What was your favorite ancient empire (when I say ancient, before the middle ages)?

Did a poll at school now want to see what happens online

My is Byzantines. Dont know why, but they just are :)

Byzantines really didn't exist before the Middle Ages. Unless you wanna call the Eastern Roman Empire "Byzantine".

In orders of supreme coolness:
-Romans
-Spartans
-Egyptians
-Macedonians
-Celts (Gaul)
-China

Han Dynasty CHina

- Achaemenid Persia
- Macedonia and the Diodochs
- Xiong-Nu
- Bactria
- Egypt

I could say Rome and I wouldn't be lying, but it is a common answer.

I will pick an uncommon answer and say the Assyrians (second incarnation). Important because they were the first empire to truly perfect the formula of military occupation and provencial administration. Really lasting for little more than 100 years they left a definite mark on the theory and techniques of regional dominance and vassalization for centuries; truly an essential influence.


- Xiong-Nu


Yes. I agree.

-Roman Empire
-Roman Republic
-Minoa
-Mycenaean greek States (including Troy)
-Classical greek States, as well as the Etruscans
-Tartessos
-Egypt
-Hatti
-Babylon

- Athens ,Classical
- Macedonia ,Hellenistic
- Rome ,Empire
- Rome ,Republic
- Sparta ,Classical

Pre middle ages...hmmmm
in order:

Macedonia (Hellenistic, Philip & Alexander's age)
Egyptian (Pharaoic ages)
Lacdemonian (Spartan)
Babylonian
Egyptian (Ptolemeic dynasty)
Roman

Assyrians

Yes. I agree ;) I can't believe I forgot them, them and the Sumerians make for some good reading.

Anglo-Saxon England. There's just so many unanswered questions, and just so much sex and violence.

rome !!

was there anyone else :mischief:

I very much dislike the Romans nowadays, though I used to be enchanted with them... China wasn't so interesting back then, the Greeks were pretty straightforward, Same with the Persians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Carthage, Rome, Celts, Egypt, though Tartessos is something of an enigma. I'd have to say, all the same, the Mauryan Empire of India.

The Frankish Empire. Technically pre-Middle Ages because the Middle Ages didn't begin until the division of Frankland in East, Middle and West. (Everything before that is the Dark Ages.) However, if I must choose one that is, without argument, pre-Middle Ages, I would say Phoenicia. It wasn't exactly an empire, but it was cool nonetheless. Ptolemid Egypt also gets a :thumbsup:.

rome !!

was there anyone else :mischief:

not anyone that matters ;) [/jk]

I'd say the Aztecs, since their technology was pretty ancient, but technically they're a discovery-age empire. Still, in terms of style, the Aztecs have it all.

Not including the obvious (Rome), I'd say my favorite is the kingdom of Israel (later to be the kingdoms of Israel and Judah).

Vikings
Dakota
Sargon the II Assyrian? i forget, i believe it was him who had the lammasu(winged bull/lion)

Why, the Seleucids, of course.

I love the Roman Empire, and the East Roman Byzantines, too.

I am also interested in the Middle Ages in general, not particularly tied to a specific nation.

Carthage. Hannibal's story is a sad one, betrayed by his allies, betrayed by the government who refused to send him supplies, and betrayed, in the end, by his own army. :salute:

Three Kingdoms Period is the BEST!!!!!!. but that wasn't not really an empire so i say Han Dynasty of China.

The Frankish Empire. Technically pre-Middle Ages because the Middle Ages didn't begin until the division of Frankland in East, Middle and West. (Everything before that is the Dark Ages.) However, if I must choose one that is, without argument, pre-Middle Ages, I would say Phoenicia. It wasn't exactly an empire, but it was cool nonetheless. Ptolemid Egypt also gets a :thumbsup:.


I like Phoenicia too... they were great sailors and colonizers

The Warring Kingdoms in India are a fasinating period with plenty of war violence, bloodshead, razing cities, rape, loot, conquest and pillage

Rome/Byzantines- No-brainer, must be included
Macedon- Another important one.
Peloponnesian League- Awesome military
Celts- "I demand tribute!"
Inca- Good road system
Assyrians- Invented some cool stuff IIRC

1. Greece (Or Alexander's Macedon, whatever)
2. Rome
3. Persia
4. Carthage
5. Phoenicia

Sargon the II Assyrian
Not sure about the lion but he was from Sumeria

Rome
Macedon/Greece
Carthage
Gaul
Persia
Egypt
Japan
China
Others...

I think Sargon I was Sumerian and sargon II was assyrian

I think Sargon I was Sumerian and sargon II was assyrian
oh. I must have misread his post :blush:
i

Sargon I may have been Akkadian, I think.

Greece and Rome tie.

Sargon I the Great was Akkadian; he founded the Akkadian Empire. Sargon II was Assyrian, not sure why Sargon the Great is called the first and he is called the second in Assyria though.

The Three Kingdom Period to Han.

Rome and Greece, but there have bin alot of good ones :)

Rome when a Republic. The Greeks were no Empire. Then the Egyptians.

Egypt, no doubt about it. They created the foundations of modern architecture and civilization. Even the Freemasons puts Egypt, not Rome as the Ideal. Romes excessive indulgence in parties and Gods, and the burning of the Great Library in Alexandria disqualifies them as a nr 1. Civilization builder for the long term. Yet, Rome is my number two thanks to Aqueducts, Urban housing, Roman Law and building the first European infrastructure and standardizing the language.

I have to say the Medo-Persian Empire with Cyrus as ruler because of their policy of religious tolerance. They allowed to Jews to leave Babylon and resettle their original homeland and rebuild the temple.

Religious tolerance is overrated compared to technology and organizational development.

Religious tolerance is overrated compared to technology and organizational development.

Well, then, we agree to disagree.
My second favourite empire is the Greek as they gave a universal language (Koine Greek) to the ancient world centering around the Mediterranean.

My third favourite is the Roman Empire as they provided excellent roads for travelling that ancient world.

What I'm suggesting is that these things were providential. If you're atheist and thinks this is all hooie, then that's fine. I'm just expressing my opinion.

Darius II, thanks, I respect your opinion, and I am not even atheist, I am agnostic.
Technology and organization is civilization progress for all faiths, also the unborn ones, where religious tolerance is only there for the temporary upkeep of the existing population. In lethal times like these ancient times, organization and technology was paramount for national survival and even the space available for religious tolerance.

Religious tolerance and democracy leans on a strong economy. That is my argument.
Whenever there is a recession, people use religion to squeeze the underdogs.

For me religion is a x-variable, there may or may not be a God. I do not deny a God or many Gods exist, but it is a misnomer to factor them in within civic development.
sometimes religious intolerance backfires, like with the french huguenots and Holocaust, and sometimes it has been vital, as in the defense of Europe against the expansion from the Arab and Ottoman empires.

Darius II, thanks, I respect your opinion, and I am not even atheist, I am agnostic.
Technology and organization is civilization progress for all faiths, also the unborn ones, where religious tolerance is only there for the temporary upkeep of the existing population. In lethal times like these ancient times, organization and technology was paramount for national survival and even the space available for religious tolerance.

Religious tolerance and democracy leans on a strong economy. That is my argument.
Whenever there is a recession, people use religion to squeeze the underdogs.

For me religion is a x-variable, there may or may not be a God. I do not deny a God or many Gods exist, but it is a misnomer to factor them in within civic development.
sometimes religious intolerance backfires, like with the french huguenots and Holocaust, and sometimes it has been vital, as in the defense of Europe against the expansion from the Arab and Ottoman empires.

Provolution, I was wrong to give the impression that I give little weight to scientific/technological progress. I don't. But as per this thread's topic, I chose the empire on the basis of what I admired most about them. If the thread was asking specifically which empire provided the most scientific progress and so forth, then my responses would be completely different.

Egypt, no doubt about it. They created the foundations of modern architecture and civilization. Even the Freemasons puts Egypt, not Rome as the Ideal. Romes excessive indulgence in parties and Gods, and the burning of the Great Library in Alexandria disqualifies them as a nr 1. Civilization builder for the long term. Yet, Rome is my number two thanks to Aqueducts, Urban housing, Roman Law and building the first European infrastructure and standardizing the language.

The Roman never burned the great library, it was destroyed by Christian zealots in around the 5th century AD

Darius2 Fair enough that many emphaisize religious tolerance in the time post 911, which is very trendy. However, I always supported the empires that destroyed the theocracies, or left the theocracies to rot. The 30 years war on reformation created the peace of Westhphalia and the national sovereignty concept, and the Reformation took away lands from glutton French, Spanish and Italian theocrats. The conquest of the Aztec empire was in ways vicious, but still a downfall of a theocracy, a Mexican Wahabism, and I I general endorse the conquest of theocracies, or the ousting of them.

Darius2 Fair enough that many emphaisize religious tolerance in the time post 911, which is very trendy. However, I always supported the empires that destroyed the theocracies, or left the theocracies to rot. The 30 years war on reformation created the peace of Westhphalia and the national sovereignty concept, and the Reformation took away lands from glutton French, Spanish and Italian theocrats. The conquest of the Aztec empire was in ways vicious, but still a downfall of a theocracy, a Mexican Wahabism, and I I general endorse the conquest of theocracies, or the ousting of them.

Wow, someone thinks I'm trendy! :love: I'll take any compliment I can get! :lol:

Seriously though, I don't think you & I are very far off the same page. My views are in no way a knee jerk reaction to the events of Sept. 11 (which was my first day of work at my present job by the way :eek: )
By far the majority of theocracies have deserved destruction. But I do recoginze these as being false theocracies/religions. "By their fruits. . . . "

Cyrus was the first person in the history of the world to say people had rights, and then state the rights they had. Religious tolerance was only a small product of that.

The Library was burned 3 time, first by the Romans, then by the Christians and finally by the Muslims.
As for a favourite ancient civilisation, I'd have to say the Hellenic Nation (Greece) at the height of power before the Romans. Other nations/civilisations which rank highly are Rome and China. I'll admit I have a slight bias towards Greece because of Philosophy and Democracy (of a sort).

Matt is right, you know :)

It been known for a logn tiem that the A)the romans only burned an area of docks, on accident, and B), that the docks had nothign to do with the library at all

Sumerians: because they were the first and made all the others possible.
Mycenaen Greece & Minoan
Han Chinese & Rome

alexandder the great, the greatest king of all

My favorite empires were the egyptians,romans, and the aztecs.

My favorite "tribal" empire is the Celts.

1. Minoa
2. Roman Empire
3. Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantines)
4. Carthage
5. Athens & Spartans
6. Macedon during Alexsander the Great

Thebes
Sparta
Macedonia + Seleucid empire
Persia
Carthage

1)Phoenicia
2)Carthage
3)Macedonia
4)Rome
5)Persia

Republican Rome
Maya
Imperial Rome
Parthians
Egypt