This article lists historical urban community sizes based on the estimated populations of selected
human settlement
In geography, statistics and archaeology, a settlement, locality or populated place is a community in which people live. The complexity of a settlement can range from a minuscule number of dwellings grouped together to the largest of citi ...
s from 7000 BC – AD 1875, organized by
archaeological periods.
Many of the figures are uncertain, especially in ancient times. Estimating population sizes before
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...
es were conducted is a difficult task.
Neolithic settlements
Bronze Age
Iron Age
Middle Ages
Early Modern era
See also
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List of largest cities throughout history
This article lists the largest human settlements in the world (by population) over time, as estimated by historians, from 7000 BC when the largest populated place in the world was a proto-city in the Ancient Near East with a population of about ...
(7000 BC – AD 2000)
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List of largest cities
The United Nations uses three definitions for what constitutes a city, as not all cities in all jurisdictions are classified using the same criteria. Cities may be defined as the cities proper, the extent of their urban area, or their metropo ...
, present day
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Estimates of historical world population
This article lists current estimates of the world population in history. In summary, estimates for the progression of world population since the Late Middle Ages are in the following ranges:
Estimates for pre-modern times are necessarily fraugh ...
Notes
Citations
References
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Further reading
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* {{cite journal , url=http://www.public.asu.edu/%7Emesmith9/1-CompleteSet/MES-05-CitySize.pdf , last=Smith , first=Michael E. , year=2005 , title=City Size in Late Post-Classic Mesoamerica , journal=Journal of Urban History , volume=31 , issue=4 , pages=403–434 , doi=10.1177/0096144204274396 , s2cid=145452272
External links
Interactive Map: Urban Growth(
BBC, covering 1955–2015)
Early Medieval and Byzantine Civilization: Constantine to Crusades
Lists of populated places
Demographic lists
Urban geography
Historical geography
Demographic history