Share. More importantly, in terms of percentage of the world's population, the Achaemenid Empire housed 44% of all people around 480 B.C.E. When I wrote my MA, I spent months wracking my brains and scouring libraries in hopes that I could estimate the population of the Achaemenid empire within a factor of two or three. More modern estimates tend to much higher, generally at least 200 million – estimates of American, African, and Southeast Asian populations have greatly increased since they made their guess 40 years ago. No census data for any significant part of the Achaemenid empire survives, and in many regions archaeologists have not even tried to count the remains of villages and measure the area of towns to allow some sort of systematic estimate. From 1526, an Islamic Imperial authority ruled large portions of the Indian subcontinent. “tens of millions” or “30 to 300 million”), and I won’t repeat a figure unless I can show how it was estimated or at least from whom it was cribbed. And then there’s India, which is the, ahem, elephant in the room. The Achaemenid Empire was an independent nation that existed on Terra during the Age of Strife and Unification Wars.. History. Achaemenid Empire. Achaemenid Empireball was the first Persian dynastyball ever, it was also of a stronk empire, and stretched from Thrace to the Indus Valley. French and Burgundian Military Ordinances, Nineteenth-Century Travellers and Researchers, Records of the Armourers’ Company of London, Statutes and Privileges of the Armourers and Scabbardmakers of the City of Angers, The Book of the Hirelings of the Republic of Florence, Active Open-Access Venues in Ancient World Studies, Reenacting the Archaic and the Long Sixth Century. ( Log Out /  This one was cribbed from Wikipedia, and I think that tracing it further would be futile. Achaemenid empire. WHAT MAKES A GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS TITLE? Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. For myself, I would be satisfied if I knew the population of the empire within an order of magnitude (eg. By share of population, the largest empire was the Achaemenid Empire, better known as the Persian Empire, which accounted for approximately 49.4 million of the world’s 112.4 million people in around 480 BC – an astonishing 44%. In their peak power, the empire controlled a huge percentage of the Indian Subcontinent. However you define “the population of the Achaemenid empire” that population was a number, and shaped the lives of everyone who lived within the empire. [3] The population of the empire in ~480 BCE was estimated at 50 million people and, based on global population estimates for that historical period, that means the Achaemenid Empire would have encompassed 44 percent of the global population: the largest percentage of any empire prior or since. 1441). Achaemenid Empire, ancient, demographics, Iron Age. I agree that South and Southeast Asia are big problems, since they clearly had big populations, but did not leave many archives and census figures. The most significant chapter in the story of Jews and Judaism in Persia began 15 March 597 BCE, when King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylonia conquered Jerusalem and carried away as captives 10,000 Jews from Jerusalem and Judah, including King Jehoiachin of Judah. The empire took its unified form with a central administration around Pasargadae erected by Cyrus the Great. Suffice to say they underestimated every population that wasn’t either a) Western history or b) China, which had a census. Population figures at that time ranged between 110-130 million people. According to one text, nearly 700 shepherds drove the “small livestock of the king” from Persia in the direction to Susa (Hallock, no. By share of population, the largest empire was the Achaemenid Empire, better known as the Persian Empire, which accounted for approximately 49.4 million of the world’s 112.4 million people in around 480 BC – an astonishing 44%. This article is an extract from the book Atlas of Empires, republished with permission.This book tells the story of how and why the great empires of history came into being, operated and ultimately declined, and discusses the future of the empire in today's globalized world. ii. Land Size of Empire The Achaemenid Empire, at its peak, ranged around 2,000,000 square miles, the largest empire up to that date. Rule by the Achaemenid empire over the Iranian people started by an extension of the Achaemenid dynasty who expanded their earlier ruling clan over the Iranians going, possibly, back to the 9th century BCE. Darius extended the empire even more conquering places India to … An… Achaemenid Empire in the time of Darius and Xerxes: At its height, the Achaemenid Empire ruled over 44% of the world’s population, the highest figure for any empire in history. According to Guinnees World Record, the Achaemenid empire consisted of 44% of world population, which is the largest ever! The version of September 2011 estimated that this was 20% of the population of the world, citing a book by Barry Strauss which indeed estimates that Xerxes ruled 20 million of the 100 people living in the world in 480 BCE, but does not cite a single source for either number; by September 2013 this estimate of the world population in 480 BCE had been ‘improved’ to 112.4 million and attributed to an Encyclopaedia Iranica article on Darius the Great which says nothing whatsoever about the population of the world. To find a convenient arrangement of the material is not easy and I have chosen to use two approaches: delineation of some geographically defined administrative units of the empire and description of the tribute system. All records listed on our website are current and up-to-date. At its height, the Achaemenid Empire ruled over 44% of the world’s population, the highest figure for any empire in history. Further Reading: My MA thesis discusses research on the population of the Achaemenid empire. For a full list of record titles, please use our Record Application Search. 1. In 480 BCE, it is estimated that 50 million people lived in the Achaemenid Empire or about 44% of the world's population at the time, making it the largest ever empire by population in percentage terms. The hard-nosed, cynical, humorless, devout population of 419 million Achaemenids are ruled without fear or favor by a psychotic dictator, who outlaws just about everything and … empires/nations Trade/commerce Globalization Possessed equestrian (horse) skills and were expert archers Cyrus the Achaemenid conquered the weakening Assyrian and Babylonian empires. The Achaemenid Empire, an aa cried the First Persie Empire, wis an empire based in Wastren Asie, foondit bi Cyrus the Great, notable for embracin various ceevilisations an acomin the lairgest empire o the auncient history, spannin at its maximum extent frae the Balkans an Eastren Europe proper in the wast, tae the Indus Valley in the The Kings List. Re: Population of the Achaemenid Persian Empire 300 Million is the estimate of world pop... Rome and the Han were estimated to have about 50-70 Million each (together 1/3 … Registered Office: South Quay Building, 77 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SH United Kingdom. English: Greatest territorial extent of the Achaemenid Empire Holding world record for reigning over nearly half of the population of the world at the time (Partially based on Atlas of World History (2007) - The World 750-500 BC, map. I begin with three preliminary points. (You will need to register / login for access). Achaemenid Empire (/ ə ˈ k iː m ə n ɪ d /; Old Persian: Pārsa; New Persian: شاهنشاهی هخامنشی c. 550–330 BC), or First Persian Empire, was an empire in Western and Central Asia, founded in the 6th century BC by Cyrus the Great. Originating in modern-day Iran, the empire was first established by Cyrus the Great and included parts of Central Asia, the Mediterranean, North Africa, and even European territories such as ancient Thrace and Macedonia. Edit 2015-10-04: Specifically, back in September 2011 the Wikipedia page “List of largest empires” gave a population of 49.4 million in 480 BCE with no source for that particular number given. Originating in modern-day Iran, the empire was first established by Cyrus the Great and included parts of Central Asia, the Mediterranean, North Africa, and even European territories such as ancient Thrace and Macedonia. Guinness Book is for pop culture trivia, not scholarly work. According to Guinness World Records, which seems as good an authority as any, the answer is the Achaemenid Empire in 480 B.C. this is a real problem. The eponym of this dynasty was Achaemenes (Old Persian: Haxāmaniš, a bahuvrihi compound translating to "having a friend's mind"). The Achaemenid Empire included parts of Central Asia, the Mediterranean, North Africa, and even European territories such as ancient Thrace and Macedonia. Cyrus the Great. ( Log Out /  Early history. In 480 B.C, the empire accounted for approximately 49.4 million of the world’s 112.4 million people. It also invaded and ruled major parts of South Asia between the 17th and 18th century. Having trouble pronouncing it? What makes a Guinness World Records title? Based in modern-day Iran, the Achaemenid Empire stretched across 3 continents – … The empire ended up conquering and enlarging the Median empire to include in addition Egypt and Asia Minor. One characteristic feature of the empire was its highl… I am surprised to see people using the numbers in McEvedy and Jones after I had a look at the book! Why no Facebook/Google+/LinkedIn/Tumblr/… buttons? It was the first global empire known to the ancient world. THE ACHAEMENID PERIOD. One of the earlier geopolitical entities to swear allegiance to the Emperor, the Achaemenid Empire had therefore suffered little during the Wars of Unification, avoiding both atomic strike and invasion by Thunder Warriors. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. By share of population, the largest empire was the Achaemenid Empire, better known as the Persian Empire, which accounted for approximately 49.4 million of the world’s 112.4 million people in around 480 BC – an astonishing 44%. http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records-9000/largest-empire-by-percentage-of-world-population, http://www.nature.com/news/2011/111019/full/478300a.html, Shameless Plug: The Chronicle of the Good Duke, The Battle for the Future of the Study of the Ancient World is Bigger than Classics, .. clericus .. making art technological sources accessible, Andrew Holt: History, Religion, and Foreign Affairs, Aryballos: Cdn Research Grp for Ancient Sport, Dr. Conor Whately: Byzantine (OED) "Intricate, Complicate; Inflexible, Rigid, Unyielding", Loose Threads: Yet Another Costuming Blog. We use cookies on this website. At one point, they ruled between a fourth and a half of Earthball's population (which was much smaller back then, but still). A writer at Nature http://www.nature.com/news/2011/111019/full/478300a.html assumed a 1% margin of error in world population estimates, the Indian Government decided that their 1951 census missed at least 1% of the population (source) and Gerhard Heilig of the UN estimates that their world population figures have a margin of error of 1-2% (source). You may call it the Persian empire, but historians named it after the first Persian king – Achaemenis. Change ). Emperors of the Mughal Empire descended from the Timurids of Turkistan. Achemenid population estimates aside, It seems likely to be that the population estimate for the world population in 500 BC is a pretty dubious lowball as well – the 100 million originally given and sourced (most probably to McEvedy and Jones) was a very lackadaisical guess that was pretty much straight-up a series of exponential growth curves with only the loosest justifications. JUDEO-PERSIAN COMMUNITIES OF IRAN. How to set or break a Guinness World Records title. As I said in my MA thesis, they expect people to believe that in 400 BCE four times as many people were living in the territory of modern Greece as the territory of modern Iraq, and that just smells wrong. The dynasty draws its name from king Achaemenes, who ruled Persis between 705 BC and 675 BC. ( Log Out /  If we were to write "According to the Guinness Book of World records, the Achaemenid Empire ruled over 44% of the world's population..." Do you see how ridiculous that sounds? ( Log Out /  Also called the Medo-Persian Empire, this dynasty was based in western Asia, in the heart of Iran.At its height around 475 BCE, the Achaemenid Empire ruled over 44% of the world’s population, the highest figure for any empire in history. This imperial power was known as the Mughal Empire. This makes it the most populous (percentage) empire of all time. Otto - Longest human tunnel travelled through by a skateboarding dog, Ashrita Furman - Most Guinness World Records titles held. The Achaemenid Empire, or Achaemenid Persian Empire, (550–330 BC) was the first of the Persian Empires to rule over significant portions of Greater Persia (or Iran). Achaemenid Empire is similar to these former countries: Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Medes, Assyria and more. During the reigns of Darius II and his son Xerxes I it engaged in military conflict with some o… By using this site, you agree that we may store and access cookies on your device. Post 6th century BC, the Achaemenid Persian Empire society can be categorized as ‘feudal’, with the burgeoning population inside the core lands of the empire being roughly divided into three classes – the nobility (azada), the bondsmen (bandaka) and the slaves (mariaka). Achaemenes (Persian Hakhamanish), the Achaemenians’ eponymous ancestor, is presumed to have lived early in the 7th century bce, but little is known of his life. By the same date the estimate of the population of the empire in 480 BCE had been rounded to 50 million, a guess which commonly appears in books. Little did I know that a much more precise figure was available! The Achaemenid Empire … long ago in a land far away, there once rose an empire that stretched from the steppes of China to the shores of the Mediterranean… This statement fits the Achaemenid empire very nicely. Achaemenid Empire in the time of Darius and Xerxes. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Achaemenid Empire. Bureaucratic tendencies were highly developed in the Persian %npire. Given the political aspect of Persian history for Iran, I would consider any Iranian source to be worse than an order of magnitude-error guess somebody was calculating right in front of me. Modern lowball estimates give a population of at least 50 million just in the Indian subcontinent alone. The empire was thought to include nearly 50 million people at its peak and according to the Guinness Book of World Records it ruled over 44% of the entire global population at that time period. Corporate Social Responsibility activities & fundraising ideas, Community engagement & tourism marketing activities. Comments below may relate to previous holders of this record. While I hope that everyone who remembers their high-school science classes is smiling (do they really think they know whether the world population was closer to 112.4 million than 112.3 million or 112.5 million?) Guinness Book of World Records, “Largest Empire, by Percentage of World Population,” accessed September 2014 http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records-9000/largest-empire-by-percentage-of-world-population. By share of population, the largest empire was the Achaemenid Empire, better known as the Persian Empire, which accounted for approximately 49.4 million of the world’s 112.4 million people in around 480 BC – an astonishing 44%. Learn how your comment data is processed. And of course because they =assume= exponential growth, economists should not cite them as evidence that the world population has undergone slow exponential growth for a long time. It followed the Median Empire as the second great empire of the Iranian peoples. It may also be the largest empire ever. Many people venture to estimate the population in writing without giving a basis for their calculation, while many cautious estimates deal with earlier or later periods or only cover part of the empire. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Judging by the number of shepherds, these herds apparently numbered in the tens of thousands of head (Hinz, 1971, p. 290). Achaemenian Dynasty, also called Achaemenid, Persian Hakhamanishiya, (559–330 bce), ancient Iranian dynasty whose kings founded and ruled the Achaemenian Empire. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. At that time, the number was equal to 44% of the world’s entire population! Topic.