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Historical map · 500 BC

Map of the World in 500 BC

In 500 BC, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 46 states, empires and other polities in the world. By the land they held , the largest were the Achaemenid Empire, the Spring and Autumn States and Scythia.

See this map live. The interactive map opens on the World 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 the World in 500 BC

StateTerritoryWhole stateIn the data
Achaemenid Empire Wikipedia5.6 million km²5.6 million km²550 BC–327 BC
Spring and Autumn States Wikipedia898,000 km²898,000 km²750 BC–481 BC
Scythia Wikipedia643,000 km²643,000 km²650 BC–224 BC
Chu Wikipedia353,000 km²353,000 km²750 BC–224 BC
Kingdom of Kush Wikipedia337,000 km²337,000 km²1000 BC–AD 346
Wu193,000 km²193,000 km²750 BC–451 BC
Jin153,000 km²153,000 km²750 BC–405 BC
Greek City-States Wikipedia146,000 km²146,000 km²800 BC–AD 83
Carthage Wikipedia125,000 km²125,000 km²650 BC–145 BC
Yue Wikipedia111,000 km²111,000 km²500 BC–111 BC
Mahajanapadas Wikipedia94,000 km²94,000 km²600 BC–351 BC
Qi87,000 km²87,000 km²750 BC–204 BC
Hadhramaut Wikipedia86,000 km²86,000 km²700 BC–AD 305
Etruscans Wikipedia65,000 km²65,000 km²750 BC–265 BC
Sabaeans Wikipedia64,000 km²64,000 km²800 BC–AD 282
Macedonian Empire Wikipedia57,000 km²57,000 km²675 BC–292 BC
Qin57,000 km²57,000 km²750 BC–219 BC
Yan50,000 km²50,000 km²750 BC–204 BC
Lu44,000 km²44,000 km²750 BC–248 BC
Magadha - Haryanka dynasty Wikipedia33,000 km²33,000 km²500 BC–405 BC
Song23,000 km²23,000 km²750 BC–285 BC
Olmec Civilization Wikipedia18,000 km²18,000 km²650 BC–351 BC
Peloponnesian League Wikipedia15,000 km²15,000 km²550 BC–338 BC
Later Zhou Wikipedia9,660 km²9,660 km²750 BC–AD 960
Wey Wikipedia6,940 km²6,940 km²750 BC–248 BC
Zhu Wikipedia6,650 km²6,650 km²750 BC–405 BC
Zapotec Civilization Wikipedia6,470 km²6,470 km²500 BC–AD 895
Janapada of Malla Wikipedia5,500 km²5,500 km²600 BC–451 BC
Janapada of Aśmaka Wikipedia5,430 km²5,430 km²600 BC–351 BC
Zheng Wikipedia5,280 km²5,280 km²750 BC–367 BC
Janapada of Kuru5,240 km²5,240 km²600 BC–405 BC
Janapada of Matsya Wikipedia5,230 km²5,230 km²600 BC–405 BC
Janapada of Surasena Wikipedia5,210 km²5,210 km²600 BC–405 BC
Janapada of Vajji Wikipedia5,170 km²5,170 km²600 BC–481 BC
Janapada of Avanti Wikipedia5,120 km²5,120 km²600 BC–405 BC
Janapada of Kāśī Wikipedia5,050 km²5,050 km²600 BC–451 BC
Chen Wikipedia5,050 km²5,050 km²750 BC–451 BC
Janapada of Kosala Wikipedia5,000 km²5,000 km²600 BC–451 BC
Janapada of Pañcāla Wikipedia4,970 km²4,970 km²600 BC–405 BC
Xu Wikipedia4,640 km²4,640 km²750 BC–285 BC

Also on the map: Janapada of Cedī, Teng, Janapada of Vatsa, Cao, Cai, Roman Kingdom.

"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, Scythia, Carthage, Yue, Mahajanapadas, Hadhramaut, Macedonian Empire, Magadha - Haryanka dynasty, Olmec Civilization, Peloponnesian League, Zapotec Civilization, Janapada of Malla, Janapada of Aśmaka, Janapada of Kuru, Janapada of Matsya, Janapada of Surasena, Janapada of Vajji, Janapada of Avanti, Janapada of Kāśī, Janapada of Kosala, Janapada of Pañcāla, Janapada of Cedī, Janapada of Vatsa.

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

What comes next: 323 BC

Appear by 323 BC: Nanda Empire, Warring States China, Yuezhi, Kingdom of Armenia, Kingdom of Lysimachus, Laomedon, Perdiccas, Wei, Zhao, Cyrenaica, Minaeans, Athenian Coalition, Han, Kingdom of Bithynia, Qataban, Zhongshan, Roman Republic, Cimmerian Bosporus.

Gone by 323 BC: Achaemenid Empire, Spring and Autumn States, Wu, Jin, Mahajanapadas, Magadha - Haryanka dynasty, Olmec Civilization, Peloponnesian League, Zhu, Janapada of Malla, Janapada of Aśmaka, Zheng, Janapada of Kuru, Janapada of Matsya, Janapada of Surasena, Janapada of Vajji, Janapada of Avanti, Janapada of Kāśī, Chen, Janapada of Kosala, Janapada of Pañcāla, Janapada of Cedī, Teng, Janapada of Vatsa, Cao, Cai, Roman Kingdom.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in the World in 500 BC?

The map data draws 46 states and other polities in the World in 500 BC. The largest by land were the Achaemenid Empire, the Spring and Autumn States, Scythia, Chu and the Kingdom of Kush.

What was the largest empire in the world 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 the World 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.

World in other years

Other regions in 500 BC