Rise & Fall of Empires

One of humanity's earliest unified states, lasting over 3,000 years with remarkable institutional continuity

Phoenician commercial republic that dominated western Mediterranean trade and challenged Rome for supremacy

First world empire connecting three continents, establishing models of imperial administration and tolerance

First empire to unify most of the Indian subcontinent, establishing enduring administrative traditions

Chinese dynasty that established Confucian governance, bureaucratic examinations, and the cultural template for East Asian civilization

Governing body of the Roman Republic and Empire, enduring model for deliberative assemblies

Classical Indian empire presiding over a golden age of Sanskrit literature, Hindu art, mathematics, and astronomy

Eastern Roman continuation preserving classical civilization, Orthodox Christianity, and Roman law for over a millennium

The succession of Islamic empires from Muhammad's death through the Abbasid golden age

Chinese dynasty representing the height of cosmopolitan culture, poetry, and East Asian political influence

Largest contiguous land empire in history, connecting East and West through conquest and trade

West African empire controlling trans-Saharan gold trade and renowned for wealth, learning, and Islamic scholarship

Six-century Islamic empire bridging Europe and Asia, ruling from Vienna to Yemen

Largest pre-Columbian empire in the Americas, governing through labor tribute and road networks without writing or money

Islamic empire ruling most of the Indian subcontinent, creating a synthesis of Persian, Central Asian, and Indian cultures

Last Chinese imperial dynasty, ruled by Manchus, expanded China to its greatest territorial extent

Global colonial empire spanning four centuries, creating the first truly worldwide political and economic system

Trading company that became a colonial power, ruling much of India and shaping global commerce for over two centuries