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Historical map · 500 BC

Map of Africa in 500 BC

In 500 BC, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 7 states, empires and other polities in Africa. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Achaemenid Empire, the Kingdom of Kush and Carthage. The Achaemenid Empire reached well beyond Africa: its whole territory measured about 5.6 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on Africa in 500 BC. Zoom in, move the year slider to watch the borders change, or ask the history guide a question and it draws the answer on the map.

OPEN 500 BC ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 500 BC

States and empires in Africa in 500 BC

StateIn this regionWhole stateIn the data
Achaemenid Empire Wikipedia2.0 million km²5.6 million km²550 BC–327 BC
Kingdom of Kush Wikipedia337,000 km²337,000 km²1000 BC–AD 346
Carthage Wikipedia117,000 km²125,000 km²650 BC–145 BC
Hadhramaut Wikipedia86,000 km²86,000 km²700 BC–AD 305
Sabaeans Wikipedia64,000 km²64,000 km²800 BC–AD 282
Greek City-States Wikipedia22,000 km²146,000 km²800 BC–AD 83
Peloponnesian League Wikipedia15,000 km²15,000 km²550 BC–338 BC

"In the data" gives the first and last year the dataset draws the state under this identity; states often existed earlier or later in another form.

What changed since 750 BC

New on the map: Achaemenid Empire, Carthage, Hadhramaut, Peloponnesian League.

Gone from the map: Neo-Assyrian Empire, Twenty-second Dynasty of Egypt, Twenty-third Dynasty of Egypt, Elam, Phoenician Empire, Tabal Kingdom, Kingdom of Israel, Kingdom of Judah, Kingdom of Urartu, Philistia.

What comes next: 323 BC

Appear by 323 BC: Macedonian Empire, Laomedon, Perdiccas, Cyrenaica, Minaeans, Kingdom of Armenia, Qataban, Athenian Coalition.

Gone by 323 BC: Achaemenid Empire, Peloponnesian League.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in Africa in 500 BC?

The map data draws 7 states and other polities in Africa in 500 BC. The largest by land were the Achaemenid Empire, the Kingdom of Kush, Carthage, Hadhramaut and Sabaeans.

What was the largest empire in Africa in 500 BC?

Of the states on this map, the Achaemenid Empire held the most land in total: about 5.6 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore Africa in 500 BC interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 500 BC, zoom into any region, move through the years, and ask the history guide questions: it answers in plain words and draws places, armies and borders on the map.

About these borders

The borders come from Cliopatria (v0.2.1, Seshat Global History Databank, CC BY 4.0), the dataset behind our interactive map, with our audited name and border corrections. It records each state's territory year by year from 3400 BC to 2024. Borders before modern surveys are reconstructions: the data draws a state where it held control, and frontier zones, nomadic realms and loose overlordships are approximate. Areas are measured on an equal-area projection. Read how we make our maps.

Africa in other years

Other regions in 500 BC