Travel has many faces. One of thing that I like about traveling is visiting ancient places that have been a major pitstops on our collective human journey. In this post, I am going to list of largest ancient cities throughout the human history starting in 10,000 BC to up until the 1900s.
Largest Ancient Cities
Just keep in mind that many of the population figures are just an estimate because we did not have the census in those days and in many instances we don’t have accurate historic census records (even if those were collected). Mainly, the numbers are based on the size and influence of the city during its peak.
The population estimate is made based on the size of archeological ruins or excavation site area, nearby resources, and other geographical and climate condition.
Photo: The Paleo Hunter-Gatherer Era
10,000 BC
We are going really far back here but it is interesting to note the destination unearthed thus far. What was it about Syria and Turkey that gave birth to two powerful, highly evolved and complex societies. Why are no such sites found in Africa so far? Not a single ancient site from Europe or India or China as well? Something to think about.
- Mureybet, Syria
- Gobekli Tepe, Turkey
Estimated population: 500 humans
Photo: The ancient city of Gobekli Tepe (present-day Turkey)
Photo: The ancient city of Mureybet, Syria. From 10,000 BC to 8000 BC.
9300 BC
- Tell Aswad, Syria
Estimated population: 500
Photo: Decorated skulls found in the ancient Syrian city of Tell Aswad. Not much has been excavated but there is clear indication of an early civilization that settled here.
8400 BC
- Nevalı Cori, Turkey
Estimated population: 500
7000 BC
- Beidha, Jordan
- Jericho, Palestinian Territories
Estimated population: 1000
It is interesting to note that as more excavations are taking place in Jericho it seems that this city may have had even earlier humans settlements as old as 10,000 BC. Jericho is also described in the Hebrew Bible as the “City of Palm Trees”.
Photo: Jericho today. West Bank, Palestine.
6000 BC
- Catalhoyuk, Turkey
Estimated population: 5000
Photo: The ancient city of Catalhoyuk (modern day Turkey)
5000 BC
- Tell Brak, Syria
Estimated population: 4000
4000 BC
- Uruk, Iraq
- Eridu, Iraq
Estimated population: 5000
As you can notice, for the first 7500 years, most of the ancient civilization was based in this tiny region which makes today’s Iraq, Syria, and south-eastern Turkey. The area was fertile and language, commerce, and numerous civilizations were thus born.
Photo: Ancient cities region # 1.
3500 BC
Estimated population: 10,000 – 20,000
Interestingly, this is the only time we see a huge ancient city develop in the Eurasian region. Ukrain, who would have thought that. 3500 BC is also the time where we see Egypt begin to dominate the world and Susa in Iran become a large city of at-least 20,000 inhabitants.
Photo: The ancient city of Dobrovody (present-day Ukraine)
Photo: The ancient city of Susa (present-day Iran)
3000 BC
- Uruk, Iraq
- Abydos, Egypt
- Memphis, Egypt
Estimated population: 40,000
Photo: The Great Pyramid of Giza was built less than 20 km from the ancient Egyptian city, Memphis.
2500 BC
- Lagash, Iraq
- Nippur, Iraq
- Mohenjo-daro, Pakistan (Sindh region)
Estimated population: 20,000 – 60,000
This is the first time, we witness an Indo-region civilization that can match the Egyptian and Babylonian level complexities, infrastructure, and social development. Built around 2500 BCE, Mohenjo-daro (Mound of the Dead Men), was one of the largest settlements of the ancient Indus-Valley civilization.
Photo: The ancient city of Mohenjo-daro (present-day Pakistan)
2400 BC
- Mari, Syria
- Umma, Iraq
Estimated population: 50,000
2300 BC
- Girsu, Iraq
- Mari, Syria
Estimated population: 50,000 – 80,000
2200 BC
- Akkad, Iraq
- Girsu, Iraq
- Memphis, Egypt
Estimated population: 30,000 – 50,000
2100 BC
- Ur, Iraq
- Girsu, Iraq
- Thebes, Egypt
Estimated population: 50,000 – 100,000
2000 BC
- Memphis, Egypt
- Isin, Iraq
- Ur, Iraq
Estimated population: 50,000 – 65,000
1900 BC
- Memphis, Egypt
- Isin, Iraq
Estimated population: 50,000 – 100,000
1800 BC
- Mari, Syria
- Thebes, Egypt
Estimated population: 60,000
1700 BC
- 65,000 Babylon, Iraq
Estimated population: 65,000
Photo: The Tower of Babylon (aka the Tower of Babel in the Hebrew Bible)
1600 BC
- Avaris, Egypt
Estimated population: 100,000
1500 BC
- Uruk, Iraq
- Thebes, Egypt
Estimated population: 75,000
1400 BC
- Thebes, Egypt
Estimated population: 80,000
1300 BC
- Yinxu, China
Estimated population: 120,000
Around 13th century BC is the first time we see the birth of large cities in China. Yinxu represents the ancient city of Yin, the last capital of China’s Shang dynasty, and one of China’s oldest and largest archeological sites. Not surprisingly and it is worth noting here that almost all of the sites mentioned in this post are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Photo: The ancient city of Yinxu, China.
Photo Credit: DAVID I. GREENBERG. Excavated chariot burials, Yinxu archaeological site, China. Most likely human sacrifice practice.
1200 BC
- Babylon, Iraq
- Pi-Ramses, Egypt
- Thebes, Egypt
Estimated population: 100,000 – 160,000
1100 BC
- Memphis, Egypt
- Pi-Ramses, Egypt
Estimated population: 100,000 – 120,000
1000 BC
- Thebes, Egypt
- Haojing, China
- Babylon, Iraq
Estimated population: 100,000 – 120,000
900 BC
- Thebes, Egypt
- Haojing, China
Estimated population: 100,000 – 125,000
800 BC
- Nimrud (Calah), Iraq
- Haojing, China
- Thebes, Egypt
Estimated population: 50,000 – 125,000
700 BC
- Nineveh, Iraq
- Thebes, Egypt
Estimated population: 100,000
Photo: Ancient cities region #2.
600 BC
- Babylon, Iraq
Estimated population: 200,000
500 BC
- Babylon, Iraq
Estimated population: 250,000
400 BC
- Xiadu, China
Estimated population: 320,000
300 BC
- Alexandria, Egypt
- Carthage, Tunisia
- Pataliputra (Patna), India
Estimated population: 300,000 – 500,000
200 BC
- Alexandria, Egypt
- Pataliputra, India
- Chang’an (Xi’an), China
- Seleucia, Iraq
Estimated population: 400,000 – 600,000
100 BC
- Alexandria, Egypt
Estimated population: 500,000
1 AD – 350 AD
From 1 AD, the beginning of Common Era, to next 350 years, Rome was the most powerful and largest city in the entire world. The estimated population was ~ 1 million humans.
- Rome, Italy
400 AD
- Constantinople, Turkey
- Pataliputra, India
Estimated population: 500,000 – 800,000
500 AD
- Constantinople, Turkey
- Ctesiphon, Iraq
Estimated population: 500,000 – 600,000
600 AD
- Daxing (Chang’an), China
- Constantinople, Turkey
- Ctesiphon, Iraq
Estimated population: 600,000 – 1,000,000
700 AD
- Chang’an, China
- Baghdad, Iraq
Estimated population: 600,000 – 1,000,000
800 AD
- Chang’an, China
- Baghdad, Iraq
Estimated population: 900,000 – 1,000,000
900 AD
- Cordova, Spain
- Chang’an, China
- Baghdad, Iraq
Estimated population: 450,000 – 1,000,000
1000 AD
- Kaifeng, China
- Baghdad, Iraq
- Constantinople, Turkey
Estimated population: 500,000 – 1,200,000
1100 AD
- Fez, Morocco
- Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka
- Kaifeng China
- Baghdad Iraq
- Merv Turkmenistan
- Hangzhou, China
Estimated population: 250,000 – 1,000,000
1200 AD
- Hangzhou, China
- Baghdad, Iraq
- Gurganj, Turkmenistan
- Merv, Turkmenistan
Estimated population: 400,000 – 600,000
1300 AD
- Hangzhou, China
- Cairo Egypt
Estimated population: 500,000 – 800,000
1400 AD
- Jinling China
- Nanjing, China
- Beijing, China
Estimated population: 500,000 – 1,000,000
1500 AD
- Beijing, China
Estimated population: 700,000
1600 AD
- Beijing, China
- Agra, India
- Constantinople, Turkey
- Delhi, India
- Paris, France
Estimated population: 500,000 – 1,000,000
1700 AD
- Ayutthaya, Thailand
- Constantinople, Turkey
- Beijing, China
- Edo, Japan
Estimated population: 700,000 – 1,000,000
1800 AD
- Beijing, China
- London, United Kingdom
Estimated population: 1,100,000 – 2,320,000
1900 AD
- London, United Kingdom
- New York, United States
- Tokyo, Japan
Estimated population: 6,600,000 – 15,000,000
History & Future of Cities
For almost five hundred years, Rome was the largest, wealthiest, and most politically important city in Europe. Its population passed one million people by the end of the 1st century BC.
Rome’s population started declining in 402 AD when Flavius Honorius, Western Roman Emperor from 395 to 423, moved the government to Ravenna and Rome’s population declined to a mere 20,000 during the Early Middle Ages, reducing the sprawling city to groups of inhabited buildings interspersed among large areas of ruins and vegetation.
Baghdad was likely the largest city in the world from shortly after its foundation in 762 AD until the 930s, with some estimates putting its population at over one million. The medieval settlement surrounding Angkor, the one-time capital of the Khmer Empire which flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, could have supported a population of up to one million people.
Chinese capital cities Chang’an and Kaifeng also experienced huge population booms during prosperous empires. According to the census in the year 742 recorded in the New Book of Tang, 362,921 families with 1,960,188 persons were counted in Jingzhao Fu, the metropolitan area including small cities in the vicinity of Chang’an.
From around 1825 to 1918 London was the largest city in the world, with the population growing rapidly; it was the first city to reach a population of over 5 million in 1900.
In 1950, New York City was the only urban area with a population of over 10 million. This increase has happened as the world’s population moves towards the high urbanization levels of North America and Western Europe.
Since the 2000s, the largest megacity has been the Greater Tokyo Area. The population of this urban agglomeration includes areas such as Yokohama and Kawasaki, and is estimated to be about 38 million people.