History
Ancient Civilizations
Fifteen of the most influential ancient civilizations spanning every inhabited continent, from the Indus Valley to the Americas.
historycivilizationsancientempires
15 of 15 rows
Name↕ | Region↕ | Period↕ | Peak Population Estimate↕ | Major Achievement↕ | Notable City↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mesopotamia | Middle East (modern Iraq) | c. 3500 – 539 BCE | ~1.5 million | Invention of cuneiform writing and the wheel | Babylon |
| Ancient Egypt | North Africa (Nile Valley) | c. 3100 – 30 BCE | ~5 million | Construction of the Great Pyramids and advances in medicine | Thebes (Luxor) |
| Indus Valley Civilization | South Asia (modern Pakistan/India) | c. 3300 – 1300 BCE | ~5 million | Advanced urban planning with grid cities and sewage systems | Mohenjo-daro |
| Ancient Greece | Southeastern Europe | c. 800 – 146 BCE | ~8 million (all city-states) | Democracy, philosophy, and the Olympic Games | Athens |
| Roman Empire | Mediterranean / Europe | 753 BCE – 476 CE | ~56 million | Roman law, engineering (aqueducts, roads), and republican governance | Rome |
| Persian Empire (Achaemenid) | Western/Central Asia | 550 – 330 BCE | ~50 million | First charter of human rights (Cyrus Cylinder) and the Royal Road postal system | Persepolis |
| Ancient China (Shang – Han) | East Asia | c. 1600 BCE – 220 CE | ~60 million (Han Dynasty peak) | Papermaking, silk production, and the Great Wall | Chang'an (Xi'an) |
| Maya Civilization | Central America (Mesoamerica) | c. 2000 BCE – 1500 CE | ~2 million | Advanced calendar system, mathematics (concept of zero), and hieroglyphic writing | Tikal |
| Inca Empire | South America (Andes) | c. 1438 – 1533 CE | ~12 million | Extensive road network (Qhapaq Ñan) and terrace farming | Cusco |
| Aztec Empire | Central America (Mexico) | c. 1345 – 1521 CE | ~5 million | Floating gardens (chinampas) and monumental temple architecture | Tenochtitlán |
| Carthage | North Africa (modern Tunisia) | c. 814 – 146 BCE | ~700,000 | Maritime trade dominance across the Mediterranean | Carthage |
| Maurya Empire | South Asia (Indian subcontinent) | 322 – 185 BCE | ~50 million | Unified most of the Indian subcontinent; Ashoka's edicts promoted non-violence | Pataliputra |
| Byzantine Empire | Eastern Mediterranean / Anatolia | 330 – 1453 CE | ~26 million | Preservation of Greco-Roman knowledge and Justinian's legal code | Constantinople |
| Khmer Empire | Southeast Asia (modern Cambodia) | 802 – 1431 CE | ~2 million | Construction of Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world | Angkor |
| Aksumite Empire | East Africa (modern Ethiopia/Eritrea) | c. 100 – 940 CE | ~1 million | One of the first civilizations to adopt Christianity; monumental obelisks (stelae) | Aksum |
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