Mu becomes king of the Korean kingdom of Baekje. Mesoamerica Loma Caldera (El Salvador) erupts, burying the Maya village of Joya de Cerén (approximate date). The Hopewell tradition (North America) ceases to be the dominant culture (approximate date). The city of Teotihuacan (Central Mexico) begins to grow unstable, as they exhaust their resources until their inevitable collapse (possibly caused by the Toltec) circa 700. Moche culture ends in the Andes (approximate date). Nazca culture ends in the Andes (approximate date). The Wari Empire is established in The Andes (approximate date) The Middle Horizon period starts in the Andes. Pacific Ocean Early settlers from the Marquesas build the Alakoko fishpond and taro fields on Kauai, Hawaii. By topic Arts and sciences The Germanic peoples, due to the more abundant food supply available, use the "moldboard" plow, introduced by the Slavs in Eastern Europe. The plow works the land with horses and oxen. The earliest references to chess are made in the Persian work Karnamak-i-Artakhshatr-i-Papakan, and the Indian works of Subandhu's Vasavadatta and Banabhatta's Harsha Charitha. 600-750 - Maguey Bloodletting Ritual, fragment of a fresco from Teotihuacan, Mexico, is made. Teotihuacan culture. It is now kept at the Cleveland Museum of Art. 600-900 - Palace and Temple of the Inscriptions (tomb-pyramid of K'inich Janaab' Pakal), Palenque, Mexico, are built. Maya culture. 600-900 - Cylindrical vessel is made. Maya culture. It is now kept at the Princeton University Art Museum, New Jersey. The Navigatio Sancti Brendani Abbatis (Voyage of St. Brendan the Abbott) recounts a 7-year trip to a land across the sea by the Irish saint and a band of acolytes about this time. Religion Feb 16 - Pope Gregory the Great decrees "God bless You" as the religiously correct response to a sneeze. Pope Gregory I codifies what comes to be known as the Gregorian chant. Construction on the monastery of St. Catherine is begun on Mount Sinai. Irish missionaries preach in Scotland and Germany (approximate date). Chinese-influenced sculptures of Buddha begin to be created in Japan. Sumatra, Java, and the surrounding islands are converted to Buddhism. Augustine of Canterbury converts Æthelberht of Kent to Christianity (approximate date). Nubian rulers become Christian (approximate date). World The population of the Earth rises to about 208 million people (approximate date). Births September 11 – Yuknoom the Great a Maya ruler of Calakmul Ali ibn Abi Talib, Muslim caliph and Shī‘ah imām (approximate date)