Over the centuries, cities in Europe have changed a great deal, rising and falling in size and influence. These tables give an idea of estimated population at various dates from the earliest times to the most recent:

Timeline 7000–1200 B.C. This period covers the Neolithic and the Bronze Age.

+ Population of cities (7000–1200 B.C.)City70006500 – 60005000400038003000 – 2500200016001300 Athens10,000 – 15,000Akrotiri8,000 – 15,000 – 30,000Choirokoitia300 – 6002,000Choirokoitia Dobrovody10,000 – 16,000Dimini300Durrington Walls4,000Fedorivka6,000Gournia4,000Gournia, Minoan Crete Retrieved 12 May 2013.Knossos1001,0001,300 – 2,00018,00020,000 – 40,000 – 100,00030,000Lepenski Vir150 – 1,000Mycenae20,00030,000 – 35,000Manika6000 – 15,000Malia700 – 1,0005,000 – 10,000 – 12.500Maidanetske10,000 – 29,000 – 46,000Nea Nikomedeia500 – 700Okolište1000 – 3000Palaikastro18,000Vinča-Belo Brdo2000 – 2500Sesklo3001000 – 5000Solnitsata350Tiryns1,200 – 1,80010,000Nebelivka17,000Talianky15,000 – 30,000The Anthropogene Thebes, Greece4,000 – 6,0008,000Los Millares1,000 – 2,300Pavlopetri5002,000

Timeline 1000–1 B.C. This period covers the Iron Age, ancient Greece, and the Roman Republic.

+ Population of cities (1000–1 B.C.)City1000700600500 – 400300200100 – 1 Athens2,500 – 5,0005,000 – 10,00070,000 – 100,000 – 130,000150,000 – 350,000 – 610,000120,000 – 200,000 – 300,000 – 431,000100,000 – 200,000Argos600 – 1,2005,000 – 10,00030,000 – 60,000Aegina20,000 – 40,000Agrigento200,000 – 800,000Avaricum40,000Bibracte30,000Cerveteri25,000 – 40,000Capua100,000300,000100,000Corinth5,00050,000 – 90,000 – 100,000Crotone50,000 – 80,000Heuneburg10,000Ischia5,000 – 10,000Knossos5,000 – 10,000Populonia25,000 – 40,000Tarquinia20,000 – 25,000 – 40,000Veii25,000 – 40,000 – 100,000Volsinii13,000 – 25,000 – 40,000Vulci15,000 – 25,000 – 40,000Sparta40,000 – 50,000Syracuse, Sicily200,000 – 800,000 – 1,200,000200,000 – 400,000Sybaris100,000 – 300,000Tiryns15,000Taranto100,000 – 300,000Thebes, Greece30,000 – 60,000Rome3,145 – 7,40024,240 – 60,60080,000130,000250,000 – 300,000350,000500,000 – 1,000,000Cornell (1995) 204-5Rhodes100,000 – 200,000100,000

Timeline: Roman Empire–modern age (1–1800 A.D.)

City1 – 100200300400500600700800900100011001200130014001500160017001800Agrigento50,000Athens30,000 – 90,000110,00025,00035,000 – 50,00040,000Aquileia12,000 – 100,000100,000Augsburg25,000 – 50,00025,000 – 50,00012,00050,00030,000 – 50,00045,000 – 50,000 – 100,00026,00028,000 – 32,000Amalfi80,000Antwerp5,00020,000100,000 – 200,00046,000 – 90,00075,000Arles75,000 – 100,000Autun40,000 – 100,000Amsterdam30,00065,000 – 100,000 – 175,000175,000 – 200,000 – 210,000195,000 – 201,000Barcelona50,00060,000 – 70,000100,000Bruges50,000125,000 – 200,000Bucharest60,00050,000Brussels30,000100,000100,00070,000Bordeaux15,00030,000 – 40,00050,000100,000Berlin6,00012,00020,000172,000Bologna35,00050,000 – 70,000Bolgar25,000 – 30,00050,000Capua30,000Carnuntum12,000 – 50,00050,00050,000Cádiz100,00087,000Corinth100,000 – 200,000 – 700,00045,000 + in 856 AD.Constantinople/Istanbul12,000400,000400,000 – 800,000100,000 – 800,000100,000 – 800,000100,000 – 250,000500,000 – 1,000,000500,000300,000400,00070,000100,000400,000 – 660,000700,000300,000 – 700,000400,000 – 570,000Córdoba45,000350,00060,000Cologne40,00040,00015,000 – 20,00021,00020,00021,000 – 50,00050,000 – 60,00050,000 – 60,00040,00045,00040,00050,000Gdańsk30,00060,000 – 80,000Dublin1,000 – 2,0004,000 – 5,00010,00020,00075,000200,000Edirne (Adrianople)10,00028,000125,000160,000 – 183,00093,000100,000Feodosia40,00085,000 – 88,00050,00040,00036,000 – 44,000Florence15,00050,000 – 60,00080,000 – 120,00070,00070,000Gela30,000Genoa80,00050,000100,000100,00060,00070,00090,000M. Ginatempo L. Sandri “L’Italia delle Città. Sec XIII XVI” Le Lettere 1990Ghent5,00010,00060,000 – 80,00070,000 – 80,00080,000 – 150,000 – 175,000 – 200,000Gortyna22,500Granada26,000150,000100,00070,000Hamburg8,00015,000 – 20,00040,000 – 60,000 – 100,00063,000 – 75,000117,000 – 130,000Kyiv10,00045,000 – 50,00019,000 - 23,000Lisbon35,00050,000 – 60,00060,000 – 70,000 – 120,000120,000 – 140,000200,000237,000London30,00045,000 – 50,000 – 60,00010,000 – 12,00020,000 – 25,00010,000 – 20,00020,000 – 25,00050,000 – 100,00050,000 – 100,000 – 120,000225,000 – 410,000550,000 – 700,000861,000 – 1,000,000http://www.ctcwd.com/rrose/websites/london/history.htmLugdunum (Lyon)50,000 – 100,000 – 200,00050,000 – 100,000 – 200,00012,00020,00040,000 – 70,00040,000 – 70,000100,000150,000Leuven45,000Lublin40,000 – 70,000Lübeck6,00024,00030,000 – 37,00032,00024,000Madrid60,000105,000182,000Magdeburg30,00040,000 – 45,000Marseille15,00080,000 – 100,00080,00083,000 – 100,000Mainz15,00020,00030,00025,00024,00020,00020,000 – 42,000Messina100,000Milan30,000 – 40,00040,000100,00090,000200,000125,000100,000180,000113,000122,000 – 250,000Metz40,00025,00040,000Vigneron B. (1986) Metz antique: Divodurum Mediomatricorum. Eds. Maisonneuve. Montpellier30,000 – 40,00015,00040,000Moscow20,000 – 30,00030,000 – 40,000100,000200,000200,000270,000Narbonne20,00030,000 – 50,00031,000Naples30,00050,00030,00030,00050,000 – 60,000200,000350,000207,000500,000The Rebirth of a Communications Network: Europe at the time of the Carolingians By Edda Claus.Nimes40,000 – 60,00040,000Nuremberg10,00020,00020,00020,000 – 52,00040,000 – 50,000 – 100,00027,000Ostia Antica20,000 – 50,000 – 100,00050,000 – 100,000Ohrid40,000Palermo60,000 – 350,000150,000150,00050,000100,000124,000135,000Paris8,00030,00020,000 – 30,00020,000 – 30,00020,00050,000110,000 – 160,000228,000 – 275,000 – 300,000280,000225,000245,000 – 420,000515,000546,000 – 830,000Padua25,000 – 40,00025,000 – 40,00025,000 – 40,00040,000Philippi10,000 – 100,000Pliska44,000Plovdiv20,00020,00030,000Pozzuoli30,000 – 100,000Pskov35,00052,000 – 60,000Preslav60,00060,000Prague10,00022,00040,000 – 77,00095,000 – 100,00070,000100,00048,00077,000 – 100,000Regensburg25,00040,000Reims30,000 – 50,00030,000Rome1,000,000 – 1,650,0001,000,0001,200,0001,100,000100,00090,00040,000 – 50,00050,00030,00020,00050,000 – 55,00090,000 – 110,000120,000 – 150,000150,000Ravenna50,00050,000Rhodes40,000Rouen10,00030,00040,00070,00040,000 – 70,00040,000 – 70,00063,00080,000 – 90,000Saint Petersburg100,000+220,000 – 425,000Salerno50,00050,00030,0004,000Smolensk20,000 – 30,000 – 40,00025,00050,00064,00040,000Sarai100,00 – 600,000Speyer30,000+30,00020,000Seville90,000150,00025,000100,000 – 300,00080,00096,000Siena50,000 – 120,00025,000Stara Zagora35,00030,00040,00038,000Syracuse, Sicily80,000 – 90,000Thessaloniki30,000 – 200,00050,00040,000150,000150,000100,000 – 150,000100,000 – 150,000Trakai50,000Trnovo48,00035,000Targoviste25,000 – 40,00050,000 – 60,00045,000 – 60,000Trier70,000 – 80,000 – 100,00070,000 – 80,000 – 100,00015,00020,000Toulouse20,00040,00050,00030,00040,00024,00050,00043,00050,000Venice60,00080,000110,000 – 180,000110,000 – 150,000100,000 – 170,000200,000140,000140,000Verona20,000 – 25,00040,000Veliky Novgorod10,000 – 15,000 – 18,00020,000 – 30,000 – 40,00050,000 – 60,000 – 400,00050,000Vienna15,000 – 20,00015,000 – 20,00012,00020,00024,00045,00030,000 – 50,000 – 60,000100,000 – 113,000250,000Worms28,000 – 60,00020,000Ypres40,000 – 80,000 – 200,00040,000 – 80,000 – 200,000Zadar30,000

Data from Hohenberg and Lees (1985)

+ 1400 City Population Paris 275,000 Bruges 125,000 Milan 125,000 Venice 110,000 Genoa 100,000 Granada 100,000 Prague 95,000 Ghent 70,000 Rouen 70,000 Seville 70,000

+ 1700 City Population Istanbul 700,000 London 550,000 Paris 500,000 Naples 215,000 Lisbon 188,000 Amsterdam 180,000 Moscow 150,000 Venice 138,000 Rome 130,000 Milan 120,000 Belgrade 100,000 Lyon 100,000 Madrid 100,000 Vienna 100,000 Marseille 100,000 Sarajevo 100,000 Gdańsk 100,000

+ 1800 City Population London 1,000,000 Paris 600,000 Naples 426,000 Moscow 250,000 Vienna 240,000 St. Petersburg 220,000 Amsterdam 220,000 Dublin 200,000 Lisbon 180,000 Berlin 172,000 Warsaw 120,000

Data from Chandler (1987) CityCountry430 B.C.200 B.C.A.D. 100A.D. 361A.D. 500A.D. 622SevilleSpain37–40,00040,000London30,000SyracuseItaly125,000100,00051–60,00045–50,000RomeItaly35,000150,000450,000150,000100,00050,000MilanItaly30,00040,000AthensGreece155,00075,00075,00050–60,000CorinthGreece70,00070,00050,000ConstantinopleTurkey36,000300,000400,000350,000 CityCountry80090010001100115012001250130013501400145015001550157516001650London15,00025,00040,00045,00050,00060,00050,00074,000112,000187,000410,000LisbonPortugal15,00015,00015,00035,00045,00055,00060,00055,00062,00085,000100,000170,000CórdobaSpain160,000200,000450,00060,00060,00060,00040,00036,00030,00032,000SevilleSpain35,00040,00090,000125,000125,000150,00075,00090,00060,00060,00060,00046,00070,000100,000126,00060,000GranadaSpain60,00060,00060,00075,00090,00060,00090,000165,00070,00070,00060,00068,000MadridSpain80,000125,000ParisFrance25,00020,00030,00050,000110,000160,000228,000215,000280,000150,000185,000210,000220,000245,000455,000AmsterdamNetherlands48,000165,000RomeItaly50,00040,00035,00035,00035,00030,00033,00038,00058,00070,000102,000110,000TurinItaly25,00030,00030,00035,00040,00040,00040,00075,000114,000209,000215,000224,000265,000MilanItaly25,00020,00030,00042,00045,00060,00065,00060,00050,00080,00083,00089,00075,00098,000107,000105,000PalermoItaly35,00075,00090,000125,000150,00075,00035,00025,00039,00060,00070,000105,000132,000VeniceItaly35,00045,00055,00060,00070,00090,000110,00085,000110,000100,000115,000171,000157,000151,000134,000CopenhagenDenmark15,00022,00030,00040,00055,00076,00080,00084,00090,000110,000PragueCzech Republic25,00035,00035,00033,000Constantinople/IstanbulTurkey250,000300,000300,000200,000200,000150,000100,000100,00080,00075,00045,000200,000660,000680,000700,000700,000SmolenskRussia80,000100,000120,000MoscowRussia30,00080,00075,00060,00080,000100,000 CityCountry167517001750177518001825185018621875190019141925193619501975London485,000550,000676,000710,000861,0001,335,0002,320,0002,803,0004,241,0006,480,0007,419,0007,742,0009,710,0008,860,00010,500,000LisbonPortugal178,000188,000213,000219,000237,000258,000262,000280,000243,000363,000455,000567,000875,0001,600,000CórdobaSpain27,00028,00034,00052,000SevilleSpain80,00068,00096,00083,000117,000148,000212,000383,000685,000GranadaSpain35,00045,00053,00058,00075,000MadridSpain115,000105,000110,000132,000182,000201,000216,000303,000373,000539,000623,000791,0001,220,0001,527,0004,150,000ParisFrance540,000530,000556,000600,000547,000855,0001,314,0001,800,0002,250,0003,330,0004,000,0004,800,0005,950,0005,900,0009,400,000AmsterdamNetherlands195,000210,000219,000209,000195,000196,000225,000268,000289,000510,000601,000718,000859,0001,800,000RomeItaly105,000138,000146,000148,000142,000125,000158,000194,000251,000438,000570,000758,0001,155,0001,665,0003,600,000NaplesItaly170,000207,000310,000355,000430,000350,000413,000447,000450,000563,000691,000852,0001,210,0001,900,000MilanItaly114,000113,000110,000117,000122,000156,000182,000226,000267,000491,000655,000917,0001,103,0001,400,0003,800,000PalermoItaly128,000125,000111,000127,000135,000154,000170,000175,000188,000255,000370,000470,000672,000VeniceItaly138,000143,000158,000151,000146,00099,000141,000171,000226,000354,000BerlinGermany26,000113,000136,000172,000222,000446,000582,0001,045,0002,707,0003,500,0004,013,0004,226,0003,707,0002,000,000BudapestHungary--------309,208733,385880,371960,9951,060,4311,629,0002,026,543PragueCzech Republic48,00058,00077,00098,000117,000474,000670,000745,000951,0001,275,000CopenhagenDenmark30,000181,000571,0001,140,0003,300,000IstanbulTurkey750,000700,000625,000600,000570,000675,000785,000820,000873,000900,0001,125,000817,0001,035,0003,200,000EdirneTurkey100,00085,00082,00080,00088,00085,000MoscowRussia105,000114,000146,000177,000248,000257,000373,000346,000600,0001,120,0001,805,0001,764,0004,050,0005,100,00010,700,000Saint PetersburgRussia74,000164,000220,000438,000502,000565,000764,0001,439,0002,133,0001,430,0002,983,0002,700,0004,280,000

See also