Map of the World in 1500 BC (1500 BCE)
In 1500 BCE the atlas maps 11 states and empires across the world. The largest by mapped territory was New Kingdom of Egypt, at about 635,790 km², followed by Mitanni. The map below is set to 1500 BCE; the table lists every state shown, with the modern countries its borders covered.
- States Mapped
- 11
- Largest
- 635,790 km²
- Modern Countries Covered
- 12
- Longest Established
- 3200–1500 BCE
Map of the World in 1500 BCE
Borders are drawn for 1500 BCE. Drag the timeline to move to another year.
The Major Powers of 1500 BCE
New Kingdom of Egypt
1500–801 BCEThe New Kingdom, also called the Egyptian Empire, refers to ancient Egypt between the 16th century BC and the 11th century BC. This period of ancient Egyptian history covers the Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth dynasties.
Mapped extent in 1500 BCE: 635,790 km²
Mitanni
1500–1241 BCEMitanni or Mittani, earlier called Ḫabigalbat in old Babylonian texts, c. 1600 BC; Ḫanigalbat or Ḫani-Rabbat in Assyrian records, or Naharin in Egyptian and some Akkadian texts, was a Hurrian-speaking kingdom in northern Syria and southeast Anatolia with Indo-Aryan linguistic and political influences.
Mapped extent in 1500 BCE: 189,149 km²
Shang Dynasty
1600–1001 BCEThe Shang dynasty, also known as the Yin dynasty, was a Chinese royal dynasty that ruled in the Yellow River valley during the 2nd millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and followed by the Western Zhou dynasty. The classic account of the Shang comes from texts such as the Book of Documents, Bamboo Annals and Shiji.
Mapped extent in 1500 BCE: 154,175 km²
Babylonia
1800–601 BCEBabylonia was an ancient Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based on the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia. It emerged as an Akkadian-populated but Amorite-ruled state c.
Mapped extent in 1500 BCE: 119,451 km²
Elam
3200–601 BCEElam was an ancient civilization centered in the far west and southwest of Iran, stretching from the lowlands of Ilam and Khuzestan as well as a small part of modern-day southern Iraq. The modern name Elam stems from the Sumerian transliteration elam(a), along with the later Akkadian elamtu, and the Elamite haltamti.
Mapped extent in 1500 BCE: 79,387 km²
Hyksos
1800–1401 BCEThe Hyksos, in modern Egyptology, were the kings of the Fifteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Their seat of power was the city of Avaris in the Nile Delta, from where they ruled over Lower Egypt and Middle Egypt up to Cusae.
Mapped extent in 1500 BCE: 66,835 km²
Descriptions are the opening of each state's Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA 4.0).
States and Empires in 1500 BCE
11 mapped, largest territory first. Dates are the span of each state's mapped borders.
| # | State | Mapped area | Dates | Modern countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Kingdom of Egypt | 635,790 km² | 1500–801 BCE | Egypt, Sudan |
| 2 | Mitanni | 189,149 km² | 1500–1241 BCE | Turkey, Iraq, Syria |
| 3 | Shang Dynasty | 154,175 km² | 1600–1001 BCE | China |
| 4 | Babylonia | 119,451 km² | 1800–601 BCE | Iraq |
| 5 | Elam | 79,387 km² | 3200–601 BCE | Iran |
| 6 | Hyksos | 66,835 km² | 1800–1401 BCE | Syria, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Palestine |
| 7 | Hittites | 57,838 km² | 1600–1151 BCE | Turkey |
| 8 | Mycenaean Greece | 45,664 km² | 1500–1101 BCE | Greece |
| 9 | Assyria | 35,816 km² | 1800–901 BCE | Iraq |
| 10 | First Sealand Dynasty | 15,392 km² | 1700–1401 BCE | Iraq |
| 11 | Minoan civilization | 5,499 km² | 1600–1401 BCE | — |
1500 BCE by Region
1500 BCE: Quick Answers
- What empires and states existed in 1500 BCE?
- The atlas maps 11 states in 1500 BCE. The largest by mapped territory were New Kingdom of Egypt, Mitanni, Shang Dynasty, Babylonia, Elam, Hyksos.
- What was the largest empire in 1500 BCE?
- New Kingdom of Egypt had the largest mapped territory in 1500 BCE, about 635,790 km², followed by Mitanni (189,149 km²). Areas are measured from the mapped borders and are approximate.
- What did the world map look like in 1500 BC?
- In 1500 BCE the map of the World was divided between 11 mapped states and empires. New Kingdom of Egypt held the largest territory, followed by Mitanni. Their borders covered parts of 12 present-day countries.
- How many states are shown on the map for 1500 BCE?
- 11. The map shows the states recorded in the atlas's dated border dataset for that year; states and peoples absent from that dataset are not shown.