Great Empires You Never Met

Czech Republic, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. 

Originally posted by ArmenianSurvival I read somewhere that most Chinese love the Han Dynasty, and even call themseves Han. Correct me if im wrong.

If you are talking about millitary power, perhaps Han Dynasty would be slightly stronger than Tang. The majority ethnic group of China call ourselves Han because the Han Dynasty had built up our privilege and proud as a superpower in the world that was known to the Chinese people at that time. And Han Dynasty existed for more than 4 centuries. Her influence was everlasting.

But  with regard to the diversity of culture, degree of prosperity, openess of the society and the living standard of the common people, Tang must be at the top among all the dynasties in the history of imperial China. Just take two examples to show how the Chinese people love Tang Dynasty. (1)There is a very popular dancing drama name "Back To Tang Dynasty in Dream", which is often taken by the Chinese government as entertainment for the foreign official visitors coming to China.  (2) In Chinese, we call all the oversea China Towns as "Tang People's Town".

Sometimes I  think the Chinese people's attitude toward Han and Tang was somewhat similar with what the westerners treat the ancient Rome and Greece, though that may not be a very accurate comparison.

Edited by oodog

If you ask Chinese this question, I bet over 70% people would say "Tang Dynasty at its height".

Constantine:

Unintended consequences are often the most profound.

Greece at any point in history would be great. The world at the turn of the first millenium CE was quite exciting everywhere and I would love to visit anywhere during this period. However, I would be most interested in seeing Byzantium in its second glory and the Song who had just invented gunpowder.

China, all ethnies (empires or not) of Black Africa, pre-Hellenic Crete, the ancient culture of Vila Nova de Sao Pedro in Portugal. 

Don't mention it.
But as I suspect that you like Leonidas, why don't you make a little diversion and, after landing in Athens, go to Marathon to see it first hand? It is quite close.

Don't go there in the middle of summer, if you can't take the heat.
Usually the mid-summer temp is more than 35*C. If you want to be able to go around without getting a heat exhaustion, I suggest May or September.

2 summers ago I did a tour-de-Peloponnisos in late July and believe me, after the 4th day I didn't want to continue the trip. Too hot. I went on only because I wanted to show things to my girlfriend, but even she gave up after a while, and we spent the last 2 days of the trip in a beautiful beach outside Pylos, called Voidokilia, staying all day in the water.


Edited by Menippos

Mexico

though I'm most likely going there next year

Strange question but I think relavent to most of us.  Is there a political entity that ever existed in history or a place you really like to read about and tend to favor that you have never been to that you like anyway?

As you know Im a big fan of Nubia yet I have never been there.  I tend to also have an undying love for the Venetian Republic despite never having been to Venice or not being Italian.  I really like the modern day Netherlands despite never having been there anyway, and I would die for the Iroquois League despite the fact it no longer exists.

Obviously my first interest is the steppe, but having now been too 3 steppe nations I cant say Ive never been to it.