Civilizations
Which realm followed which
Every realm on one time line, from 3500 BCE to today. An arrow joins each to the realm that followed it; choose one to follow its whole line.
- 160 realms
- 80 links
- 24 lines of succession
Region
Culture sphere
Point at a realm for its name and years; click it to follow its line. Drag sideways to move along time.
- Our civilizations, in their colours on the atlas
- Realms outside our list, with Cliopatria’s years, and periods
- Began before 3500 BCE
Links come from Wikidata’s “follows”, “followed by”, “replaces” and “replaced by”, and they are incomplete: many realms have none, and a few look wrong (the Byzantine Empire “followed” by the Umayyad Caliphate, the Ottoman Empire by the occupation of Smyrna). They are shown as the data has them. Each bar runs from a realm’s first year to its last as our data dates it, on the atlas’s time scale, where the centuries since 1500 take more of the width than antiquity. Realms in outline are outside our list of civilizations, drawn with Cliopatria’s years; the periods (the Intermediate Periods of Egypt) are events of ours.
Every line of succession
The diagram in words: each line of realms that followed one another, the oldest first.
- Minoan (3300 BCE – 1100 BCE): followed by Mycenaean Greece
- Mycenaean Greece (1600 BCE – 1100 BCE)
- Elam (2700 BCE – 539 BCE): followed by Achaemenid Empire, Neo-Assyrian Empire
- Neo-Assyrian Empire (911 BCE – 609 BCE): followed by Neo-Babylonian Empire
- Macedonian Empire (675 BCE – 292 BCE)
- Neo-Babylonian Empire (626 BCE – 539 BCE): followed by Achaemenid Empire
- Achaemenid Empire (550 BCE – 330 BCE): preceded by Sogdia (not drawn: no years of ours); followed by Macedonian Empire, Sogdia (not drawn: no years of ours)
- Middle Kingdom of Egypt (2040 BCE – 1782 BCE): followed by Second Intermediate Period of Egypt
- Second Intermediate Period of Egypt (1782 BCE – 1570 BCE): followed by Egyptian Empire
- Egyptian Empire (1550 BCE – 1070 BCE): followed by Third Intermediate Period of Egypt
- Third Intermediate Period of Egypt (1069 BCE – 664 BCE)
- Shang dynasty (1600 BCE – 1046 BCE): followed by Zhou dynasty
- Zhou dynasty (1100 BCE – 256 BCE): followed by Qin dynasty
- Qin dynasty (221 BCE – 206 BCE): followed by Nanyue, Han dynasty
- Nanyue (207 BCE – 111 BCE)
- Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE)
- Roman Republic (509 BCE – 27 BCE): followed by Roman Empire
- Hellenistic period (323 BCE – 30 BCE): followed by Roman Empire
- Roman Empire (27 BCE – 1453 CE): followed by Western Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire
- Byzantine Empire (285 CE – 1453): preceded by Ancient Rome (not drawn: no years of ours); followed by Ottoman Empire, Umayyad Caliphate
- Western Roman Empire (395 CE – 475 CE): followed by Byzantine Empire
- Umayyad Caliphate (661 CE – 750 CE): followed by Abbasid Caliphate, Emirate of Córdoba
- Abbasid Caliphate (750 CE – 1258): followed by Ottoman Empire
- Emirate of Córdoba (757 CE – 935 CE)
- Ottoman Empire (1299 – 1922): followed by occupation of Smyrna, Principality of Serbia (not drawn: no years of ours)
- occupation of Smyrna (1919 – 1922)
- Nanda Empire (333 BCE – 319 BCE): followed by Maurya empire
- Maurya empire (322 BCE – 185 BCE): followed by Satavahana dynasty
- Chola dynasty (300 BCE – 1279 CE)
- Satavahana dynasty (230 BCE – 220 CE): followed by Pallava dynasty
- Pallava dynasty (275 CE – 897 CE): followed by Chola dynasty
- Seleucid Empire (312 BCE – 63 BCE): followed by Parthian Empire
- Parthian Empire (247 BCE – 224 CE): followed by Sasanian Empire, Mesopotamia (not drawn: no years of ours)
- Sasanian Empire (224 CE – 651 CE)
- Kushan Empire (30 CE – 375 CE): followed by Gupta Empire
- Gupta Empire (320 CE – 550 CE): followed by Pala Empire, Rashtrakuta dynasty
- Chalukya dynasty (543 CE – 1200): followed by Rashtrakuta dynasty
- Pala Empire (750 CE – 1174)
- Rashtrakuta dynasty (753 CE – 982 CE): followed by Western Chalukya Empire
- Western Chalukya Empire (973 CE – 1189)
- Western Xia (410 CE – 1226): followed by Mongol Empire
- Liao dynasty (916 CE – 1125): followed by Great Jin, Kara-Khitans
- Kara-Khitans (1126 – 1219): followed by Mongol Empire
- Great Jin (1126 – 1235): followed by Mongol Empire
- Mongol Empire (1206 – 1368): preceded by Nizari Ismaili state (not drawn: no years of ours); followed by Ming dynasty
- Ming dynasty (1368 – 1644): followed by Qing dynasty
- Dzungar Khanate (1609 – 1756): followed by Qing dynasty
- Qing dynasty (1616 – 1912): followed by Republic of China, Taiwan (not drawn: no years of ours)
- Chimor (850 CE – 1479): followed by Inca Empire
- Inca Empire (1438 – 1572): followed by Viceroyalty of Peru (not drawn: no years of ours)
- Kingdom of Germany (911 CE – 961 CE): followed by Holy Roman Empire
- Holy Roman Empire (962 CE – 1806): followed by Austrian Empire, Kingdom of Saxony, Free City of Hamburg, Electorate of Hesse, Grand Duchy of Baden, Swedish Pomerania (not drawn: no years of ours)
- Electorate of Hesse (1803 – 1867)
- Austrian Empire (1806 – 1867)
- Grand Duchy of Baden (1806 – 1870)
- Kingdom of Saxony (1806 – 1870)
- Free City of Hamburg (1814 – 1870)
- Đinh Dynasty (968 CE – 980 CE): followed by Early Lê dynasty
- Early Lê dynasty (980 CE – 1009): followed by Ly dynasty
- Ly dynasty (1009 – 1226): followed by Tran dynasty
- Tran dynasty (1226 – 1400): followed by Hồ dynasty
- Hồ dynasty (1400 – 1407)
- Dai Viet (1054 – 1805)
- Ming province of Jiaozhi established (1407 – 1427): followed by Dai Viet
- Delhi Sultanate (1206 – 1526): followed by Mughal Empire, Sultanate of Bengal, Bahmani Sultanate, Vijayanagara Empire, Malwa Sultanate (not drawn: no years of ours)
- Vijayanagara Empire (1336 – 1646)
- Bahmani Sultanate (1347 – 1527)
- Sultanate of Bengal (1352 – 1576): followed by Mughal Empire
- Mughal Empire (1526 – 1857): followed by Maratha Empire, Sikh Empire, British Raj, Bengal Subah, Company rule in India (not drawn: no years of ours)
- Maratha Empire (1674 – 1818)
- Sikh Empire (1733 – 1849)
- British Raj (1859 – 1947)
- Sukhothai Kingdom (1238 – 1438): followed by Ayutthaya Kingdom
- Ayutthaya Kingdom (1350 – 1767)
- Golden Horde (1243 – 1502): followed by Principality of Moldavia
- Principality of Moldavia (1363 – 1858)
- Aceh Sultanate (1496 – 1903): followed by Dutch East Indies
- Dutch East Indies (1800 – 1949)
- Tsardom of Russia (1547 – 1720): followed by Russian Empire
- Russian Empire (1721 – 1917): followed by Russian Republic
- Russian Republic (1917 – 1919)
- Tokugawa shogunate (1603 – 1867): followed by Japan
- Japan (1868 – 2024)
- Tây Sơn dynasty (1778 – 1802): followed by Nguyen dynasty
- Nguyen dynasty (1802 – 1945): followed by North Vietnam, South Vietnam, Socialist Republic of Vietnam
- French Indochina (1887 – 1954): followed by North Vietnam
- North Vietnam (1945 – 1976)
- South Vietnam (1955 – 1975)
- Socialist Republic of Vietnam (1976 – 2024)
- Sokoto Caliphate (1804 – 1903): followed by Kamerun
- Kamerun (1868 – 1870)
- Venezuela (1811 – 2024)
- Gran Colombia (1819 – 1831): preceded by Viceroyalty of New Granada (not drawn: no years of ours); followed by United Provinces of Central America, Venezuela, Republic of Ecuador
- United Provinces of Central America (1824 – 1839)
- Republic of Ecuador (1834 – 2024)
- Empire of Brazil (1822 – 1889): followed by Republic of Brazil
- Republic of Brazil (1890 – 2024)
Realms in no line yet
North Africa
- Old Kingdom of Egypt (2707 BCE – 2216 BCE)
- Ancient Carthage (814 BCE – 146 BCE): followed by Africa, Sicilia, Hispania (not drawn: no years of ours)
- Ptolemaic Kingdom (305 BCE – 30 BCE): followed by Roman Egypt (not drawn: no years of ours)
Sub-Saharan Africa
- Kingdom of Kush (2180 BCE – 350 CE)
- Kingdom of Aksum (400 BCE – 960 CE)
- Ghana Empire (100 CE – 1200)
- Kingdom of Makuria (401 CE – 1518)
- Alodia (501 CE – 1504)
- Kanem-Bornu Empire (1001 – 1900)
- Mali Empire (1235 – 1670)
- Ethiopian Empire (1270 – 1975)
- Kingdom of Kongo (1395 – 1914)
- Oyo Empire (1400 – 1905)
- Adal Sultanate (1415 – 1577)
- Songhai Empire (1464 – 1591)
- Sennar Sultanate (1505 – 1821)
- Merina Kingdom (1540 – 1897)
- Sultanate of Darfur (1603 – 1916)
- Kingdom of Lunda (1665 – 1884)
- Ashanti Empire (1670 – 1902)
- Bamana Empire (1712 – 1861)
Middle East
- Sumerian (5500 BCE – 1801 BCE)
- Akkadian Empire (2334 BCE – 2083 BCE): preceded by Kish (not drawn: no years of ours)
- Babylonia (1900 BCE – 539 BCE)
- Hatti (1650 BCE – 1178 BCE)
Europe
- Carolingian Empire (800 CE – 887 CE)
- Kievan Rus' (882 CE – 1240)
Central Asia
- Xiongnu (300 BCE – 500 CE)
- Timurid Empire (1370 – 1507)
South Asia
- Indus Valley Civilization (3000 BCE – 1800 BCE)
East Asia
- Silla (57 BCE – 892 CE): preceded by Later Silla (not drawn: no years of ours); followed by Later Silla (not drawn: no years of ours)
- Tang dynasty (618 CE – 907 CE)
- Song dynasty (960 CE – 1279)
Southeast Asia
- Âu Lạc (257 BCE – 207 BCE)
- Kingdom of Funan (68 CE – 550 CE)
- Champa (192 CE – 1832)
- Early Lý dynasty (544 CE – 602 CE)
- Zhenla (550 CE – 706 CE)
- Srivijaya (650 CE – 1377)
- Mataram kingdom (716 CE – 1016)
- Khmer Empire (802 CE – 1431)
- Pagan kingdom (849 CE – 1297)
- Ngô dynasty (939 CE – 965 CE)
- Hanthawaddy Kingdom (1287 – 1552)
- Majapahit (1293 – 1527)
- Lan Xang (1354 – 1707)
- Ava Kingdom (1364 – 1555)
- Bruneian Sultanate (1368 – 1888)
- Malacca sultanate (1400 – 1511)
- Lê dynasty (1428 – 1788)
- First Toungoo Empire (1510 – 1599)
- Mạc dynasty (1527 – 1677)
- Nguyễn lords (1558 – 1802)
- Mataram Sultanate (1586 – 1755): followed by Yogyakarta Sultanate (not drawn: no years of ours)
- Konbaung dynasty (1752 – 1885)
Mesoamerica and the Caribbean
- Maya (2000 BCE – 1521 CE)
- Olmec (1400 BCE – 1400 BCE)
- Zapotec (700 BCE – 1521 CE)
- Teotihuacan (100 BCE – 550 CE)
- Tolteca (650 CE – 1168)
- Aztec Empire (1325 – 1521)