Year by year · 7th century

657 CE

657 CE in world history: 5 events. 250 recorded states existed that year.

Events

  1. 26 July

    The armies of Ali and Muawiya meet at Siffin

    At Siffin on the Euphrates, Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib fought Muawiya, governor of Syria. As Ali's army began to gain the upper hand, the Syrians called for arbitration, which divided Ali's supporters and led to the secession of the Kharijites.

    Battle of SiffinAli ibn Abi TalibMuawiya I

  2. 30 July

    Vitalian becomes bishop of Rome after Eugene I

    Vitalian became bishop of Rome after the death of Eugene I, amid the dispute between the papacy and Constantinople over Monothelitism, which Rome condemned. He kept a conciliatory relationship with Emperor Constans II, who visited him in Rome.

    MonothelitismConstans II
ProfileState175 states with a known seat in 657 CEOpen the atlas at 657 CE →

In the profiles

  • Rashidun CaliphateAli and Muawiya fight the inconclusive Battle of Siffin
  • TikalCalakmul's Yuknoom Ch'een II drives King Nuun Ujol Chaak from Tikal
  • ChenlaOn 14 June Jayavarman I, son of Candravarman, issues his earliest inscriptions; his reign of about thirty years is the last over a united Chenla.

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APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). 657 CE. In The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/657
MLA
“657 CE.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/657. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “657 CE.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/657.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘657 CE’, The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/657 (Accessed: ).