The term "Slavs" designates an ethnic group of people who share a long-term cultural continuity and who speak a set of related languages known as the Slavic languages (all of which belong to the Indo-European language family). Little is known about the Slavs before they are mentioned in Byzantine records of the 6th century CE, and most of what we know about them prior to this time is mainly derived from archaeological and linguistic studies. The Byzantine authors refer to the Slavs as "Sclaveni".
More about: SlavsDefinition
Timeline
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c. 1500 BCEProto-Slavic people are active within an area that stretched roughly from western Poland to the Dnieper River in Belarus.
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531 CE - 534 CEByzantine forces engaged in a series of military campaigns against the Slavs and other groups.
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c. 550 CEThe Slavs advance towards Thessalonica, entering the region of the Hebrus River and the Thracian coast. Thessalonica is saved by the Roman army.
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c. 580 CEThe Slavs and the Avars overwhelm Greece, Thrace and Thessaly.
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585 CEThe Slavs march on to Constantinople, they are driven off by the Roman defence.
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c. 623 CE - 658 CEReign of Samo, first recorded king of the Slavs.
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626 CEA coalition of Persians, Slavs, Avars and Bulgars unsuccessfully lays siege to Constantinople.
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631 CESamo defeats the Franks during the Battle of Wogastisburg.
