Persian vs Macedonian Empire

[anubis88]

Something just struck.... Even though it's claimed that Alexander created the greatest empire the world has ever seen it seems to me that the Achamenid Persian is even larger...

Any thoughts?

Or is it again an stupid thing in my country and elsewhere people know that the persian was larger?

[Intranetusa]

Something just struck.... Even though it's claimed that Alexander created the greatest empire the world has ever seen it seems to me that the Achamenid Persian is even larger...

Any thoughts?

Or is it again an stupid thing in my country and elsewhere people know that the persian was larger?

Are you talking about history in general? Because if you compare empires of all time, Alexander's empire was quite small.

But I do believe Alexander's empire is larger than the native Persian empire since he had parts of Greece, the remains of Persia, and parts of western India...

[Watchman]

Yeah, Alex took over the Achaemenid territories wholesale and already before that had the whole Hellas, Macedon plus parts of Thrace... ought to be bigger by simple math already, really.

[Maksimus]

Well I was thinking of typing something, but the fact's are far better::

Wiki source
All empires
British Empire - 36.6 million km²[1] (under King George V in 1922)
Mongol Empire - 33.2 million km²[1] (under Khublai Khan in 1268)
Russian Empire - 22.8 million km²[2] (under Nicholas II in 1895)
Soviet Union - 22.4 million km²[3] (in 1989) (note: The term Soviet Empire referred to more lands than only those who were officially Soviet Union)
Spanish Empire - 19 million km²[1] (under King Charles III r. 1759-1788)
Umayyad Empire - 13.2 million km²[1] (under Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik r. 723-743)
French Empire - 12.5 million km²[1] (under President Albert Lebrun in 1938)
Qing Empire - 12 million km²[4] (under Emperor Qianlong)
Portuguese Empire - 10.4 million km²[1]
American Empire - 10 million km² [5] (1898-1902 and 1906-1908)
Rashidun Empire - 9 million km² (under Caliph Uthman Ibn Affan r. 644-656)[6]
Brazilian Empire - 8.1 million km²[1]
Achaemenid Empire - 7.5 million km²[7] (under Darius the Great)
Sassanid Empire - 7.47 million km²[2] (under Khosrau II in 626)
Japanese Empire - 7.4 million km²[1] (during World War II)
Ming Empire - 6.5 million km²[2] (under Emperor Jingtai in 1450)
Han Empire - 6 million km²[2]
Roman Empire - 5.7 million km²[1] (under Emperor Trajan)
Ottoman Empire - 5.5 million km² (under Mehmed IV in 1680)
Macedonian Empire - 5.4 million km²[1] (under Alexander the Great)
Tang Empire - 5.4 million km²[2] (under Emperor Xuanzong in 715)
Maurya Empire - 5 million km²[2] (under Ashoka the Great)
Mughal Empire - 5 million km²[1](under Aurangzeb in 1690)
Mexican Empire - 4.5 million km²[2]
Byzantine Empire/Eastern Roman Empire - 4.5 million km²[2]
Timurid Empire - 4.4 million km²[2]
Hunnic Empire - 4 million km²[2] (under Attila the Hun in 441)
Seljuq Empire - 3.9 million km²[2]
Seleucid Empire - 3.9 million km²[2]
Italian Empire - 3.8 million km² (during World War II)
Dutch Empire - 3.7 million km²[1]
Swedish Empire - 3.6 million km²[citation needed]
Nazi German Empire - 3.6 million km²[1] (during World War II)
German Empire - 3.5 million km² (under Wilhelm II before WWI)
Gupta Empire - 3.5 million km²[2] (under Chandragupta II in 400)
Ghaznavid Empire - 3.4 million km²[2]
Afsharid Empire - 3.23 million km² (under Nadir Shah)
Pala Empire - 3.2 million km² (under Devapala)
Delhi Sultanate - 3.2 million km²[2]
Khazar Empire - 3 million km²[2]
Safavid Empire - 2.85 million km²
Parthian Empire - 2.84 million km² (Under Mithridates II 123–88 BCE)
Median Empire - 2.8 million km²[2]
Chola Empire - 2.6 million km²[8] (under Rajendra Chola I)
Belgian Empire - 2.5 million km²[2]
Qajar Empire - 2.3 million km²
Incan Empire - 2 million km² (Under Atahualpa in 1532)
Neo-Assyrian Empire - 1.4 million km²[2]
Aksumite Empire - 1.25 million km²[2]
Srivijaya Empire - 1.2 million km²[2]
Frankish Empire - 1.2 million km²[2]
Mali Empire - 1.1 million km²[2]
Maratha Empire- 1 million km²
Harsha Empire - 1 million km²[2] (under Harsha Vardhana in 648)
Egyptian Empire - 1 million km²[2]
Almoravid Empire - 1 million km²[2]
Khmer Empire - 1 million km²[2]
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth - 990,000 km² (under Sigismund III in 1619)
Grand Duchy of Lithuania - 930,000 km² (under Vytautas the Great in 1430)
Bulgarian Empire - 700,000 km² (under Tsar Simeon I)
Austro-Hungarian Empire - 676,615 km² [9]
Akkadian Empire - 650,000 km²[10]
Durrani Empire - 600,000 km²
Neo-Babylonian Empire - 500,000 km²[10]
Armenian Empire - 400,000 km²
Serbian Empire - 380,000 km²
Vijayanagara Empire - 360,000 km²[11]

[edit] Contiguous empires
Mongol Empire - 33.2 million km² (under Khublai Khan in 1268)
Russian Empire - 22.8 million km² (under Nicholas II in 1895)
Soviet Union - 22.4 million km²[12] (in 1989) (note: The term Soviet Empire referred to more lands than only those who were officially Soviet Union)
Umayyad Empire - 13.2 million km²
Qing Empire - 12 million km² (under Emperor Qianlong)
Rashidun Empire - 9 million km² (under Caliph Uthman in 654)[13]
Brazilian Empire - 8.1 million km²[1]
Achaemenid Empire - 7.5 million km² (under Darius the Great)
Sassanid Empire - 7.47 million km² (under Khosrau II in 626)
Ming Empire - 6.5 million km²
Han Empire - 6 million km²
Ottoman Empire - 5.5 million km² (under Mehmed IV in 1680)
Macedonian Empire - 5.4 million km² (under Alexander the Great)
Tang Empire - 5.4 million km²
Maurya Empire - 5 million km² (under Ashoka the Great)
Mexican Empire - 4.7 million km²
Byzantine Empire/Eastern Roman Empire - 4.5 million km²
Mughal Empire - 4 million km² (under Aurangzeb in 1690)
Hunnic Empire - 4 million km² (under Attila the Hun in 441)
Seljuq Empire - 3.9 million km²
Seleucid Empire - 3.9 million km²
Nazi German Empire - 3.6 million km² (during World War II)
Gupta Empire - 3.5 million km² (under Chandragupta II in 400)
Ghaznavid Empire - 3.4 million km²
Afsharid Empire - 3.23 million km² (under Nadir Shah)
Pala Empire - 3.2 million km² (under Devapala)
Delhi Sultanate - 3.2 million km²
Khazar Empire - 3 million km²
Safavid Empire - 2.85 million km²
Parthian Empire - 2.84 million km² (Under Mithridates II 123–88 BCE)
Median Empire - 2.8 million km²
Qajar Empire - 2.3 million km²
Tahuantinsuyu - 2 million km² (Under Atahualpa in 1532)
Neo-Assyrian Empire - 1.4 million km²
Aksumite Empire - 1.25 million km²[2]
Frankish Empire - 1.2 million km²
Mali Empire - 1.1 million km²[2]
Harsha Empire - 1 million km² (under Harsha Vardhana in 648)
Egyptian Empire - 1 million km²
Almoravid Empire - 1 million km²
Khmer Empire - 1 million km²
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth - 990,000 km² (under Sigismund III in 1619)
Bulgarian Empire - 700,000 km² (under Tsar Simeon I)
Akkadian Empire - 650,000 km²
Austro-Hungarian Empire - 600,000 km² [9]
Neo-Babylonian Empire - 500,000 km²
Serbian Empire - 380,000 km²
Vijayanagara Empire - 360,000 km²

[edit] Maritime empires
British Empire - 36.6 million km² (under King George V in 1922)
Spanish Empire - 19 million km² (under King Charles III)
French Empire - 12.5 million km²
Portuguese Empire - 10.4 million km²
American Empire - 10 million km² (1898-1902 and 1906-1908)
Japanese Empire - 7.4 million km² (during World War II)
Italian Empire - 3.8 million km² (during World War II)
Dutch Empire - 3.7 million km²
German Empire - 3.5 million km² (under Wilhelm II before WWI)
Tongan Empire - 3 million km² (15th century)
Chola Empire - 2.6 million km² (under Rajendra Chola I)
Belgian Empire - 2.5 million km²
Srivijaya Empire - 1.2 million km²

[edit] Ancient empires
Achaemenid Empire - 7.5 million km² (under Darius the Great)
Sassanid Empire - 7.47 million km² (under Khosrau II in 626)
Han Empire - 6 million km²
Roman Empire - 5.7 million km² (under Emperor Trajan)
Macedonian Empire - 5.4 million km² (under Alexander the Great)
Maurya Empire - 5 million km² (under Ashoka the Great)
Hunnic Empire - 4 million km² (under Attila the Hun in 441)
Seleucid Empire - 3.9 million km²
Gupta Empire - 3.5 million km² (under Chandragupta II in 400)
Parthian Empire - 2.84 milion km² (Under Mithridates II 123–88 BCE)
Median Empire - 2.8 million km²
Neo-Assyrian Empire - 1.4 million km²
Aksumite Empire - 1.25 million km²[2]
Egyptian Empire - 1 million km²
Akkadian Empire - 650,000 km²
Neo-Babylonian Empire - 500,000 km²
Armenian Empire - 400,000 km²

[edit] Medieval empires
Mongol Empire - 33.2 million km² (under Khublai Khan in 1268)
Umayyad Empire - 13.2 million km²
Rashidun Empire - 9 million km² (under Caliph Uthman in 654)[14]
Sassanid Empire - 7.47 million km² (under Khosrau II in 626)
Ming Empire - 6.5 million km²
Tang Empire - 5.4 million km²
Byzantine Empire/Eastern Roman Empire - 4.5 million km²
Mughal Empire - 4 million km² (under Aurangzeb in 1690)
Seljuq Empire - 3.9 million km²
Ghaznavid Empire - 3.4 million km²
Pala Empire - 3.2 million km² (under Devapala)
Delhi Sultanate - 3.2 million km²
Khazar Empire - 3 million km²
Chola Empire - 2.6 million km² (under Rajendra Chola I)
Tahuantinsuyu - 2 million km² (Under Atahualpa in 1532)
Aksumite/Ethiopian Empire - 1.25 million km²[2]
Srivijaya Empire - 1.2 million km²
Frankish Empire - 1.2 million km²
Mali Empire - 1.1 million km²[2]
Harsha Empire - 1 million km² (under Harsha Vardhana in 648)
Almoravid Empire - 1 million km²
Khmer Empire - 1 million km²
Grand Duchy of Lithuania - 930,000 km² (under Vytautas the Great in 1430)
Bulgarian Empire - 700,000 km² (under Tsar Simeon I)
Serbian Empire - 380,000 km²
Vijayanagara Empire - 360,000 km²

[edit] Modern empires
British Empire - 36.6 million km² (under King George V in 1922)
Russian Empire - 22.8 million km² (under Alexander II in 1867)
Soviet Union - 22,402,200 km²[15] (in 1989) (note: The term Soviet Empire referred to more lands than only those who were officially Soviet Union)
Spanish Empire - 19 million km² (under Charles III)
French Empire - 12.5 million km²
Qing Empire - 12 million km² (under Emperor Qianlong)
Portuguese Empire - 10.4 million km²
American Empire - 10 million km² (1898-1902 and 1906-1908)
Brazilian Empire - 8.1 million km²[1]
Japanese Empire - 7.4 million km² (during World War II)
Ottoman Empire - 5,5 million km² (under Mehmed IV in 1680)
Mughal Empire - 4 million km²
Italian Empire - 3.8 million km² (during World War II)
Dutch Empire - 3.7 million km²
Nazi German Empire - 3.6 million km² (during World War II)
German Empire - 3.5 million km² (under Wilhelm II before WWI)
Afsharid Empire - 3.32 million km² (under Nadir Shah)
Safavid Empire - 2.85 million km²
Belgian Empire - 2.5 million km²
Qajar Empire - 2.3 million km²
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth - 990,000 km² (under Sigismund III in 1619)
Austro-Hungarian Empire - 676,615 km²

[edit] Largest empires by population
Population estimates are unknown for many other ancient empires not listed here.


[edit] Population size
British Empire - 531.3 million (in 1938)[16]
Qing Empire - 432 million (in 1912)[17]
Soviet Union - 286,717,000 (in 1989)[18]
Russian Empire - 176.4 million (in 1913)[9]
Mughal Empire - 175 million (in 1700)[19]
Ming Empire - 160 million (in 1600)[17]
American Empire - 146.4 million (in 1942)[16]
Japanese Empire - 134.8 million (in 1938)[16]
French Empire - 112.9 million (in 1938)[16]
Mongol Empire - 110 million (in the 13th century)[20]
Dutch Empire had 80 million people living within its boudaries in 1940.
Nazi German Empire - 75.4 million (in 1938)[16]
Spanish Empire - 64.2 million[21]
Umayyad Empire - 62 million (in the 7th century)[22]
Han Empire - 60 million (in 2 AD)[23]
Roman Empire - 60 million (in 1st century AD)[24]
Song Empire - 59 million (in 1000)[17]
Italian Empire - 51.9 million (in 1938)[16]
Austro-Hungarian Empire - 50.6 million (in 1913)[9]
Maurya Empire - 50 million (in the 2nd century BC)[25]
Achaemenid Empire - 42 million (in the 4th century BC)[19]
Rashidun Empire - 40.3 million (in the 7th century)[26][19]
Ottoman Empire - 39 million (in the 17th century)[27]
Belgian Empire - 35.3 million (before Congolese independence, 1960)
Byzantine Empire/Eastern Roman Empire - 34 million (5th-6th centuries)[28]
Vijayanagara Empire - 25 million (in the 16th century)[11]
Portuguese Empire - 14.7 million (in 1913)[9]
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth - 10.5 million (in 1619)

[edit] Percentage of world population
Qing Empire - 36.6% (381 million out of 1.041 billion in 1820)[17]
Maurya Empire - 33.3% (50 million out of 150 million[29] in the 2nd century BC)
Umayyad Empire - 29.5% (62 million out of 210 million[29] in the 7th century)
Mughal Empire - 29.2% (175 million out of 600 million[30] in 1700)
Ming Empire - 28.8% (160 million out of 556.2 million in 1600)[17]
Achaemenid Empire - 27.6% (42 million out of 152 million in the 4th century BC)[19]
Han Empire - 26.5% (59.6 million out of 226 million[17] in 2 AD)
Roman Empire - 26.5% (60 million out of 226 million[17] in the 1st century AD)
British Empire - 25.6% (458 million[31] out of 1.791 billion[17] in 1913)
Mongol Empire - 25.6% (110 million out of 429 million[19] in the 13th century)
Song Empire - 22% (59 million out of 268 million in 1000)[17]
Rashidun Empire - 19.19% (40.3 million out of 210 million in 7th century)
Spanish Empire - 12.3% (68.2 million out of 556 million[17] in the 17th century)
Russian Empire - 9.8% (176.4 million out of 1.791 billion[17] in 1913)
Ottoman Empire - 7.1% (39 million out of 556 million[17] in the 17th century)
American Empire - 6.4% (146.4 million out of 2.295 billion in 1938)
Japanese Empire - 5.9% (134.8 million out of 2.295 billion[17] in 1938)
Vijayanagara Empire - 5.7% (25 million out of 438 million[17] in the 16th century)
Soviet Union - 5.5% (286,717,000 out of 5175000000 in 1989) [32] [33]
French Empire - 4.9% (112.9 million out of 2.295 billion in 1938)
Nazi German Empire - 3.3% (75.4 million out of 2.295 billion in 1938)
Austro-Hungarian Empire - 2.8% (50.6 million out of 1.791 billion in 1913)
Italian Empire - 2.3% (51.9 million out of 2.295 billion in 1938)
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth - 1.9% (10.5 million out of 556 million[17] in the 17th century)
Portuguese Empire - 0.8% (14.7 million out of 1.791 billion in 1913)

[edit] Largest empires by economy
GDP estimates in the following list are only given for empires in modern times, from the eighteenth to twentieth centuries. All dollar amounts are in 1990 USD.


[edit] GDP size
American Empire - $1,713.6 billion (in 1944)[34]
British Empire - $683.3 billion (in 1938)[16]
Nazi German Empire - $375.6 billion (in 1938)[16]
Japanese Empire - $260.7 billion (in 1938)[16]
Russian Empire - $257.7 billion (in 1913)[17]
Qing Empire - $241.3 billion (GDP decline to 1912, immediately before its downfall)[17]
French Empire - $234.1 billion (in 1938)[16]
Italian Empire - $143.4 billion (in 1938)[16]
Austro-Hungarian Empire - $100.5 billion (in 1913)[9]
Mughal Empire - $90.8 billion (GDP decline in 1700)[17]
Ottoman Empire - $26.4 billion (in 1913)[35]
Portuguese Empire - $12.6 billion (in 1913)[9]

[edit] Percentage of world GDP
American Empire - 35%[36] ($1,644.8 billion[34] out of $4,699 billion[37] in 1945)
Qing Empire - 32.9% ($228.6 billion out of $694.4 billion in 1820)[17]
Mughal Empire - 24.5% ($90.8 billion out of $371 billion in 1700)[17]
British Empire - 23.8% ($265 billion[38] out of $1,111 billion[17] in 1870)
Russian Empire - 9.4% ($257.7 billion out of $2,733 billion[17] in 1913)
Nazi German Empire - 8.3% ($375.6 billion out of $4,502 billion[17] in 1938)
Japanese Empire - 5.8% ($260.7 billion out of $4,502 billion in 1938)
French Empire - 5.2% ($234.1 billion out of $4,502 billion in 1938)
Austro-Hungarian Empire - 3.7% ($100.5 billion out of $2,733 billion in 1913)
Italian Empire - 3.2% ($143.4 billion out of $4,502 billion in 1938)
Ottoman Empire - 1% ($26.4 billion out of $2,733 billion in 1913)
Portuguese Empire - 0.5% ($12.6 billion out of $2,733 billion in 1913)

[Intranetusa]

Funny you brought up THAT particular wikipedia article, because I had just edited various parts a day ago or so. :D

[Maksimus]