids the Persian armies who attempt to trap him.[1]

Europe

• King Clothar II gives Austrasia to his son Dagobert I, age 20, effectively granting the kingdom semi-autonomy in repayment for the support of its nobles, most notably Pepin of Landen (Mayor of the Palace), and in recognition of calls from the Austrasians for a king of their own. Arnulf, bishop of Metz, becomes advisor to Dagobert.
• Samo, reputedly a Frankish merchant, is elected king of the Slavs in Moravia, Slovakia and Lower Austria. A string of victories over the Avars proves his utilitas (usefulness) to his subjects, and he secures the throne to establish his own kingdom, which stretches from the upper Elbe to the Danube.[2]

Asia

• Tuyuhun invasion of Gansu: Tang forces under Chai Shao defeat the Tuyuhun, and prevent further incursions into Gansu (China).

Art

• Tori Busshi makes "Shaka Triad", in the kon-dō of Hōryū-ji, during the Asuka period (approximate date).

Religion

• The Jewish community in Medina (Saudi Arabia) rejects the idea of Muhammad being a leader of Judaism. He and his followers stop bowing toward Jerusalem and start bowing toward Ka'ba. Muhammad abandons Saturday as the Sabbath.

Births

• March 28 – Marwan I, Muslim Caliph (d. 685)

Deaths

• Jizang, Chinese Buddhist monk (b. 549)
• Liu Heita, rebel leader during the Tang Dynasty
• Lupus of Sens, French bishop (approximate date)
• Pingyang, princess of the Tang Dynasty (b. 598)
• Su Wei, high official of the Sui Dynasty (b. 542)
• Xu Yuanlang, rebel leader during the Sui Dynasty

References

1. Rome at War (AD 293–696), p. 61. Michael Whitby, 2002. ISBN 1-84176-359-4
2. Fine, John V. A. Jr. (1991) [1983]. The Early Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Sixth to the Late Twelfth Century. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Press. p. 43. ISBN 0-472-08149-7.