Greatest Empires

This is my first post on this board and it comes in the form of a question. I found this posted on a board the other day. and would like you al lwho are real history buffs to comment on this. I didn't write it. I'd just like to here your comments both positive or negative. To me it sounds a bit strange.

5- The Greeks---Their technological, philisophical, and patriotic demeanors were the the catalyst that sent the word from the Bronze age into the age of enlightenment and of human istinct to conquor completely. Their empire was short lived...about 80 years. The Greeks quickly fell into the pelobneisian wars after Alexanders death..and were then routed by the Carthaginians with ease. But they did unite many cultures in the form of trade and technology transfers. This escalated the advance of man...and was the forerunner for even a greater empire to come

#4- The Ottoman Empire (Islam)---This Empire is the Most Intriguing to me. It evolved from a stunning phenomena...Islam. Despite the millions lost first in their wars with christdom. And then the massive defeats over centuries to the superior Mongols...the faith and their design remained in tact. The design of Islam is world domination. It was then, and it is now. It is a methodical beast...and deserves much respect. Anyway, as the Mongol Empire receded...the Arab armies quickly took advantage of vacated lands. Most call them the Ottoman Turks....but it actually gained its power from the Adriatic. They sent trade deep into Africa...They created the slave trade that supplied the New World and much of Asia...And their Alchamies and even philisophical process was to be admired.

#3- The British Empire...Maybe the most unlikely of them all. A small Island surrounded by hostile oceans and a myriad of capable foes with similar designs A nation that was rubbing sticks together to make fire when the Greeks were transfering mathmatical equasions with India and China. But as Darwin has eluded too.... a harsh climate builds tough people..and with the intervention of Rome.....The Brits came to enlightenment. The foremost element to their success was the logical venue of naval activity for an island nation....and boy!! they were, and still might be be the best. Their incursions into the Mongol occupied New World eventually resulted into the greatest civilazation ever created...(The Untided states)...The also brought enlightenment to India. They created the thriving nation of Australia. And unlike Spanish and French colonailists...they cultured thriving societies that still endure today.

2- The Mongols....Hands down..the greatest military the world has ever encountered. These once equalivilant to the Souix nation from the steppes of Asia within 50 years doubled the size of the Roman Empire. They would attack great civilazations being outnumbered 4 to 1, and never had doubt of victory. . They created the rifle and the cannon. They maintaned the greatest feat of humankind for 200 years...the mighty "silk road" The passive enterprise from China to europe. In fact..the concept of "Police" came from the Mongol dilligence of the Silk road. Their Empire spread from the Kamchaka coastline to Germany. and south through India and then again west to the Gates of Constananople. And if not for tribute from the Byzantines and the Black death in Europe...well there would be a whole lot of you lilly white Euro based decendents...that would look a whole lot like Frosty right now...Poor bastards... FPRIVATE "TYPE=PICT;ALT=Grin"

1- Its all about Rome!!!...1500 years in existance...even though the last 900 were in decline and survival mode...enough said!!...The Egyptians had and lost 3 empires in that time period. As in the previous great civilazations mentioned...and according to human instinct...Its all about how one conducts itself in the art of war. Man is innately a warlike creature. The strong will always dominate the weak. This is an instinct of our species...and Rome excelled at this basic human trait. They first assimilated the Greek form of government. They then developed a superior military that basically was unmatched from the time they spent 200 years defeating the mighty Carthaginians....about 50 BC....to when the Huns arrived in the mid 5th century AD. There never has been an enduring dominance like this. It is Rome that spread knowledge into Europe.....If not...they would still be rubbing sticks to make fire as of today. It was Rome that was the conduit of knowledge that has created the modern world we live int today. Just to clear things up...The Visigoths and Vandals sacked rome in 411 AD. The Huns conquored Italy about 40 years later. Gaul fell to Attila and was retaken by Rome in 453...but was so weakened...that they receded all the way back. In actuaulity....and is amazing...the empire founded by Rome!!!....lost Rome and all west and north and south...but still survived as a powerfull entity...known as the Byzantines...simply incredible

 Persian Empire - Achaemenid dynasty 648bc - 330bc

i dont think there is a proper or accurate list for "greatest empire"

it all depends on what greatness you are talking about?

size?

wealth?

power at its time?

achievements?

influence?

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you mentioned the Greek and forgot the persians and the Egyptian and the mesopotamians and the chinese.....

you mentioned the Ottomans and forgot the Seljuks and the Abbasides and the Umayyads....etc

 agian i dont think there will ever be an accurate list about Greatness unless you specify exactly what side of greatness are you comparing.

it isnt always the case the largest is the richest or the infuental one.

for example the Mongol didnt have any effect on anybody, the ones ruled china became chinese, the one ruled cenetral Aisa became turk, the ones ruled Persia became persians.

not much achievements really.

of course it's just one person's opinion.

I personally don't see how anyone could draw up a list of empires (in no particular order) and not have the Persian empire included; and I'm not just saying this because I am a Persian!

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Cyrus the Great founded the second Iranian dynasty, the Achaemenids, and first world Empire, by uniting the two original Iranian Tribes- the Medes and the Persians, after defeating his grandfather, Astyages sometimes between 559 BC and 549 BC. He entered Ecbatana and, taking over the Median kingdom, began to build the first world empire.

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On the other hand, since when has there been an "Arab Empire"??? Again, I'm not just saying this because I am a Persian!

I don't think China need British to "rise". Chinese dynasties' already "rise in the world" long before England was a kingdom.

Problem with these kind of imperial comparasions is that they are often culturally biased. And most of lists we saw above are Western-oriented, but at the same time the world was never the size what Roman onced believed.

If the Greek and Rome laid the fundation of the Western culture, then Spring&Atumn and QinHan dynasties laid the fundation of the Eastern culture. In similiar degree, Persian or Islamic legacies are shared amount the Middle-East countries.

We are still living under the shadows of great empires. And in my opinion, Han and Rome probably were the two that cast their shadow furthest.