The 19 greatest cities in history

[Mage]

From 7000 B.C. to today, at least 19 cities have led the world in population.

We have profiled each of them, taking data and insights primarily from "Why the West Rules — For Now" by Stanford historian and archaeologist Ian Morris.

Constantinople, one of the greatest cities in history.DeliDumrul on Wikipedia

Cities have, of course, grown vastly bigger over time. Nine thousand years ago, Çatalhöyük led the world with 1,000 people. Today, Tokyo has 38 million.

This trend is a mark of increasing social complexity, and it could be just getting started.

Keep reading to see the greatest cities in history. (Note: This article updates an older list based on other sources.)



Çatalhöyük led the world with 1,000 people by 7000 B.C.

Çatalhöyük today.Omar hoftun on Wikipedia
Located in Turkey, Çatalhöyük is considered by many to be the world's first city. By 6500 B.C. its population of 3,000 was even more impressive.

The city included hundreds of mud-brick homes stacked on two mounds. It was so dense that people walked on the roofs of houses rather than streets.

The city had a rich culture, evidenced by murals, figurines, and ceremonial burial sites. A painting on one wall has been called the world's oldest map and the world's oldest landscape painting.

Çatalhöyük was abandoned around 5700 B.C.

Tell Brak led the world with 4,000 people by 5000 B.C.

Tell Brak excavation sites.Attar-Aram syria on Wikipedia
Located in Syria, Tell Brak was part of a major trade route, situated on a river crossing of Anatolia, the Levant, and southern Mesopotamia.

The city was also home to the "Eye Temple," named by archaeologists for the discovery of hundreds of idols featuring big eyes.

Uruk took the lead with 40,000 people by 3300 B.C.

A district of Uruk.Gurdjieff on Wikipedia
Located in Iraq by the Euphrates River, Uruk expanded during a long period of poor harvests, as people were forced to organize to survive.

There is evidence here of rationing, taxation, an increasingly hierarchical society, and an emerging state. Uruk culture came to dominate cities from Syria to Iran.

The legendary king Gilgamesh, memorialized in the early epic, ruled Uruk around the 27th century B.C.

Uruk began losing ground to regional rivals a century or two later.

Memphis took the lead with 35,000 people by 2250 B.C.

Memphis and its pyramids.Shutterstock / Waj
After the legendary first pharaohs unified Egypt around 3100 B.C., they built a new capital at Memphis.

From the royal city, strategically located between Upper and Lower Egypt, the pharaohs collected taxes from around the country and dispensed patronage to local lords.

The city is known for the nearby pyramids, where pharaohs were buried, as well as the Great Sphinx.

Memphis declined after the rise of Thebes and then Alexandria. Today it is preserved as a heritage site.

Babylon took the lead with 60,000 people in 1770 B.C.

A painting of the Tower of Babel.Pieter Bruegel the elder on Wikipedia.
Located in Iraq, Babylon surged to prominence as the capital of Hammurabi's short-lived Babylonian Empire.

The city achieved glory again in the sixth century B.C. with the construction of the Hanging Gardens — one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

The city is known from the Bible as a center of materialism and sin, home to the supposedly blasphemous Tower of Babel, which may have been inspired by a 300-foot ziggurat in the city.

Babylon remained a major city under various rulers until the seventh century.

Thebes took the lead with 75,000 people by 1500 B.C.

Hatshepsut Temple in Luxor/Thebes.Ian Lloyd
Located in Egypt, Thebes emerged as the capital city of a rival dynasty in 2134 B.C. When that dynasty won out after several centuries, the city was the capital of all Egypt.

Thebes flourished during this period, with a large civil service, extensive trade, and vast temples.

"In Egyptian Thebes," the Greek poet Homer said, "the heaps of precious ingots gleam, the hundred-gated Thebes."

Thebes permanently lost capital status in the 13th century B.C. and was destroyed by the Assyrians in 667 B.C. Still, it held on in one form or another and lives on today as the city of Luxor.

Nimrud took the lead with 75,000 people by 800 B.C.

The palaces of Nimrud, as imagined by the city's first excavator.James Fergusson (architect) on Wiki
Located in Iraq at a strategic point on the Tigris River, Nimrud was the capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire.

In the ninth century B.C., King Ashurnasirpal II built a huge palace made of "cedar, cypress, juniper, boxwood, mulberry, pistachio wood, and tamarisk" filled with art and treasure. He also built temples, botanical gardens, and a zoo.

King Shalmaneser III, his son, would go on to build a palace that was twice as big.

Nineveh took the lead with 100,000 people by 700 B.C.

One of Nineveh's great gates today.Wikimedia, CC
Located in Iraq, Nineveh was settled as early as 6000 B.C. By 3000 B.C. it was a major religious center for the goddess Ishtar.

The city really took off around 700 B.C., when the Assyrian King Sennacherib built a "palace without rival." The city was spread over 7 square kilometers, with 15 great gates, 18 canals, and several sections of aqueduct.

Nineveh was besieged and sacked in 612 B.C. as the Neo-Assyrian empire crumbled.

Alexandria took the lead with 150,000 people by 300 B.C.

Alexandria in 30 B.C.Philg88 on Wikipedia
Located in Egypt, Alexandria was founded by Alexander the Great in 331 B.C. It quickly became the largest city. It would be the capital of the country for the next 1,000 years.

The Mediterranean city was home to the Lighthouse of Alexandria — one of the tallest buildings in the world — and the Great Library of Alexandria — the biggest in the world.

In addition to Greeks and Egyptians, the city had the largest urban Jewish population in the world.

Alexandria declined during the Roman empire and Muslim conquest.

Rome took the lead with 400,000 people by 100 B.C.

The Colosseum of Rome today.Diliff on Wikipedia
Founded around the eighth century B.C., Rome conquered the Italian peninsula and came to dominate the Mediterranean by the second century B.C. Julius Caesar's conquest of Gaul in the first century B.C. led to the establishment of the Roman empire.

The ruins of Ancient Rome are known around the world, from the Colosseum, where as many as 80,000 spectators watched gladiators fight, to the Forum, the site of parades, elections, and trade, to the Pantheon, a temple that has still the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome.

Rome grew to larger than 1 million people by 1 B.C. It remained the world’s largest city until the fourth century, when the Western Roman empire crumbled.

Constantinople led the world with 450,000 people by A.D. 500.

The Hagia Sophia today.Arild Vågen on Wikipedia
Located in Turkey, Constantinople became the new capital of the Roman empire in A.D. 324.

By A.D. 500, it was the largest city that remained after the fall of Rome. It too was shrinking under pressure from the Huns and other regional rivals.

In A.D. 537, the emperor Justinian I built the Hagia Sophia church.

Constantinople would decline to around 100,000 people by 700 before growing again, remaining one of the biggest cities in the west until the 18th century.

Chang'an took the lead with 600,000 people by 600.

Chang'an during the Sui Dynasty.Jason22 on Wikipedia
Located in north-central China, Chang'an was the capital of more than 10 dynasties. It became the largest city in the world under the Sui Dynasty as China emerged as the world's most powerful country.

Soon the city sprawled across more than 30 square miles, and by 700 it had a population of 1 million.

The poet Bai Juyi said the city had "hundreds of, thousands of houses — like a great chessboard … like a huge field planted with rows of cabbages." It had tree-lined boulevards five times as wide as New York's Fifth Avenue.

Chang'an declined sharply at the end of the Tang dynasty in 904. It lives on today, however, as the booming city of Xi'an.

Kaifeng took the lead with 1 million people by 1000.

A scroll possibly showing life in 12th-century Kaifeng.Qīng dynasty on Wikipedia
Located near China's Grand Canal, Kaifeng was the capital of the Song dynasty.

It was the most industrialized city in the world, with vast iron works and shops, bars, and theaters filling every corner.

As the city ran low on wood to burn, Kaifeng discovered the potential of coal and tapped a major nearby deposit. Twenty new coal markets opened in the city from 1102 to 1106.

Hangzhou took the lead with 1 million people by 1200.

Hangzhou in a French illustration from 1412.TheTexecuter on Wikipedia
Located at the southern end of China's Grand Canal, Hangzhou was a major trading city and the capital for the second half of the Song dynasty.

Marco Polo, who visited in the late 13th century, called it "without doubt the finest and most splendid city in the world."

The Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta, who visited in 1345, called it the largest city he had ever seen.

Hangzhou lost its capital status after the Song dynasty ended and gradually lost trade to more coastal cities.

Nanjing took the lead with 500,000 people by 1400.

Nanjing in the Yuan dynasty.Chen Yi on Wikipedia
Located in the Yangtze River Delta, Nanjing was the capital of the Ming dynasty.

It was here in 1405 that the Yongle Emperor launched the first of several treasure voyages, sending fleets of the biggest wooden ships ever to travel as far as Africa (or by some accounts America).

Not long after, however, political struggles forced the emperor to move his capital to Beijing, and Nanjing declined.

Beijing took the lead with 600,000 people by 1450.

The Forbidden City.Shutterstock.com
Beijing became the capital of the Ming Dynasty in 1420. It has been China's capital ever since.

Ming Dynasty Beijing saw the construction of the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven.

Despite mutinies, invasions, and plagues, Beijing remained the largest city in the world for several centuries, with an unmatched 1.1 million people in 1800.

London took the lead with 1.9 million people by 1841.

London in the 19th century.Wikipedia
London became the world's largest city during a period called Pax Britannica, when Britain emerged as the world's only superpower.

Powered by the Industrial Revolution, London expanded incredibly fast, reaching 7.4 million by 1914. Helping the city grow were a vast new railway system and an ambitious sewage overhaul.

Despite its prominence, London was known to be dirty, overcrowded, and dangerous.

New York took the lead with 7.8 million people by 1925.

Building the Empire State Building.Lewis Hine on Wikipedia.
As America's economy boomed after World War I, New York emerged as the world's leading city.

The city was the capital of American finance, a major port, and a major immigrant destination.

It created the world's best-known skyline with an influx of skyscrapers, including the Chrysler Building in 1930 and the Empire State Building in 1931.

New York's population has soared to 23.7 million across the metro area, though it is now only the fifth-biggest city in the world.

Tokyo took the lead with 15 million people by 1965.

Tokyo today.marc emer/Flickr
Tokyo was rebuilt after World War II, setting the stage for it to become the largest city in history.

Japan's economy boomed in this new era, driven by advanced technology, a partnership with the US, and high levels of organization, and Tokyo grew with it.

Though Japan's economy has slowed since 1989, Tokyo remains the largest city in the world, with 37.8 million.

The Japanese capital has the most Fortune Global 500 companies of any city and by far the most Michelin-starred restaurants. It is known as the safest big city in the world.


http://www.businessinsider.com/the-...k-led-the-world-with-1000-people-by-7000-bc-1

 

[Mage]

Middle Eastern cities were unparalleled in the ancient past. All those cities from Iraq, Egypt, Syria....then there were like 500 years of Europe with Rome and Constantinople. But the Chinese cities made ground and took the top and for thousand several Chinese cities were at top. After that came London and NY...I wonder for how long this West Dominating East is going on. And for how long will it continue. No city from this subcontinent made it to the list. But maybe it will change. By 2040 the top three Cities leading in population are projected to be Delhi, Dhaka and Mumbai. All in our very own subcontinent. But that's not going to last long. As by 2100 half of the most populous cities are projected to be African like Lagos, Kinshasa.

 

[niaz]

During the glory days of the Abbassides Baghdad was known as "Urus ul Balaad" meaning bride of the cities. It was then arguably the largest city in world.

Baghdad: The World’s Largest City In 900 AD
Baghdad was the center of the Golden Age of Islam in 900 A.D. The Golden Age brought about significant Muslim achievements from scientists, artisans, and traders. In 900 A.D., the Muslim Empire stretched across the present-day countries of Spain, North Africa, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, and parts of Turkey. Baghdad became a place where cultures and traditions intermixed freely, and the Arabic language developed by the 9th century, allowing these people to communicate with one another and share ideas.

Communication and learning also increased following the introduction of the paper mill. Baghdad’s period of enlightenment helped to preserve numerous historical writings, as they were all transcribed into Arabic. This sharing of cultures and ideas likely led to the population boom—Baghdad had 900,000 citizens in 900 A.D. It also likely led to the Arab Agricultural Revolution, which introduced a more scientific approach to farming that is still used today. In fact, science-focused theory was used for medicine as well, and the citizens made great strides to improve the overall health of their citizens. They also pioneered mathematical areas like algebra and trigonometry and introduced the algorithm.

Even as the citizens learned more and more, they still upheld their pious existence. A large mosque in the center of the city was a huge part of their daily lives. Shops developed around the mosque, and traders from around the known world came to peddle their goods. Baghdad’s position along the Silk Road made it especially favorable for trade.

Baghdad was eventually sacked by the Mongols, but that wasn’t until 1250 A.D. Today, Baghdad boasts roughly 5.6 million citizens (although estimates vary upward significantly) and serves as the capital of the Republic of Iraq, where it is the largest city.

https://gohighbrow.com/baghdad-the-worlds-largest-city-in-900-ad/

 

[Mage]

Another city that probably was unparalleled in it's time: Persepolis

Persepolis is the Greek name (from perses polis for 'Persian City') for the ancient city of Parsa, located seventy miles northeast of Shiraz in present-day Iran. The name Parsa meant 'City of The Persians' and construction began at the site in 518 BCE under the rule of King Darius the Great (who reigned 522-486 BCE). Darius made Parsa the new capital of the Persian Empire, instead of Pasargadae, the old capital and burial place of King Cyrus the Great. Because of its remote location in the mountains, however, travel to Parsa was almost impossible during the rainy season of the Persian winter when paths turned to mud and so the city was used mainly in the spring and summer warmer seasons. Administration of the Achaemenian Empire was overseen from Susa, from Babylon or from Ecbatana during the cold seasons and it was most likely for this reason that the Greeks never knew of Parsa until it was sacked and looted by Alexander the Great in 330 BCE (the historian Plutarch claiming that Alexander carried away the treasures of Parsa on the backs of 20,000 mules and 5,000 camels).

Though building began under Darius, the glory of Parsa which Alexander found when he invaded was due mainly to the latter works of Xerxes I and Artaxerxes III, both of whose names have been found (besides that of Darius) inscribed on tablets, over doorways and in hallways throughout the ruins of the city.

The great city of Persepolis was built in terraces up from the river Pulwar to rise on a larger terrace of over 125,000 square feet.
The great city of Persepolis was built in terraces up from the river Pulwar to rise on a larger terrace of over 125,000 square feet, partly cut out of the Mountain Kuh-e Rahmet ("the Mountain of Mercy"). To create the level terrace, large depressions were filled with soil and heavy rocks which were then fastened together with metal clips; upon this ground the first palace at Persepolis slowly grew. Around 515 BCE, construction of a broad stairway was begun up to the palace doors. This grand, dual entrance to the palace, known as the Persepolitan stairway, was a masterpiece of symmetry on the western side of the building and the steps were so wide that Persian royalty and those of noble birth could ascend or descend the stairs by horseback, thereby not having to touch the ground with their feet. The top of the stairways led to a small yard in the north-eastern side of the terrace, opposite the Gate of all Nations.

The great palace built by Xerxes I consisted of a grand hall that was eighty-two feet in length, with four large columns, the entrance on the Western Wall. Here the nations which were subject to the Empire gave their tribute to the king. There were two doors, one to the south which opened to the Apadana yard and the other opening onto a winding road to the east. Pivoting devices found on the inner corners of all the doors indicate that they were two-leafed doors, probably made of wood and covered with sheets of ornate metal. Off the Apadana yard, near the Gates of all Nations, was Darius’ great Apadana Hall, where he would receive dignitaries and guests which, by all accounts, was a place of stunning beauty (thirteen of the pillars of the Hall still stand today and remain very impressive).

Limestone was the main building material used in Persepolis. After natural rock had been leveled and the depressions filled in, tunnels for sewage were dug underground through the rock. A large elevated cistern was carved at the eastern foot of the mountain to catch rain water for drinking and bathing.



Ranks of Immortals

The terraced plan of the site around the palace walls enabled the Persians to easily defend any section of the front. The ancient historian Diodorus Siculus recorded that Persepolis had three walls with ramparts, all with fortified towers, always manned. The first wall was over seven feet tall, the second, fourteen feet, and the third wall, surrounding all four sides, was thirty feet high. With such fortifications opposing him it is an impressive feat that Alexander the Great managed to overthrow such a city; but overthrow it he did. Diodorus provides the story of the destruction of Persepolis:

“Alexander held games in honor of his victories. He performed costly sacrifices to the gods and entertained his friends bountifully. While they were feasting and the drinking was far advanced, as they began to be drunken, a madness took possession of the minds of the intoxicated guests. At this point one of the women present, Thais by name and Athenian by origin, said that for Alexander it would be the finest of all his feats in Asia if he joined them in a triumphal procession, set fire to the palaces, and permitted women's hands in a minute to extinguish the famed accomplishments of the Persians. This was said to men who were still young and giddy with wine, and so, as would be expected, someone shouted out to form up and to light torches, and urged all to take vengeance for the destruction of the Greek temples [burned by the Persians when they invaded Athens in 480 BCE]. Others took up the cry and said that this was a deed worthy of Alexander alone. When the king had caught fire at their words, all leaped up from their couches and passed the word along to form a victory procession in honor of the god Dionysus. Promptly many torches were gathered. Female musicians were present at the banquet, so the king led them all out to the sound of voices and flutes and pipes, Thais the courtesan leading the whole performance. She was the first, after the king, to hurl her blazing torch into the palace. As the others all did the same, immediately the entire palace area was consumed, so great was the conflagration. It was most remarkable that the impious act of Xerxes, king of the Persians, against the acropolis at Athens should have been repaid in kind after many years by one woman, a citizen of the land which had suffered it, and in sport.”

The fire, which consumed Persepolis so completely that only the columns, stairways and doorways remained of the great palace, also destroyed the great religious works of the Persians written on “prepared cow-skins in gold ink” as well as their works of art. The palace of Xerxes, who had planned and executed the invasion of Greece in 480, received especially brutal treatment in the destruction of the complex. The city lay crushed under the weight of its own ruin (although, for a time, nominally still the capital of the now-defeated Empire) and was lost to time. It became known to residents of the area only as 'the place of the forty columns’(for the still-remaining columns standing among the wreckage) until, in 1618 CE, the site was identified as Persepolis. In 1931 excavations were begun which revealed the glory which had once been Persepolis.


https://www.ancient.eu/persepolis/

 

[Indus Pakistan]

This is a very Western centric listing. I am sure Mohenjo Daro, Harappa or Taxila need to be in this list.

 

[niaz]

This is a very Western centric listing. I am sure Mohenjo Daro, Harappa or Taxila need to be in this list.

Possibly Pataliputra (Patna) capital of Chandragupta & Asoka as well. Real problem being lack of written history. Greeks were great historians, first history in the world was written by Herodotus around 492 BC. A detailed account of the invasion of India by Alexander was written by Arrian.

Most of the ancient Indian literature is of religious nature. What we know of ancient Indian history comes from foreign sources such as the book ‘Indica’ or archaeological source such as coins, Asoka’ pillars and other architectural remains. Megasthenes came in the court of Chandragupta Maurya, he gives detailed account of the Indian society and culture.

On the other hand, Rajatarangini, written by Kalhana; probably the best form of history of the ancient subcontinent written in Sanskrit, it is mostly a story about the kings and does delve into the lives of the common man.

 

[Indus Pakistan]

Possibly Pataliputra (Patna)

Disagree. With respect Patna has nothing to qualify it. Indeed there is nothing in all of India that could possibly be listed. Only in Pakistan the cities I listed [Mohenjo Daro, Harappa, Taxila] have the basis to go on the list.

 

[niaz]

Disagree. With respect Patna has nothing to qualify it. Indeed there is nothing in all of India that could possibly be listed. Only in Pakistan the cities I listed [Mohenjo Daro, Harappa, Taxila] have the basis to go on the list.

I have visited Mohenjodaro in 1978 and again in 1987. Area of the city is estimated at about 300 hectare, its peak population about 35,000 circa 1700 BC. This surely makes it about the largest city in its time.

http://www.ancient-wisdom.com/Pakistanmohenjo.htm

According to ‘Indica’ written by Megastheses

“ Pataliputra was fortified with palisades. This fortification was shaped like parallelogram measuring about 9 miles in length and about 1.5 miles in breadth and it had 570 towers and 64 gates. “

This makes circumference of Pataliputra about 21 miles and certainly one of the largest city in 'area' circa 300 BC. According to Wikipedia, its population was between 40,000 to 150,000 that is about the size of Alexandria in 300 BC.

However, you are free to disagree.

 

[HannibalBarca]

Roman Propaganda... I call it biased... My City was the greatest...

 

[Indus Pakistan]

However, you are free to disagree.

And you are free to sing songs about India. Only adds to the chorus of the Hindutva brigades. And was that Wikipedia or Indipedia you quoted??

 

[Mage]

This is a very Western centric listing. I am sure Mohenjo Daro, Harappa or Taxila need to be in this list.

Don't seem that way. Only three western cities in 19. And they are on their own merit. Rome, London and NY. Rest are Middle Eastern and Chinese.

 

[Chak Bamu]

This is a very Western centric listing. I am sure Mohenjo Daro, Harappa or Taxila need to be in this list.

Well said.

In fact Harappa had 50,000 people around 2200 BC and it was the largest city in the world.

The list shows Western-centric thinking, focusing on names familiar to the Western readers. South Asia does not figure in their mental maps and so it gets ignored.

My biggest issue with some 'great' city lists is that they do not include Lahore. I ignore all such lists.

I have visited Mohenjodaro in 1978 and again in 1987. Area of the city is estimated at about 300 hectare, its peak population about 35,000 circa 1700 BC. This surely makes it about the largest city in its time.

http://www.ancient-wisdom.com/Pakistanmohenjo.htm

According to ‘Indica’ written by Megastheses

“ Pataliputra was fortified with palisades. This fortification was shaped like parallelogram measuring about 9 miles in length and about 1.5 miles in breadth and it had 570 towers and 64 gates. “

This makes circumference of Pataliputra about 21 miles and certainly one of the largest city in 'area' circa 300 BC. According to Wikipedia, its population was between 40,000 to 150,000 that is about the size of Alexandria in 300 BC.

However, you are free to disagree.

Well said sir. Indeed Pataliputra was a gem in its day. Though only some of the foundations remain, they do show the massive scale of the city.

And you are free to sing songs about India. Only adds to the chorus of the Hindutva brigades. And was that Wikipedia or Indipedia you quoted??

Honorable Mr. Niaz hails from Sargodha, not Soorat.

 

[Cherokee]

Honorable Mr. Niaz hails from Sargodha, not Soorat.

That was funny. IMO two Indian cities qualify, Patliputra and Kashi (Varanasi) which is one of the oldest Inhabited city.

 

[niaz]

And you are free to sing songs about India. Only adds to the chorus of the Hindutva brigades. And was that Wikipedia or Indipedia you quoted??

Honourable Kaptaan,

Whether Pataliputra was one of the largest cities of the world or not, hardly matters to me. All old cities are no more than a a foot note in history. To clarify I did not quote from Indipedia or Wikipedia but from a history forum.

http://historum.com/asian-history/83912-mauryan-capital-pataliputra-larger-than-rome.html

Allama Iqbal wrote his famous 'Tarana e Hindi' in 1904 which you can find in ‘Bang e Dara’ which says:


Sare Jahan Se Acha Hindustan Humara
Hum Bulbulain Hain Iss Ki, Ye Gulistan Humara

The best land in the world is our India;

Later in Taran -e- Millie Allama writes:

مسلم ہیں ہم، وطن ہے سارا جہاں ہمارا‎ چین و عرب ہمارا، ہندوستان ہمارا‎


Would you also call him a Hinduvta lover?

I was born in 1943 when Sargodha was a town in British India because Pakistan was not yet in existence. As a student of history I am just being realistic. Don’t you think that to perpetually remain in a state of denial and insisting that everything Pakistani is better / superior to the one from India, is being rather foolish?

Finally, I admit that I have been called many names in my lifetime but was never accused of adding to the chorus of the Hiduvta brigade. But then each day one learns new things.

 

[Hamza913]

This is a very Western centric listing. I am sure Mohenjo Daro, Harappa or Taxila need to be in this list.

All 3 of them should be on the list, along with Lahore and Delhi.