Historical urban community sizes

This article lists historical urban community sizes based on the estimated populations of selected human settlements from 7000 BC – AD 2000, organized by archaeological periods.

Many of the figures are uncertain, especially in ancient times. Estimating population sizes before censuses were conducted is a difficult task.

Neolithic settlements

TownLocation7000 BC6000 BC5000 BC4000 BC3800 BC3700 BC'Ain GhazalJordan2,000-2,500BeidhaJordan1,000ÇatalhöyükTurkey1,000–10,000ÇayönüTurkey8630-7680ChoirokoitiaCyprus300–6002,000Lepenski VirSerbia150–1,000Nea NikomedeiaGreece500–700OkolisteBosnia and Herzegovina1,000–3,000Vinča-Belo BrdoSerbia2,000–2,500SeskloGreece1,000–5,000DobrovodyUkraine16,00010,000–16,000Л.Панченко. Паланка (історико-краєзнавчий нарис). Умань. 2003 Шмаглій М. М., Дудкін В. П. Зіньковський К. В. Про комплексне вивчення трипільських поселень. Археологія No. 10. Київ. 1973А.І.Кузьмінський, Г. В. Суховершко, В. Я. Чудновський. Наш рідний край. Хрестоматія з історії Черкащини. Київ. 1993FedorovkaUkraine6,000MehrgarhPakistan1,000–10,000MaydanetsUkraine10,00010,000–46,000NebelivkaUkraine17,000TaliankiUkraine15,000–25,000–30,00010,000–15,000Tell BrakSyria4,0005,000UrukIraq5,000

Bronze Age

+ Table 1: 3700–2600 BCCityLocation3700 BC3400 BC3100 BC2800 BC2600 BC AdabIraq11,000 AnshanIran10,00010,000Bad-tibiraIraq16,000 EriduIraq 6,000–10,000 Habuba KabiraSyria6,000–8,000 HarappaPakistan35,000 KishIraq 40,000 LagashIraq40,000 Larak/LarsaIraq10,00010,000 Manika, GreeceGreece6,000–15,0006,000–15,000 MemphisEgypt30,000 Mohenjo-daroPakistan 41,250 NekhenEgypt5,000–10,000 NippurIraq13,000 Shahr-i SokhtaIran 20,000 ShuruppakIraq 20,000 Suheri 13,000 10,000 SusaIran 8,000 Tell BrakSyria8,00022,00020,000 Thebes, GreeceGreece4,000–6,000 UmmaIraq26,000 UrIraq6,000 UrukIraq8,00014,00020,00040,000–50,00080,00080,000

+ Table 2: 2500–1200 BCCityLocation2500 BC2300 BC2000 BC1800 BC1600 BC1360 BC1200 BC AthensGreece10,00010,000–15,000 Akrotiri (prehistoric city)Greece8,000–30,000AdabIraq13,00010,00010,00010,000AkkadIraq36,000 AmarnaEgyptAnshanIran10,00010,00010,00010,000Avaris/Pi-RamsesEgypt100,000160,000BabylonIraq65,00080,000 Dur-KurigalzuIraqEblaSyria30,000 ErlitouChina24,000–35,000HarappaPakistan10,000 HattusaTurkey40,00040,000 HazorIsrael HeliopolisEgypt HeracleopolisEgypt IsinIraq40,00020,000 KermaSudan KeshIraq11,000 KishIraq 25,000 10,000 40,000KnossosGreece1,300–2,00018,00020,00030,000LagashIraq40,00010,00030,00010,000Larak/LarsaIraq10,00040,00020,000 Manika, GreeceGreece6,000–15,0006,000–15,000 MaliaGreece5,000–10,000–12,500 MariSyriaMemphisEgypt30,000–35,00060,00030,00022,00032,00050,000Mohenjo-daroPakistan20,00020,00010,000 Mozah15,00015,000 MycenaeGreece20,00030,000–35,00030,000 Namazga-TepeTurkmenistan 14,000 14,000 NekhenEgypt21,000NinivehIraq23,00033,000 NippurIraq20,00010,00010,000 PalaikastroGreece18,000San Lorenzo TenochtitlánMexico7,500Shahr-i SokhtaIran20,00020,000 ShuruppakIraq 17,000 Suheri 10,000 10,000 10,000SusaIran 25,000 25,000TaosiChina10,00014,000Tell BrakSyria15,00015,000 Tell Churra20,000Tell LeilanSyria20,00020,000ThebesEgypt40,00040,00080,00080,000Thebes, GreeceGreece4,000–6,0008,000 TirynsGreece1,200–1,80010,00010,000–15,000UmmaIraq34,00020,00010,00020,000UrIraq60,00065,000UrukIraq50,00075,000Yin (Anyang)China50,000–120,000ZabalaIraq10,00010,00010,000ZhengzhouChina35,000

Iron Age + Table 1: 1000-400 BCCityLocation1000 BC900 BC800 BC700 BC650 BC600 BC500 BC430 BC400 BCAeginaGreece20,000–40,00020,000–40,000AnuradhapuraSri Lanka48,000Anyi100,000100,000AthensGreece2,500–5,0002,500–5,0002,500–5,00010,00020,00040,00025,000AgrigentoItaly40,00040,000ArgosGreece30,000–60,00030,000–60,000 AyodhyaIndiaBabylonIraq45,000–100,00047,00060,000125,000150,000200,000150,000BenaresIndiaCapuaItaly100,000100,000CerveteriItaly25,000–40,000ChichengChinaCuicuilcoMexicoCorinthGreece5,00020,000CrotoneItaly50,000–80,000EcbatanaIranHaojingChina100,000125,000125,00033,000HastinapurIndiaJerusalemIsrael40,00049,942 (445 BC)KamarinaItaly20,000KerchCrimea Ukraine40,000KingchowChinaKalḫu (Nimrud)Iraq75,000KosambiIndia55,000LinziChina55,000–100,00080,000–100,00065,000–100,00080,000–100,00060,000–200,000100,000–200,000LuoyangChina35,000–100,00040,00045,000–50,00055,000–100,00070,000–100,00065,000–100,000200,000200,000100,000–240,000MaribYemen45,000MemphisEgypt35,000–100,00044,00065,000100,000MetapontumItaly40,000MiletusTurkeyNinivehIraq39,000100,000120,000Pataliputra / PatnaIndia400,000PopuloniaItaly25,000–40,000 by Hilary Wills Becker.PyongyangNorth KoreaTarquiniaItaly20,000–40,000Thebes, GreeceGreece30,000–60,00030,000–60,000QufuChina100,000100,000RomeItaly4,44024,400–40,00027,20028,960SaisEgyptSan Lorenzo TenochtitlánMexico13,00013,000ShangqiuChina100,000130,000SravastiIndia46,000SpartaGreece40,000–50,000SusaIran40,000200,000SuzhouChina100,000SyracuseItaly24,000–40,00024,000–40,00024,000–125,000SybarisItaly100,000 TarantoItaly110,000–150,000ThebesEgypt50,000–120,00050,000VaisaliIndiaVeiiItaly25,000–100,000VolsiniiItaly13,000–40,000VulciItaly15,000–40,000XiaduChina100,000100,000320,000300,000XintianChina100,000XinzhengChina100,000XueYongChina100,000

+ Table 2: 300 BC-400 ADCityLocation300 BC200 BC100 BCAD 1AD 100AD 200AD 300AD 361AD 400AlexandriaEgypt150,000300,000–600,000400,000250,000–500,000500,000125,000–200,000AugsburgGermany25,000–50,00025,000–50,000AntiochTurkey120,000400,000150,000–250,000250,000150,000AnuradhapuraSri Lanka68,000130,00072,000Anyi100,000AthensGreece25,00010,00010,00090,00090,000AutunFrance40,000–100,00040,000–100,000ArlesFrance10,00010,00075,000AyodhyaIndia63,000AquileiaItaly12,00012,000CarnuntumAustria12,000–50,00012,000–50,000CapuaItaly100,000100,00025,000–40,000CarthageTunisia150,000–200,000100,000–300,000300,000Chang'an/Xi'anChina100,000–400,000375,000–400,000246,000–500,000:zh:汉书81,000–100,000120,000140,00080,000100,000ChengduChina100,00070,000Cổ LoaVietnam40,00050,000Byzantium /ConstantinopleTurkey15,00020,000150,000200,000CorinthGreece40,000–100,000CologneGermany20,000–40,00020,000–40,000CtesiphonIraq250,000CuicuilcoMexico36,000DatongChina100,000El MiradorGuatemala200,000EphesusTurkey33,600IzapaMexico35,000KaushambiIndia90,000-180,000Kaveri59,000LinziChina125,000–350,000100,000100,000100,000100,000LondonUK30,00045,000–60,000LugdunumFrance25,000–50,00025,000–50,000LuoyangChina125,000–240,00060,000200,000420,000140,000–250,000200,000MathuraIndiaMilanItaly30,000–40,000100,00025,000–100,000Monte AlbánMexico5,20017,20017,20017,20017,200NanjingChina56,00078,000100,000150,000300,000NimesFrance40,000–60,000Ostia AnticaItaly25,000–40,00025,000–50,000PaithanIndia60,00084,000PatalaPakistan73,000PataliputraIndia350,000–400,000 - 1,000,00069,000250,000PeshawarPakistan120,000PhilippiGreece100,000PingchengChina88,000200,000PozzuoliItaly30,000–50,00030,000–50,000PyayMyanmar69,000QufuChina100,000–125,000RajgirIndia100,000RhodesGreece100,000–200,000100,000RomeItaly100,000150,000–160,000400,0001,000,0001,000,0001,000,000800,000800,000800,000SalonaCroatia25,00025,000SeleuciaIraq200,000400,000250,000 (CE 2)150,000–250,000ShangqiuChina100,000SrughnaIndia100,000SuzhouChina100,00066,00095,00058,000SyracuseItaly50,000–100,00090,00090,000TaxilaPakistan60,000TeotihuacánMexico60,000–80,00090,000ThessalonikiGreece30,00030,000TikalGuatemala100,000TosaliIndia16,000-47,000Tres ZapotesMexico30,000TrierGermany10,00010,000–50,00050,000–100,00060,000UjjainIndia60,00094,00080,000VaishaliIndia28,000-82,000VidishaIndia~100,000WanxianChina100,000XiaduChina300,000XianyangChina100,000100,000–300,000XinzhengChina120,000–125,000XuchangChina140,000YeChina140,000120,000100,000

Middle Ages

+Early Middle Ages: 500-999 ADCityLocation500600622700775800900AleppoSyria72,000AthensGreece110,000AlexandriaEgypt94,000–200,000216,00060,000–100,00060,000–100,000AngkorCambodia80,000100,00090,000–150,000AnhilpurIndia80,000AntiochTurkey150,000AnuradhapuraSri Lanka70,000ArlesFrance10,000AyodhyaIndia75,000BadamiIndia70,000BaghdadIraq175,000150,000BakhalalMexico45,000BasraIraq100,000BenaresIndia75,000-210,00049,00059,000CarthageTunisia100,000Chang'an / Xi'anChina95,000–400,000400,000–600,000400,0001,000,0001,000,000600,000–1,000,000100,000–750,000ChengduChina94,000100,000100,000ChenlaCambodia70,000ChunarIndia72,000ConstantinopleTurkey400,000–500,000150,000150,000125,00040,000–50,00040,000–50,000150,000CopánHonduras63,000CologneGermany15,000–20,00021,000CórdobaSpain135,000160,000110,000–175,000CtesiphonIraq400,000200,000–500,000DaliChina90,000–100,000Đại La /HanoiVietnam25,000DatongChina200,000DorestadNetherlands1,000–2,5001,000–2,500El PilarGuatemala182,600El TajínMexico40,00040,00050,000Fanyang (Youzhou)China100,000FlorenceItaly1,0002,000–2,5005,000FustatEgypt100,000150,000GaoMali72,000GranadaSpain20,000GuangzhouChina200,000200,000GwaliorIndia65,000Huari/WariPeru70,000JiankangChina500,000Jinyang (Taiyuan)China100,000100,000KannaujIndia230,000250,000250,000230,000200,000KanchiIndia56,00070,00051,000KyotoJapan200,000100,000–200,000200,000LaonFrance28,000LhasaChina100,000LondonUK10,000–12,000LuoyangChina200,000–500,000500,000200,000500,000300,000–400,000150,000–200,000LyonFrance12,000MaduraiIndia70,00070,000MainzGermany20,00030,000MandsaurIndia63,000ManyakhetaIndia100,000–200,000MetzFrance25,00014,000MilanItaly30,00025,00030,000 (875)NaplesItaly30,00030,00030,000NanjingChina150,000–500,000NaraJapan100,000OrléansFrance10,000PaduaItaly15,000ParisFrance10,000–30,00020,000Patna / PataliputraIndia500,000300,000100,00074,000PaviaItaly15,000–20,000PoitiersFrance5,000–9,0005,000–9,0005,000–9,00010,00010,000PreslavBulgaria40,000–60,000PrambananIndonesia60,00062,000ProvinsFrance10,000PyayMyanmar73,000100,000PliskaBulgaria34,000RayIran68,000RegensburgGermany25,00025,000ReimsFrance20,000RennesFrance10,000RomeItaly100,00050,000–90,00050,00050,00050,00050,000Meneghini and Santangeli Valenzani Roma nell'altomedioevo. Topografia e urbanistica della citta dal V al X seolo. Rome, 2004. pp. 22-320,000–30,000RouenFrance10,000SevilleSpain20,00040,00035,00035,00040,000–52,000SialkotPakistan85,000SpeyerGermany20,000SuzhouChina70,000120,000100,00084,000–100,00081,000–100,000TeotihuacánMexico125,00060,000ThessalonikiGreece100,00040,00040,00050,00050,000TikalGuatemala45,00040,000ToledoSpain25,00028,000ToulouseFrance10,000ToursFrance17,00020,000TulaMexico41,00050,000TrierGermany10,00015,00015,000–25,000VeniceItaly37,000VeronaItaly30,00025,000WormsGermany10,000WuchangChina100,00084,000YeChina200,000