List of largest cities throughout history

The following is a table of the largest cities or urban areas by estimated population in history. Many of the figures are uncertain, especially in ancient times. City names are in bold where all four sources agree.

Year		Morris (2010)[1]				Modelski (2003)[2]				Chandler (1987)[3]				Chandler & Fox (1974)[4]
		Population	Name	Present Location		Population	Name	Present Location		Population	Name	Present Location		Population	Name	Present Location
8000 BC		[5] 500	Mureybet	Syria
7000 BC		[6] 1,000	Beidha	Jordan		[7] 1-2,000	Jericho	West Bank
			Basta[8]	Jordan
			Çatalhöyük	Turkey
6500 BC						[7][9] 5,000-10,000	Çatalhöyük	Turkey
6000 BC		[10] 3,000	Çatalhöyük	Turkey
5000 BC		[5] 4,000	Tell Brak	Syria
4000 BC		5,000	Uruk	Iraq		[7] 4,000	Eridu	Iraq
			Tell Brak	Syria
3800 to 3700 BC						[11] < 10,000	Dobrovody	Ukraine
3700 BC						6-10,000	Eridu	Iraq
3600 to 3500 BC						[11] < 10,000	Maydanets	Ukraine
						[11] < 10,000	Talianki	Ukraine
3500 BC		[5] 8,000	Uruk	Iraq		14,000	Uruk	Iraq						20,000	Abydos	Egypt
			Susa	Iran
			Tell Brak	Syria
3300 BC						40,000	Uruk	Iraq							Abydos	Egypt
3200 BC										20,000	Abydos	Egypt			Abydos	Egypt
3100 BC										20,000	Memphis	Egypt		20,000	Memphis	Egypt
3000 BC		[12] 45,000	Uruk	Iraq		40,000	Uruk	Iraq		30,000	Memphis	Egypt		40,000	Memphis	Egypt
2800 BC						80,000	Uruk	Iraq			Memphis	Egypt			Memphis	Egypt
2500 BC		[5] 50,000	Uruk	Iraq		[13] 60,000	Lagash[14]	Iraq			Memphis	Egypt			Memphis	Egypt
						[13] 20,000	Nippur	Iraq
2400 BC						[15] 50,000	Mari	Syria			Memphis	Egypt			Memphis	Egypt
						[15] 40,000	Umma	Iraq
							Girsu[14]	Iraq
							Mohenjo-daro	Pakistan
2300 BC						[16] 80,000	Girsu	Iraq			Memphis	Egypt			Memphis	Egypt
						[16] 50,000	Mari	Syria
2250 BC		[5] 35,000	Akkad[17]	Iraq						> 30,000	Memphis	Egypt			Memphis	Egypt
			Memphis	Egypt
2240 BC											Akkad[17]	Iraq			Akkad[17]	Iraq
2200 BC						50,000	Girsu	Iraq			Akkad	Iraq			Akkad	Iraq
2100 BC						100,000	Ur	Iraq			Akkad	Iraq		100,000	Girsu[14]	Iraq
2075 BC										50,000	Girsu[14]	Iraq			Girsu	Iraq
2059 BC											Girsu	Iraq			Thebes	Egypt
2030 BC											Ur	Iraq			Thebes	Egypt
2000 BC		[18] 60,000	Memphis	Egypt		[19] 40,000	Isin	Iraq		65,000	Ur	Iraq			Thebes	Egypt
							Larsa	Iraq
			Ur	Iraq			Girsu	Iraq
1991 BC											Ur	Iraq		100,000	Memphis	Egypt
1980 BC											Thebes	Egypt			Memphis	Egypt
1900 BC						40,000	Isin	Iraq			Thebes	Egypt			Memphis	Egypt
							Larsa	Iraq
1800 BC						60,000	Mari	Syria		> 25,000	Thebes	Egypt			Memphis	Egypt
										[20]65,000
1770 BC										60,000	Babylon	Iraq			Babylon	Iraq
1750 BC		[5] 65,000	Babylon	Iraq
1700 BC						60,000	Babylon	Iraq			Babylon	Iraq			Babylon	Iraq
1670 BC											Avaris[21]	Egypt			Babylon	Iraq
1650 BC										[22] 100,000	Avaris	Egypt			Babylon	Iraq
1600 BC						50-100,000	Avaris[21]	Egypt		100,000	Avaris	Egypt			Babylon	Iraq
1595 BC											Avaris	Egypt			Avaris[21]	Egypt
1580 BC											Avaris	Egypt			Memphis	Egypt
1557 BC											Memphis	Egypt			Memphis	Egypt
1500 BC		75,000	Uruk	Iraq		60,000	Thebes	Egypt			Memphis	Egypt			Memphis	Egypt
			Thebes	Egypt
1400 BC		[5] 80,000	Thebes	Egypt		80,000	Thebes	Egypt			Thebes	Egypt			Thebes	Egypt
1375 BC										[22] 100,000	Thebes	Egypt			Thebes	Egypt
1360 BC										80,000	Thebes	Egypt		100,000	Thebes	Egypt
1350 BC											Thebes	Egypt			Memphis	Egypt
1300 BC		[5] 80,000	Thebes	Egypt		120,000	Yinxu (Anyang)	China			Thebes	Egypt			Memphis	Egypt
1205 BC							[23]	Memphis	Egypt		Memphis	Egypt
1200 BC	80,000	Babylon	Iraq	160,000	Pi-Ramses[21]	Egypt	[23] 50,000	Memphis	Egypt	> 50,000	Memphis	Egypt
		Thebes	Egypt
1188 BC								Thebes	Egypt		Memphis	Egypt
1184 BC							120,000	Thebes	Egypt		Memphis	Egypt
1100 BC	[5] 50,000	Memphis	Egypt	120,000	Pi-Ramses	Egypt		Thebes	Egypt		Memphis	Egypt
		Thebes	Egypt
		Tanis	Egypt
		Yinxu (Anyang)	China
1000 BC	[24] 50,000	Thebes	Egypt	[25] 120,000	Thebes	Egypt	[26] > 50,000	Thebes	Egypt		Memphis	Egypt
							[20] 60,000
	[24] 35,000	Haojing (Xi'an)[27]	China	[25] 100,000	Haojing (Xi'an)[27]	China	[26] > 50,000	Haojing (Xi'an)[27]	China
							[20] 55,000
		Chengzhou (Luoyang)[28]	China		Memphis	Egypt	[26] 50,000	Chengzhou (Luoyang)[28]	China
					Babylon	Iraq	[22] 100,000
900 BC	[5] 50,000	Thebes	Egypt	125,000	Haojing	China		Thebes	Egypt		Memphis	Egypt
800 BC	[5] 75,000	Nimrud (Calah)	Iraq	125,000	Haojing	China	> 50,000	Thebes	Egypt		Memphis	Egypt
							[20]60,000
700 BC	[5] 100,000	Nineveh	Iraq	100,000	Thebes	Egypt		Thebes	Egypt		Memphis	Egypt
					Memphis	Egypt
					Nineveh	Iraq
					Babylon[29]	Iraq
					Luoyi (Luoyang)[28]	China
					Linzi	China
668 BC							[22] 100,000	Nineveh	Iraq		Nineveh	Iraq
650 BC							120,000	Nineveh	Iraq	120,000	Nineveh	Iraq
612 BC								Babylon	Iraq		Babylon	Iraq
600 BC	[5] 125,000	Babylon	Iraq	200,000	Babylon	Iraq	[22] 100,000	Babylon	Iraq	200,000	Babylon	Iraq
					Luoyi	China
562 BC							200,000	Babylon	Iraq	200,000	Babylon	Iraq
500 BC	1,000,000	Babylon	Iraq	[30] 200,000	Babylon	Iraq		Babylon	Iraq		Babylon	Iraq
					Luoyi	China
					Linzi	China
479 BC								Babylon	Iraq		Sravasti	India
460 BC								Babylon	Iraq	[31]	Rajagriha (Rajgir)	India
440 BC								Babylon	Iraq		Babylon	Iraq
430 BC							200,000	Babylon	Iraq	250,000	Babylon	Iraq
400 BC	[5]400,000	Babylon	Iraq	320,000	Xiadu	China		Babylon	Iraq		Babylon	Iraq
320 BC							> 300,000	Alexandria	Egypt	> 300,000	Alexandria	Egypt
300 BC	[5]500,000	Babylon	Iraq	700,000	Carthage	Tunisia	400,000	Pataliputra	India		Pataliputra	India
		Alexandria	Egypt
220 BC								Pataliputra	India		Xianyang	China
206 BC								Pataliputra	India		Pataliputra	India
200 BC	300,000	Alexandria	Egypt	600,000	Alexandria	Egypt	[32] 350,000	Pataliputra	India	350,000	Pataliputra	India
							400,000	Chang'an (Xi'an)[27][32]	China
195 BC								Chang'an	China		Pataliputra	India
190 BC								Chang'an	China		Chang'an[27]	China
170 BC								Chang'an	China		Seleucia[33][34]	Iraq
160 BC								Chang'an	China		Chang'an[34]	China
100 BC	[5] 400,000	Alexandria	Egypt	1,000,000	Alexandria	Egypt		Chang'an	China		Chang'an	China
		Rome	Italy
25 BC								Rome	Italy		Chang'an	China
1 AD	1,000,000	Rome	Italy	800,000	Rome	Italy		Rome	Italy		Rome	Italy
100	[5] 1,000,000	Rome	Italy	1,000,000	Rome	Italy	450,000	Rome	Italy	650,000	Rome	Italy
180							600,000	Rome	Italy	800,000	Rome	Italy
200	[35] 1,000,000	Rome	Italy	1,200,000	Rome	Italy		Rome	Italy		Rome	Italy
280							500,000	Rome	Italy	650,000	Rome	Italy
300	[5] 800,000	Rome	Italy	1,000,000	Rome	Italy		Rome	Italy		Rome	Italy
340								Constantinople	Turkey		Rome	Italy
350								Constantinople	Turkey		Constantinople	Turkey
361							300,000	Constantinople	Turkey	350,000	Constantinople	Turkey
400	[36] 800,000	Rome	Italy	800,000	Rome	Italy		Constantinople	Turkey		Constantinople	Turkey
410								Constantinople	Turkey		Pataliputra	India
450								Constantinople	Turkey	500,000	Constantinople	Turkey
500	[5] 450,000	Constantinople	Turkey	500,000	Constantinople	Turkey	400,000	Constantinople	Turkey	500,000	Constantinople	Turkey
					Jiankang (Nanjing)[37]	China
					Luoyang[28]	China
570								Ctesiphon[33]	Iraq	500,000	Constantinople	Turkey
575							500,000	Ctesiphon	Iraq	500,000	Constantinople	Turkey
600	[38] 600,000	Daxing (Chang'an)[27]	China	600,000	Constantinople	Turkey	500,000	Ctesiphon	Iraq	500,000	Constantinople	Turkey
622	820,000	Ctesiphon	Iraq				500,000	Ctesiphon	Iraq	500,000	Constantinople	Turkey
637							400,000	Chang'an[27]	China	500,000	Constantinople	Turkey
650								Chang'an	China	500,000	Chang'an[27]	China
700	[5] 1,000,000	Chang'an[27]	China	1,000,000	Chang'an[27]	China	800,000	Chang'an	China	1,000,000	Chang'an	China
750							800,000	Chang'an	China	> 1,000,000	Chang'an	China
775	1,200,000	Baghdad					600,000	Baghdad	Iraq	[39]	Baghdad	Iraq
800	1,000,000	Chang'an	China	800,000	Chang'an	China	700,000	Baghdad	Iraq	[39] 800,000	Chang'an	China
										[39] 700,000	Baghdad	Iraq
833							900,000	Baghdad	Iraq	900,000	Baghdad	Iraq
900	[1] 750,000	Chang'an	China	900,000	Baghdad	Iraq	900,000	Baghdad	Iraq	900,000	Baghdad	Iraq
925							1,100,000	Baghdad	Iraq		Baghdad	Iraq
932							1,100,000	Baghdad	Iraq	1,100,000	Baghdad	Iraq
935							450,000	Cordova	Spain	450,000	Cordova	Spain
1000	1,000,000	Kaifeng	China	[40] 1,200,000	Baghdad	Iraq	450,000	Cordova	Spain	450,000	Cordova	Spain
1013	620,000	Constantinople	Turkey	650,000			400,000	Kaifeng	China	450,000	Constantinople	Turkey
1050							400,000	Kaifeng	China	500,000	Constantinople	Turkey
1071							400,000	Kaifeng	China	400,000	Kaifeng	China
1100	[5] 1,000,000	Kaifeng	China	1,200,000	Baghdad	Iraq	442,000	Kaifeng	China	442,000	Kaifeng	China
1102	760,000	Isfahan	Iran				442,000	Kaifeng	China	442,000	Kaifeng	China
1126							420,000	Kaifeng	China	420,000	Kaifeng	China
1127							200,000	Constantinople	Turkey	[41] 300,000	Constantinople	Turkey
1145							200,000	Merv	Turkmenistan	[41] 300,000	Constantinople	Turkey
1150							200,000	Merv	Turkmenistan	[41] 300,000	Constantinople	Turkey
1153							200,000	Constantinople	Turkey	[41] 300,000	Constantinople	Turkey
1160							200,000	Constantinople	Turkey	250,000	Fez	Morocco
1170							200,000	Fez	Morocco	250,000	Fez	Morocco
1180							200,000	Hangzhou	China	250,000	Polonnaruwa	Sri Lanka
1200	[42] 1,000,000	Hangzhou	China	1,000,000	Baghdad	Iraq	255,000	Hangzhou	China	255,000	Hangzhou	China
					Hangzhou	China
					Kaifeng	China
1210	600,000	Gurganj	Turkmenistan	500,000	Merv	Turkmenistan	260,000	Hangzhou	China	260,000	Hangzhou	China
1250							320,000	Hangzhou	China	320,000	Hangzhou	China
1273							432,000	Hangzhou	China	432,000	Hangzhou	China
1300	[5] 800,000	Hangzhou	China	1,500,000	Hangzhou	China	432,000	Hangzhou	China	432,000	Hangzhou	China
1315	432,000	Cairo	Egypt		Hangzhou	China
1325	400,000	Alexandria	Egypt				500,000	Cairo	Egypt	500,000	Cairo	Egypt
1348							432,000	Hangzhou	China	500,000	Cairo	Egypt
1350	660,000	Cairo	Egypt				432,000	Hangzhou	China	450,000	Cairo	Egypt
1358								Jinling (Nanjing)	China		Cairo	Egypt
1391	473,000	Jinling	China		Cairo	Egypt
1400	500,000	Jinling (Nanjing)	China	1,000,000	Jinling (Nanjing)	China	487,000	Jinling	China	473,000	Jinling (Nanjing)	China
1420								Jinling	China	450,000	Beijing	China
1425								Beijing	China		Beijing	China
1450							600,000	Beijing	China	600,000	Beijing	China
1492							669,000	Beijing	China	669,000	Beijing	China
1500	[43] 678,000	Beijing	China	1,000,000	Beijing	China	672,000	Beijing	China	672,000	Beijing	China
1550							690,000	Beijing	China	690,000	Beijing	China
1575							706,000	Beijing	China	706,000	Beijing	China
1579	706,000	Beijing	China	706,000	Beijing	China
1600	700,000	Beijing	China	1,000,000	Beijing	China	706,000	Beijing	China	706,000	Beijing	China
1635	1,500,000	Constantinople	Turkey					Beijing	China	660,000	Agra	India
1637								Beijing	China	700,000	Istanbul[44]	Turkey
1650							700,000	Istanbul[44]	Turkey	700,000	Istanbul	Turkey
1670								Istanbul	Turkey	500,000	Delhi	India
1675	560,000	Isfahan	Iran				750,000	Istanbul	Turkey	500,000	Delhi	India
1684								Istanbul	Turkey	540,000	Paris	France
1685								Istanbul	Turkey		Istanbul	Turkey
1690							700-800,000	Istanbul	Turkey	700-800,000	Istanbul	Turkey
1700	650,000	Beijing	China	1,000,000	Ayutthaya	Thailand	700,000	Istanbul	Turkey	700,000	Istanbul	Turkey
										600-700,000	Beijing	China
1710	600,000	Constantinople	Turkey					Beijing	China		Beijing	China
1720	500,000	Edo[45]	Japan					Beijing	China		Beijing	China
1750	700,000	Saint Peterburg	Russia				900,000	Beijing	China	900,000	Beijing	China
1775							1,000,000	Beijing	China		Beijing	China
1800	1,100,000	Beijing	China	1,100,000	Beijing	China	1,100,000	Beijing	China	1,100,000	Beijing	China
1821							1,300,000	Beijing	China	1,300,000	Beijing	China
1825							1,350,000	Beijing	China	1,350,000	Beijing	China
							1,335,000	London (urban area)	United Kingdom	1,335,000	London (urban area)	United Kingdom
1841							1,948,000	London	United Kingdom	2,235,000	London	United Kingdom
1850							2,320,000	London	United Kingdom	2,320,000	London	United Kingdom
1851							2,362,000	London	United Kingdom	2,362,000	London	United Kingdom
1861							2,803,000	London	United Kingdom		London	United Kingdom
1875	4,000,000	Saint Peterburg	Russia				4,241,000	London	United Kingdom	4,241,000	London	United Kingdom
1900	6,600,000	London	United Kingdom	6,500,000	London	United Kingdom	6,480,000	London	United Kingdom	6,480,000	London	United Kingdom
1914							7,419,000	London	United Kingdom		London	United Kingdom
1925							7,774,000	New York (urban area)	United States	7,774,000	New York (urban area)	United States
1936							10,150,000	New York	United States		New York	United States
1950							12,463,000	New York	United States	12,500,000	New York	United States
1962							[46] 15,755,000	New York	United States		New York	United States
1965							15,000,000	Tokyo (urban area)	Japan	15,000,000	Tokyo (urban area)	Japan
1968							[46] 20,500,000	Tokyo	Japan	[46] 20,500,000	Tokyo	Japan
1970							[46] 20,450,000	Tokyo	Japan	[46] 21,000,000	Tokyo	Japan
1975							20,500,000	Tokyo	Japan
2000	26,400,000[47]	Tokyo	Japan

See also

• List of metropolitan areas by population
• List of urban agglomerations by population
• List of cities by population
• List of largest European cities in history

References

1. (a) Ian Morris, Social Development, Stanford University, October 2010. This contains supporting materials for the following book: (b) Ian Morris, Why the West Rules—For Now, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2010. ISBN 978-0-374-29002-3.
2. George Modelski, World Cities: –3000 to 2000, Washington DC: FAROS 2000, 2003. ISBN 0-9676230-1-4. Figures in main tables are preferentially cited. Part of former estimates can be read at Evolutionary World Politics Homepage.
3. Tertius Chandler, Four Thousand Years of Urban Growth: An Historical Census, Lewiston, NY: The Edwin Mellen Press, 1987. ISBN 0-88946-207-0. Figures in main tables are preferentially cited. Part of Chandler's estimates are summarized or modified at The Institute for Research on World-Systems; Largest Cities Through History by Matt T. Rosenberg; or The Etext Archives. Chandler defined a city as a continuously built-up area (urban) with suburbs but without farmland inside the municipality.
4. Tertius Chandler and Gerald Fox, 3000 Years of Urban Growth, New York, NY: Academic Press, 1974. ISBN 0-12-785109-7. Figures in main tables are preferentially cited.
5. Summarized in the supporting material on the website, but not given in Morris's published text (p. 632).
6. The date that the population of Beidha, Basta and Çatalhöyük is estimated to be 1,000 is given as 7500 BC in Morris's published text (p. 632).
7. Suggested to be the largest cities in Modelski's text, but not given constantly prior to 3700 BC (p. 3, p. 17, and p. 20). No entry is suggested for the Halafian and Ubaid periods.
8. A Pre-Pottery Neolithic B settlement located ca. 25 km north of Petra.
9. The rough year that Çatalhöyük was supposed to be the largest is not given in Modelski's text which cites Ian Hodder's report (p. 3 and p. 17). The year 6500 BC is based on the recent report by Hodder (Inhabiting Çatalhöyük: Reports from the 1995-99 Seasons (Çatalhöyük Research Project), Cambridge, UK: McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, 2005.) where less inhabitants (1,500 to 2,000) are suggested by Craig Cessford (pp. 323-326).
10. The date that the population of Çatalhöyük is estimated to be 3,000 is given as 6500 BC in Morris's published text (p. 632).
11. Suggested to be housing up to 10,000 people in Modelski's text (pp. 24–25), but only Eridu is listed as the largest city in Table 2 (a) (p. 22). The estimate is based on the author's personal communication with Mikhail Videiko, Institute of Archaeology, Kiev, October 2002 (p. 75). The previous estimates by S. I. Kruts for Maydanets and Talianki are 8,000 (1,575 housed within 270 ha) and 14,000 (2,700 houses within 450 ha), respectively (Pitskhelauri, K. N., and Chernykh, E. N. Eds., Kavkaz v sisteme paleometallicheskikh kultur Evrazii, Metsniereba, Tbilisi, 1989, pp. 146–156.).
12. Suggested to be more than 45,000 in Morris's published text (p. 632).
13. According to Modelski's list of world's largest cities (p. 218), Nippur shares the top with Lagash with 60,000 inhabitants in 2500 BC, though Table 2 (b) suggests that the population of Nippur is 20,000, the value of which is even lower than those estimated for Mari (50,000); Uruk and Umma (40,000); Memphis, Ebla, Urkesh, and Shuruppak (30,000) (p. 28).
14. Girsu (Telloh), the later capital of the state of Lagash, was situated 25 km NW of Lagash (Tell al Hiba), though both sites are frequently referred as Lagash.
15. According to Modelski's list of world's largest cities (p. 218), Girsu shares the top with Mari with 50,000 inhabitants, though Table 2 (b) suggests that the population of Girsu as well as Umma and Mohenjo-daro is 40,000 (p. 28).
16. According to Modelski's list of world's largest cities (p. 218), the population of Girsu for 2300 BC is estimated as 50,000, which is less than that appears in Table 2 (b) and is the same value with that estimated for Mari (p. 28).
17. Location uncertain. Maybe west of Sippar.
18. Morris's list of the largest settlements excludes Ur for 2000 BC (p. 632), though the supporting material lists Ur sharing the top with Memphis with 60,000 inhabitants.
19. Modelski's list of world's largest cities (p. 218) excludes Girsu for 2000 BC, though Table 2 (b) lists Girsu with 40,000 inhabitants (p. 28), sharing the top with Isin and Larsa.
20. Interpolated values given by Christopher Chase-Dunn (citypop5.xls) or Chase-Dunn and Willard (oct2k1.xls). These numbers are not given in Chandler's original lists.
21. The palace of Pi-Ramses (Qantir) was founded 2 km NE of Avaris (or Hawaret, Tell el-Dab'a), the residential area of which overlaps.
22. When the city first passed 100,000, suggested by Richard Forstall (pp. 541-542).
23. According to Chandler's list of the largest cities (pp. 523-527), Thebes was the largest for 1400-668 BC, but Memphis was also supposed to be somewhat larger during 1205-1188 (p. 94, p. 460).
24. Qiyi (Qi) is listed as the largest settlement with 35,000 inhabitants in the Morris's published list (p. 632). On the other hand, the supporting material lists Thebes as the maximum settlement with 50,000 inhabitants, while both Luoyang (Luoyi) and Haojing (Feng) are listed as the mamximum settlements in the East with 35,000 inhabitants.
25. Modelski's list of the world's largest cities treats Thebes and Haojing as the top cities with 100,000 inhabitants (p. 218), though the same list on the next page (p. 219) as well as Table 2 (c) place the population of Thebes at 120,000, while that for Haojing as well as Memphis and Babylon at 100,000 (pp. 33-34).
26. Chandler listed Thebes, Haojing, and Chengzhou (Luoyang) as the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd largest cities (p. 460), though Luoyang is supposed to pass 100,000 in 1000 BC (p. 541).
27. Haojing, which formed the capital of Western Zhou together with Fenghao, was located 15 km SW of Chang'an, the capital of Tang Dynasty as well as the present center of Xi'an. Han capital was located 5 km NW of the center of modern Xi'an. All these sites are now within the sub-provincial city of Xi'an.
28. Chengzhou was founded on the east side of the Luo river with Wangzheng on the west side. Both cities were later annexed to form Luoyi (Luoyang), the center of which has often shifted.
29. According to Modelski's list of world's largest cities (p. 219), the population of Babylon for 700 BC is estimated as 120,000, which makes Babylon the only city to appear as the largest, while Table 8 (a) shows that Babylon has 100,000 inhabitants in 700 BC (p. 55).
30. Modelski's list of world's largest cities (p. 219) excludes Linzi for 500 BC, though Table 5 (a) lists Linzi with 200,000 inhabitants (p. 41).
31. The estimated year Sravasti was surpassed by Rajagriha is not given in Chandler and Fox's list (pp. 362-364).
32. According to Chandler's list of the largest cities (pp. 523-527), Pataliputra was the largest for 300 to 195 BC, but Chang'an is listed as the largest already in 200 BC (p. 462).
33. Seleucia was founded on the right bank of Tigris opposite to Ctesiphon. Figures for Seleucia include the population of Ctesiphon as a suburb during the Seleucid era and vice versa during the Sassanid era.
34. Seleucia was supposed to stand first briefly just after Antiochus IV overran part of Egypt in 170 BC, though the precise year Chang'an recovered the lead is not given in Chandler and Fox's list (pp. 362-364).
35. The population of Rome in AD 200 is estimated at 800,000 in Morris's published text (p. 632), while the supporting material describes 1,000,000.
36. The population of Rome in AD 400 is estimated at 500,000 in Morris's published text (p. 632), while the supporting material describes 800,000.
37. Based on historical documents, in Eastern Jin dynasty, Jiankang (Nanjing) had 280,000 registered households, and assuming an average Nanjing household had about 5.1 people at that time, the city had more than 1.4 million residents. (Shufen Liu, "Jiankang and the Commercial Empire of the Southern Dynasties", in Pearce, Spiro, Ebrey eds. Culture and Power, 2001:35.)
38. The population of Daxing (Chang'an) in AD 600 is estimated at 250,000 in Morris's published text (p. 632), while the supporting material describes 600,000.
39. Although Chandler and Fox presumed that Baghdad was the world's largest city from 775 to 935 (p. 363), Chang'an is still listed as the largest in the year 800 (p. 306).
40. Modelski's list of world's largest cities (p. 219) estimates the population of Baghdad for AD 1000 as 1,500,000, which is much higher than the value listed in Table 8 (b) (1,200,000 inhabitants) (p. 55).
41. Although Kaifeng is obscurely treated as the most populous city until 1160 (p. 363), Kaifeng is ranked as the fifth largest city with 175,000 people in 1150, while Constantinople is listed as the largest city (p. 310). Surely Chandler and Fox have mistakenly omitted the statement that Constantinople is briefly the largest after the fall of Kaifeng to the Jurchens.
42. The population of Hangzhou in AD 1200 is estimated at 800,000 in Morris's published text (p. 632), while the supporting material describes 1,000,000.
43. The population of Hangzhou in AD 1500 is estimated at 600,000 in Morris's published text (p. 632), while the supporting material describes 678,000.
44. Includes Üsküdar in Asia Minor as a suburb.
45. According to Morris (p. 483), Edo grew into the world's biggest city by 1720, but the estimated population for Edo is not given.
46. Data from Richard Forstall's table for Rand McNally & Co.
47. The population of Tokyo in AD 2000 is estimated at 26,7000 in Morris's published text (p. 632), while the supporting material describes 26,400,000.

External links

• Top Ten Cities Through History, animation showing the ten largest cities throughout history according to Chandler