Empires & Civilizations

68 figures · 6 eras · A map of figures that makes sense of five thousand years of world history

Those Who First Drew the Borders on the MapFounders of Civilizations15Building empires, issuing law codes, unifying territory — those who turned a land into a civilization

👑SargonSargon of AkkadFounder of the Akkadian Empire, the First Known Empire in Human History

⚖️HammurabiKing of Old Babylon, Promulgator of the Code of Hammurabi

🏺Ramesses IIRamesses the GreatNew Kingdom Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, Reigning 67 Years, a Symbol of Egypt’s Height

👸HatshepsutFemale Pharaoh of the Egyptian New Kingdom, One of the Most Successful Women Rulers in Egyptian History

🦁Cyrus the GreatCyrus IIFounder of the Persian Achaemenid Empire, One of the Most Tolerant Conquerors of Antiquity

🏛️Darius IEmperor at the Height of the Persian Achaemenid Empire, Perfecter of Its Administration

🐉Qin Shi HuangYing ZhengThe First Emperor in Chinese History, Founder of the Qin Dynasty That Unified the Six States

🐎Emperor Wu of HanLiu CheEmperor of the Western Han, Who Opened the Silk Road and Established Confucian Orthodoxy

☸️AshokaEmperor of the Maurya Dynasty, Patron of Buddhism and Practitioner of Nonviolent Governance

🏹Genghis KhanTemüjinFounder of the Mongol Empire, Builder of the Largest Contiguous Land Empire in Human History

⛪Justinian IEmperor of the Byzantine Empire, Systematizer of Roman Law, Builder of the Hagia Sophia

🏔️PachacutiThe Real Builder of the Inca Empire, Who Expanded a Small Tribal State Into the Largest Empire of South America

💰Mansa MusaEmperor of the Mali Empire, Possibly the Richest Person in Human History as Recorded

🕌Akbar the GreatEmperor of the Mughal Empire, Founder of the Policy of Religious Tolerance and of Imperial Administration

🛡️Shaka ZuluFounder of the Zulu Kingdom, Representative Figure of Military Organizational Innovation in Southern Africa

Those Who Fought the Map Into BeingGenerals & Conquerors20Cavalry, warships, and expeditions — where civilizations first truly collided

🐘HannibalHannibal BarcaCarthaginian General, the Military Genius Who Crossed the Alps to Strike at Rome

⚔️AttilaThe "Scourge of God"Ruler of the Hunnic Empire, the Most Feared Steppe Conqueror of the Late Roman Empire

🗡️TamerlaneTimur the LameFounder of the Timurid Empire, the Central Asian Conqueror Who Claimed to Be Genghis Khan’s Heir

🐫Kublai KhanFounding Emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, Grandson of Genghis Khan, Who Completed the Unification of China

👑Xerxes IEmperor of the Persian Achaemenid Empire, Launcher of the Second Greco-Persian War

🏯Nebuchadnezzar IIKing of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, Author of the "Babylonian Captivity"

📚AshurbanipalThe Last Powerful Monarch of the Assyrian Empire, Founder of the Earliest Systematic Library in Antiquity

👑Wu ZetianThe Only Universally Acknowledged Female Emperor in Chinese History

🐍Cleopatra VIICleopatraLast Queen of the Ptolemaic Dynasty of Ancient Egypt, the Last Major Hellenistic Monarch of the Classical Mediterranean

⛵Hernán CortésSpanish Conquistador, Vanguard of the Colonial Conquest That Overthrew the Aztec Empire

⛰️Francisco PizarroSpanish Conquistador, Vanguard of the Colonial Conquest That Overthrew the Inca Empire

🚢Zheng HeMing Navigator, Who Made Seven Voyages and Pioneered the Largest Oceangoing Feat of Antiquity

🦅Montezuma IILast Emperor of the Aztec Empire, the Ruler at the Coming of the Spanish Conquistadors

👑AtahualpaLast Emperor of the Inca Empire, Captured and Executed by the Spanish Conquistadors

🦁Sundiata KeitaFounding Monarch of the Mali Empire, the Legendary Founder-Hero of the West African "Epic of Sundiata"

⚔️Julius CaesarJulius CaesarThe man who ended the Roman Republic, a genius of war, politics, and letters

🔥NeroNeroRome’s most infamous tyrant, the emperor who "fiddled" as Rome burned

🏛️TrajanTrajanOne of the "Five Good Emperors," who pushed Rome to its greatest extent

🧱HadrianHadrianThe "traveling emperor" who rebuilt the Pantheon and built a wall

☧Constantine the GreatConstantine the GreatThe first Christian emperor, who carried Christianity from persecution toward state faith

Those Who Set the World Down in WritingScholars & Explorers20Mathematicians, historians, travelers — without them a civilization would have no memory of itself

🏛️ImhotepAncient Egyptian Architect and Physician, the First Architect Recorded by Name in Human History

📜Sun TzuMaster SunMilitary Strategist of the Spring and Autumn Period, Author of The Art of War

🔢Al-KhwarizmiPersian Mathematician, the Origin of the Name "Algebra"

🧭Ibn BattutaMoroccan Traveler, One of the Farthest-Traveled Travelers in Pre-Modern History

📖Ban ZhaoEastern Han Female Historian, the First Woman Historian Clearly Recorded in Chinese History

🌍Zhang HengEastern Han Scientist and Man of Letters, Inventor of the Seismoscope

🕉️AryabhataAncient Indian Astronomer and Mathematician, One of the Key Figures in Systematizing the Concept of "Zero"

📚PaniniAncient Indian Linguist, Systematic Founder of Sanskrit Grammar

✒️FerdowsiPersian Poet, Author of the National Epic the Shahnameh

📗Ibn KhaldunArab Historian, Hailed as a Forerunner of Sociology and the Philosophy of History

🔭Guo ShoujingYuan Dynasty Astronomer and Hydraulic Engineer, Compiler of the Shoushi Calendar

🗺️Al-IdrisiArab Geographer, the Most Precise Cartographer of the World Map in the Middle Ages

📐HypatiaFemale Mathematician and Philosopher of Alexandria, the Most Outstanding Woman Scholar of Late Antiquity

🛁ArchimedesAncient Greek Mathematician, Physicist, and Inventor, One of the Greatest Scientists of Antiquity

🐪Zhang QianWestern Han Diplomat and Explorer, Pioneer of the Silk Road

🙏XuanzangEminent Tang Monk, Buddhist Translator and Traveler Who Journeyed West for the Scriptures

📏EuclidAncient Greek Mathematician, Author of the Elements, "Father of Geometry"

📜HerodotusAncient Greek Historian, "Father of History"

📖Sima QianWestern Han Historian, Author of the Annals-Biography General History the Records of the Grand Historian, "Father of Chinese History"

🌌PtolemyAstronomer and Geographer of Alexandria, the Great Synthesizer of the Geocentric System

One Legend Remembered for LifeSmall Roles, Famous Names13Little screen time, but their stories long since crossed civilizations and passed down the ages

👑NefertitiQueen of the Egyptian New Kingdom, Who With Her Husband Carried Out a Religious Reform

⚱️TutankhamunBoy Pharaoh of the Egyptian New Kingdom, Famed for the Intact Excavation of His Tomb

🦁GilgameshLegendary King of Uruk in Sumer, the Hero of the Epic of Gilgamesh

📜EnheduannaAkkadian Princess and High Priestess, the First Author Recorded by Name in Human History

💎The Queen of ShebaThe Legendary Woman Ruler of the Arabian Peninsula / East Africa Who Visited King Solomon

⚔️BoudicaQueen of the Celtic Iceni Tribe of Britain, Leader of the Revolt Against Roman Rule

🛡️VercingetorixChief of the Gallic Arverni Tribe, Leader Who United the Gallic Tribes Against Caesar’s Conquest

⛓️SpartacusAncient Roman Gladiator, Leader of the Great Slave Revolt Against the Roman Republic

🏜️ZenobiaQueen of Palmyra, an Eastern Woman Ruler Who Briefly Stood Independent Against the Roman Empire

🐘The Trung SistersTrung Trac and Trung NhiSister Leaders of an Ancient Vietnamese Revolt Against the Chinese Han Dynasty

🗡️Rani LakshmibaiThe Queen of JhansiQueen of the Indian Princely State of Jhansi, an Important Leader of the 1857 Indian Rebellion

🕌Harun al-RashidCaliph of the Abbasid Dynasty, a Symbol of the Baghdad Heyday of the Islamic "Golden Age"

✝️EzanaKing of the Kingdom of Aksum, One of the Earliest African Monarchs to Convert to Christianity