Empire Name Region Period of Existence Notable Contributions Language Significant Rulers Uruk Mesopotamia c. 4500 – 3100 BCE Early urbanization, cuneiform writing Sumerian Gilgamesh Elam Iran c. 2700 – 539 BCE Art, architecture, metalworking Elamite Untash-Napirisha Hittite Empire Anatolia c. 1600 – 1178 BCE Iron Age technology, treaties Hittite Hattusili III Mitanni Near East c. 1500 – 1300 BCE Horse training, chariot technology Hurrian Tushratta Phoenician Empire Mediterranean c. 1500 – 300 BCE Alphabet, trade routes Phoenician Hiram I Aksumite Empire Horn of Africa c. 100 – 940 CE Trade, monumental obelisks Ge'ez Ezana Parthian Empire Iran c. 247 BCE – 224 CE Silk Road trade, arts Middle Persian Mithridates I Seljuk Empire Middle East c. 1037 – 1194 CE Cultural fusion, architecture Turkic Tughril Beg Khmer Empire Southeast Asia c. 802 – 1431 CE Angkor Wat, irrigation systems Khmer Jayavarman II Maratha Empire India 1674 – 1818 CE Military strategies, administration Marathi Shivaji Khanate of Khiva Central Asia 1511 – 1920 CE Silk trade, governance Turkic Muhammad Rahim Khan II Tang Dynasty China 618 – 907 CE Trade expansion, cultural advancements Chinese Li Yuan Natchez Tribe North America c. 800 – 1730 CE Mound building, agriculture Natchez Great Sun Saite Dynasty Egypt c. 664 – 525 BCE Artistic achievement, trade Ancient Egyptian Psamtik I Mali Empire West Africa c. 1235 – 1600 CE Education, wealth, trade Mande Mansa Musa Chola Dynasty India c. 300 BCE – 1279 CE Maritime trade, temple architecture Tamil Rajaraja Chola I Qin Dynasty China 221 – 206 BCE Great Wall, centralized governance Chinese Qin Shi Huang Songhai Empire West Africa c. 1430 – 1591 CE Scholarship, trade routes Songhai Askia Mohammad I Tanganyika East Africa 19th Century Cultural exchange, trade networks Swahili Various Kingdom of Axum Horn of Africa c. 100 – 940 CE Christianity's spread, coinage Ge'ez King Ezana Ottoman Empire Middle East/Europe 1299 – 1922 CE Architecture, cultural synthesis Turkish Suleiman the Magnificent Roman Empire Mediterranean 27 BCE – 476 CE Law, architecture, governance Latin Augustus Byzantine Empire Eastern Mediterranean 330 – 1453 CE Preservation of Greek/Roman knowledge Greek Justinian I Khazar Khaganate Eurasia c. 650 – 965 CE Cultural exchange, trade routes Turkic Bulanchak Zhou Dynasty China c. 1046 – 256 BCE Philosophy, feudal system Chinese Wuwang Scythian Empire Eurasia c. 900 – 200 BCE Nomadic warfare, art Scythian Atei Viking Age Northern Europe 793 – 1066 CE Exploration, trade, settlement Old Norse Harald Hardrada Campanian Neolithic Italy c. 6000 – 2000 BCE Early agriculture, pottery Various West African Kingdom of Ghana West Africa c. 300 – 1200 CE Gold trade, cultural influence Soninke Basi Kingdom of Kush Nubia c. 1070 BCE – 350 CE Pyramids, iron-working Meroitic Piye Seljuk Empire Middle East 1037 – 1194 CE Architecture, cultural synthesis Turkish Tughril Beg Kingdom of Silla Korea 57 BCE – 935 CE Buddhism, art, culture Korean Queen Seondeok Great Zimbabwe Southern Africa 1100 – 1450 CE Stone construction, trade Shona Rashidun Caliphate Middle East 632 – 661 CE Expansion of Islam, governance Arabic Abu Bakr Han Dynasty China 206 BCE – 220 CE Silk Road trade, innovations Chinese Emperor Wu Umayyad Caliphate Middle East/Iberia 661 – 750 CE Expansion of Islam, culture Arabic Abdul Malik Antiochus Dynasty Syria c. 300 – 63 BCE Cultural fusion, Hellenization Greek Antiochus III Chavín Civilization Peru c. 900 – 200 BCE Multi-regional influence, art Chavín Assyrian Empire Mesopotamia c. 2500 – 605 BCE Military strategies, administration Akkadian Ashurbanipal Angkor Empire Southeast Asia c. 802 – 1431 CE Religious influence, architecture Khmer Jayavarman VII Armada of Spain Europe/Indonesia 16th Century Maritime power, cultural exchange Spanish Philip II Romanov Dynasty Russia 1613 – 1917 CE Modernization, territorial expansion Russian Peter the Great Alodia Nubia c. 500 – 1500 CE Christianity, trade Nubian Various Nabataean Kingdom Arabia c. 4th Century BCE – 106 CE Trade, architecture Nabataean Aretas IV Carthaginian Empire North Africa c. 814 – 146 BCE Naval power, trade Punic Hannibal Antigonid Kingdom Macedonia c. 306 – 168 BCE Hellenistic culture, politics Greek Antigonus I Fatimid Caliphate North Africa/Middle East 909 – 1171 CE Islamic culture, trade Arabic Al-Muizz Sassanid Empire Iran 224 – 651 CE Zoroastrianism, arts, architecture Middle Persian Khosrow I Norse Greenland Greenland c. 986 – 1450 CE Exploration, settlement Old Norse Erik the Red Cinque Ports Confederation England c. 1155–16th Century Maritime trade, defense English Various Scandinavian Union Scandinavia 1397 – 1523 CE Political union, trade Danish Margaret I Inca Empire South America c. 1438 – 1533 CE Agricultural innovation, road systems Quechua Pachacuti Frankish Kingdom Western Europe c. 481 – 843 CE Feudalism, Carolingian Renaissance Frankish Charlemagne Xiongnu Empire Central Asia c. 300 BCE – 200 CE Nomadic confederation, warfare Xiongnu Mongke Chanyu Jin Dynasty China 1115 – 1234 CE Culture, military techniques Jurchen Wanyan Aguda Malacca Sultanate Southeast Asia c. 1400 – 1511 CE Trading hub, cultural exchange Malay Parameswara Kingdom of Bunyoro Uganda c. 14th Century – Present Agriculture, cultural heritage Runyoro Omukama Nuhakama Polynesian Kingdoms Pacific Islands c. 1000 – 1850 CE Navigation, cultural practices Various Roman Britain Britain 43 – 410 CE Roads, architecture, law Latin Hadrian Kingdom of Ptolemaic Egypt Egypt 305 – 30 BCE Hellenistic culture, science Greek Cleopatra VII Norse Culture Scandinavia c. 800 – 1100 CE Exploration, poetry, sagas Norse Leif Erikson Spanish Empire Worldwide 1492 – 1898 CE Colonization, trade networks Spanish Philip II Portuguese Empire Worldwide 1415 – 1999 CE Maritime exploration, trade Portuguese Henry the Navigator Chola Empire India/Southeast Asia c. 300 BCE – 1279 CE Art, temple architecture Tamil Rajaraja Chola I Nouadhibou Confederacy Mauritania Pre-colonial Era Trade, governance Arabic Kingdom of Novgorod Russia Early Middle Ages Trade, governance Old Russian Gustaf Arvidsson Nan Madol Micronesia c. 1100 – 1600 CE Stone construction, political center Pohnpeian Vandals North Africa c. 430 – 534 CE Naval power, cultural influence Vandalic Genseric Seljuk Turks Middle East c. 1037 – 1194 CE Islamic culture, warfare Turkic Tughril Beg Kingdom of Zimbabwe Southern Africa c. 1100 – 1450 CE Trade, architecture Shona Khmt (Kemet) Egypt c. 3100 – 332 BCE Writing, monumental architecture Egyptian Pharaoh Narmer Albanian Kingdom Balkans c. 12th Century – 1431 CE Cultural heritage, military strategies Albanian Skanderbeg Malwa Sultanate India c. 1400–1531 CE Cultural synthesis, trade Hindi Mahmud Khilji Augustan Rome Italy 27 BCE – 14 CE Cultural advancements, legal reforms Latin Augustus Burgundian State France c. 407 – 1477 CE Cultural fusion, economy Latin Charles the Bold Sardinian Kingdom Sardinia Early Medieval Cultural heritage, governance Sardinian Various Talaiotic Culture Balearic Islands Prehistoric Megalithic construction, agriculture Talaiotic Iberian Kingdoms Iberian Peninsula c. 500 – 1492 CE Cultural exchange, trade Latin/Castilian Various Chimu Empire Peru c. 900 – 1470 CE Agriculture, metalworking Chimu Lady of Elche Spain c. 4th Century BCE – 1st Century CE Art, culture Iberian Al Ruha Jordan c. 200 CE – 700 CE Cultural fusion, trade Arabic Savoyard State Italy c. 200 – 1860 CE Trade, politics Italian/French Emmanuel Philibert Kingdom of Sogdiana Central Asia c. 600 BCE – 1000 CE Silk Road trade, cultural exchange Sogdian Kingdom of Mallorca Mallorca c. 1229 – 1349 CE Cultural synthesis, trade Catalan Jaume I Republic of Venice Italy c. 697 – 1797 CE Maritime power, commerce Italian Venice Doge Maratha Empire India 1674 – 1818 CE Regional autonomy, military tactics Marathi Shivaji Kingdom of Navarra Spain c. 900 – 1512 CE Political alliance, trade Navarrese Sancho VI Khazaria Eurasia c. 650 – 965 CE Trade, cultural exchange Turkic/Hebrew Bolu Catawba Nation North America c. 1650 – 1759 CE Agriculture, local governance Catawba Various Sogdian City-States Central Asia c. 700 BCE – 1000 CE Cultural exchange, trade Sogdian Teutonic Order Eastern Europe 1190 – 1561 CE Crusades, trade German Hermann von Salza Kingdom of Flanders Belgium c. 862 – 1795 CE Cultural impact, economy Flemish Various Nanzhao Kingdom China c. 748 – 902 CE Cultural syncretism, trade Bai Dali King Trigavel Kingdom Spain c. 8th Century onwards Cultural achievements, defense Asturleonese Kingdom of Serbia Balkans c. 1196 – 1371 CE Military conflicts, culture Serbian Stefan Dušan Chakra Monarchy India c. 1350 – 1614 CE Cultural contributions Hindi Jinshan United States China c. 1st Century BCE – 2nd Century CE Economic development, trade Chinese Chandela Dynasty India c. 9th – 12th Century CE Architecture, literature Hindi Khajuraho Swahili City-States East Africa c. 1000 CE – 1500 CE Maritime trade, culture Swahili Various Silla Kingdom Korea c. 57 BCE – 935 CE Cultural advancements, Buddhism Korean Heo Hwang-ok Mjölnir Kingdom Scandinavia Cultural legacy, arts Norse Akhadian Empire Mesopotamia c. 2334 – 2154 BCE First empire, administration Akkadian Sargon of Akkad Medieval Sicily Italy c. 831 – 1194 CE Cultural exchange, trade Arabic/Sicilian Roger II Mitanni Kingdom Near East c. 1500 – 1300 BCE Horses, chariotry Hurrian Tushratta House of Saxe-Coburg Germany c. 1830 – 1918 CE Royal dynasties, European politics German Albert East India Company India 1600 – 1874 CE Colonial trade, governance English Warren Hastings Khmer Empire Southeast Asia 802 – 1431 CE Angkor Wat, irrigation Khmer Jayavarman II Okhrid Macedonia c. 4th Century BCE – Early Middle Ages Cultural center, administration Greek/Slavic Sultanal Arakan Myanmar c. 1430 – 1784 CE Maritime power, trade Burmese Ipeq Bulgaria c. 861 – 1018 CE Cultural foundation, education Bulgarian Boris I Kingdom of Achaemenid Persians Persia c. 550 – 330 BCE Administration, roads Persian Cyrus the Great Orang Asli Tribes Malaysia c. 300 BCE – present Indigenous culture, crafts Malay Odisha Empire India c. 800 – 1400 CE Cultural synthesis, architecture Odia Janic Kingdom North Africa c. 1st Century – 3rd Century CE Cultural exchange, trade Latin Merovech Diadochi Kingdoms Greece 323 – 30 BCE Secondary Monarchies, Hellenistic culture Greek Antigonids Nabateans Arabia c. 4th Century BCE – 106 CE Trade, architecture Nabataean Aretas IV Kingdom of Wessex England c. 519 – 927 CE Anglo-Saxon culture, unification Old English Alfred the Great Chymar Empire Central Asia c. 200 BCE – 100 CE Urban centers, trade Chymar Fu Manchu Asia c. 1900 – 1970 CE Cultural figures Various Albania Kingdom Albania c. 1190–1479 CE Culture, arts Albanian Ismail Qemali Bosporan Kingdom Taurica c. 480 BCE – 370 CE Cultural integration, trade routes Sarmatian Iberian Peninsula Cultures Spain/Portugal c. 3000 BCE – c. 1000 CE Cultural heritage, art Iberian Vatican States Italy c. 754 AD – present Religious influence, architecture Latin Pope Leo XIII Tribal Confederation of Gallia France c. 400 – 100 CE Political structures, culture Gallic Various Timurid Empire Central Asia 1370 - 1507 CE Cultural revival, architecture Persian Timur Taliban United States Afghanistan 1996 – 2001, 2021 – Present Cultural influence, politics Pashto/Dari Mullah Omar Almacigue South America 15th Century – 19th Century Cultural practices, ecology Various Mitla Mexico c. 950 – 1521 CE Architectural heritage, art Zapotec Burgher Union India 1525 – 1600 CE Cultural exchange, trade Gujarati Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms England 410 – 1066 CE Historical legacies, culture Old English Bede Namibia Confederation Africa c. 1950 – Present Cultural practices, autochthonous rights Various Algiers North Africa c. 1516 – 1830 CE Cultural exchange, piracy Arabic Baba Ali Galician Kingdom Spain c. 800 – 1230 CE Cultural achievements Galician Ramón Menéndez Pidal Bazantyn Ukraine c. 9th Century – 1480 CE Cultural interactions, agriculture Rus/Ruthenian Various Carthaginian Republic North Africa c. 814 – 146 BCE Naval dominance, trade Punic Hannibal Swahili Empires East Africa c. 1000 – 1500 CE Cultural interactions, trade Swahili "Tuscan,""Italy" c. 1100 – 15th Century Architectural innovations, agriculture Tuscany Cascadia North America c. 16th – 20th Century Cultural heritage, civilizational developments Cascadian Norwegian Akershus Scandinavia c. 1300 – 1800 Military history, trade Norwegian Various Zhou Dynasty c. 1046 – 256 BCE Philosophical developments, governance Chinese Wuwang Navarre Kingdom Spain c. 905 – 1512 CE Cultural synthesis, defense Basque Sancho II Tucson Rodeo Arizona 1820 – present Cultural activities, agriculture English (Spanish region) Kalmar Union " ""Scandinavia""" 1397 – 1523 CE Unification of Scandinavian kingdoms Danish Margaret I Selkuja Middle East 1037 – 1194 CE Architectural achievements, cultural fusion Persian Tughril Beg Khalsa India 1699 – present Sikh identity, spirituality Punjabi Gobind Singh Caledonia Scotland c. 1st Century AD - 5th Century CE Celtic heritage, resistance Gaelic Sasanian Empire Iran 224 – 651 CE Cultural developments, governance Middle Persian Khosrow II Ali Pasha Epirus Greece c. 1744 – 1822 CE Ottoman administration, rebellion Albanian Ali Pasha Bysanz Eastern Mediterranean c. 330 – 1453 CE Cultural fusion, governance Greek Justinian I Zulu Empire South Africa c. 1816 – 1897 CE Military organization, culture Zulu Shaka Zulu Macromeric Empire Central Asia c. 2600 – 2000 BCE Cultural advancements Macromeric Kingdom of Uí Néill Ireland c. 400 – 1167 CE Celtic governance, Ireland Irish Niall of the Nine Hostages Scythian Eurasia c. 900 – 200 BCE Military strategies, trade routes Scythian Various Venetian Republic Venice 421 – 1797 CE Naval power, trade Italian Enrico Dandolo Haida Nation North America c. 1500 – Present Cultural heritage, craftsmanship Haida Chiefs and leaders Burgundian State France c. 407 – 1477 CE Finesse in trade, arts French Duke Philip the Good Hausa Kingdoms West Africa c. 1000 – 1800 CE Trade networks, governance Hausa Various Anjou Kingdom France/England c. 931 – 1485 CE Cultural exchanges, politics Old French Henry II Chola Dynasty India c. 300 BCE – 1279 CE Art, literature, architecture Tamil Rajendra Chola I Great Moravia Czech Republic/Slovakia c. 833 – 907 CE Cultural influence, governance Slavic Svatopluk I Empire of Nicaea Byzantine Greece 1204 – 1261 CE Cultural renaissance, resistance Greek Theodore II Chakra Empire Subcontinent c. 13th Century – 17th Century Astronomy, mathematics Hindi Various Achyutharaya Empire India c. 1530 – 1646 CE Architecture, cultural synthesis Kannada Achyutharaya Aztec Empire Mesoamerica 1428 – 1521 CE Cultural and agricultural advancements Nahuatl Moctezuma II Shaiva Kingdoms South Asia c. 600 – 1200 CE Cultural precursors Tamil Various