The 16 Greatest Cities In Human History

Business Insider ^ | 12/25/2011 | Robert Johnson and Gus Lubin

[SeekAndFind]

Cities have played an important role in human history for over 9,000 years.

Jericho, the oldest city on record with a population of 2,000, was the center of commerce and learning in its day. So was Uruk, Mari and other great cities through history to Tokyo, which is the largest city today.

Cities are becoming even more important as we passes through the biggest wave of urbanization in human history.

Determining the population of any city prior to the late 1700's is no easy task. Even the most casual census was unheard of before then, and studies to nail down city populations throughout history weren't even attempted until 1944.

It was then that Tertius Chandler and Gerald Fox undertook a 30 year study, completed in 1974, that looked at urban population in 2,000 cities, over several thousand years.

The numbers were drawn from the size of a city's military in peacetime and in war, household data, agricultural commerce, church records, fortification sizes, food distribution, loss of life in a disaster, and city comparisons. Chandler revised his opus in 1987, applying greater detail and further research to his numbers. In 2003, George Modelski expanded on Chandler's work and wrote World Cities, -3,000 to 2,000. The book remains the authoritative reference on historic population today.

The data here is all based on Modelski's numbers, except for London in 1825 which is Chandler. Jericho and Uruk, the two most ancient cities, are based on estimates made from Modelski's work.

[morphing libertarian]

Interesting. Greatest=Largest. Otherwise I would have added Paris 1890s and Athens before Rome’s ascendance.

[VRW Conspirator]

And let’s not forget Minot, ND. It’s not the end of the world but you can see it from there.

[morphing libertarian]

If they keep moving oil out of there it may surpass Mexico City for population.

[Last Dakotan]

And let’s not forget Minot, ND. It’s not the end of the world but you can see it from there.

Not quite, but you have to stand on the hood of your car.

[edpc]

Generally, these places were built near a water source, particularly a river. I wonder if any of these places had a cultural equivalent of The Standells to sing about them.

[blueunicorn6]

I’ll bet there’s a wonderful city in each one of our 57 states.

[EternalVigilance]

Determining the population of any city prior to the late 1700's is no easy task. Even the most casual census was unheard of before then...

The writer pretty much lost any credibility with me at that point, especially on Christmas morning.

Luke chapter 2

1 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. 4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife,[a] who was with child. 6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

[ml/nj]

JERICHO: The world's largest city in 7000 BC
Present-day population: 14,674

Wow! Jericho is tiny. I thought it was teaming with A-rabs yearning to breathe free.

ML/NJ

[PUGACHEV]

Mexico City has many, many people living off the grid, that is without city water or sewer, and with unofficial electrical hookups. It is probably larger than Tokyo, but no one can really say.

[blueunicorn6]

Muncie, Indiana......named after a transmission.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Well I have gotten this far...getting interesting:

STRATFOR'S TOP PREDICTIONS FOR THE NEXT DECADE: China Collapse, Global Labor Shortages, New American Dominance

China: doomed

[Impala64ssa]

Yep, the M22, aka the Rock Crusher.

[Marine_Uncle]

China is a paper tiger propped up by the world’s global banking systems and industrialist in recent times. Just think if all the American and European firms pulled out of China and reset their operations internal to mother countries again. China would drop like a frozen dragon fly.

[Revolting cat!]

17

[SeekAndFind]

I agree with 17. It USED to be one of the greatest cities. Now their RUINS isn’t even as pretty as the ancient ones.

[SeekAndFind]

RE: STRATFOR’S TOP PREDICTIONS FOR THE NEXT DECADE: China Collapse, Global Labor Shortages, New American Dominance

Their website just got HACKED.

See here:

http://rt.com/news/anonymous-stratfor-hacked-discredited-641/

[Scoutmaster]

If it doesn’t have Austin, Texas (1972-1984) on the list, something’s wrong. (Okay, I put a little personal mustard on that choice - and I wasn’t even in Austin that entire period.)

[Popman]

Thanks for posting that was interesting !!!

[SunkenCiv]

GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach	join list or digest view topics view or post blog bookmark post a topic subscribe
Thanks Ernest. I've got the book, uh, somewhere around here, and haven't read it. Or maybe it's a similar book by some other writer or entitiy. I read the list of cities, quite novel, and don't buy most of them as belonging on the list. This is a GGG ping though. :') To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.