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100 Biggest Cities in the Roman Empire with a Map

With the help of a map, can you name the biggest cities with an estimated population of over 22,000 in the Roman Empire at its peak in 117 AD?
Click on the map to zoom in.
Both historical and modern-day names accepted.
Sources used for population estimates listed in this Pastebin.
Striped territories indicate Parthia under Roman client king Parthamaspates's rule.
Quiz by Dekkie
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Last updated: April 29, 2024
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First submittedJanuary 17, 2022
Times taken4,672
Average score35.0%
Rating4.92
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Population
City
1,5M
Roma
(Rome)
400k
Alexandria
250k
Seleucia ad Tigrim
175k
Antiochia ad Orontem
(Antakya)
125k
Memphis
(Mit Rahina)
100k
Carthago
(Qartaj, Tunis)
95k
Athenae
(Athens)
90k
Hatra
70k
Charax Spasinu
(Al-Bubsairy)
65k
Apamea
(Qalaat al-Madiq)
65k
Corinthus
(Corinth)
65k
Leptis Magna
(Al-Khums)
65k
Pergamum
(Bergama)
60k
Lugdunum
(Lyon)
55k
Babylon
(Hillah)
50k
Augustodunum
(Autun)
50k
Ctesiphon
(Salman Pak)
50k
Durocortorum
(Reims)
50k
Ptolemais
(Tolmeita)
50k
Syracusae
(Syracuse)
47k
Smyrna
(İzmir)
45k
Arsinoe
(Faiyum)
44k
Capua
44k
Nicomedia
(İzmit)
43k
Thelepte
(Thélepte)
41k
Nicopolis
(Preveza)
41k
Thysdrus
(El Djem)
40k
Aquincum
(Óbuda, Budapest)
40k
Laodicea ad Mare
(Latakia)
40k
Londinium
(London)
40k
Rhodus
(Rhodes)
40k
Susa
(Shush)
38k
Amida
(Diyarbakır)
37k
Antinoöpolis
(El Sheikh Abada)
Population
City
37k
Caesarea Mauretaniae
(Cherchell)
37k
Carnuntum
(Petronell-Carnuntum)
37k
Ostrakine
36k
Cyzicus
(Erdek)
36k
Samarobriva
(Amiens)
35k
Athribis
(Tell Atrib)
35k
Hadrumetum
(Sousse)
35k
Hermopolis Magna
(El-Ashmunein)
35k
Laodicea ad Lycum
(Eskihisar)
35k
Ostia Antica
(Ostia)
34k
Alesia
(Alise-Sainte-Reine)
34k
Halicarnassus
(Bodrum)
34k
Tanis
(San el-Hagar)
33k
Anazarbus
(Anavarza)
32k
Berenice
(Benghazi)
32k
Brigetio
(Szőny, Komárom)
32k
Poetovio
(Ptuj)
31k
Ephesus
(Selçuk)
30k
Diospolis Magna
(Luxor)
30k
Edessa
(Şanlıurfa)
30k
Mytilene
(Mytilini)
30k
Nicaea
(İznik)
30k
Oxyrhynchus
(El-Bahnasa)
30k
Thessalonica
(Thessaloniki)
30k
Tralles
(Aydın)
30k
Zeugma
(Belkıs)
29k
Narbo Martius
(Narbonne)
28k
Altinum
(Quarto d'Altino)
28k
Augusta Treverorum
(Trier)
28k
Catana
(Catania)
28k
Heracleopolis Magna
(Ihnasya)
28k
Iconium
(Konya)
28k
Nemausus
(Nîmes)
Population
City
28k
Patavium
(Padua)
28k
Pelusium
28k
Seleucia Pieria
(Çevlik)
28k
Sicca Veneria
(El Kef)
27k
Erythrae
(Ildır)
27k
Syene
(Aswan)
26k
Alexandria Troas
(Dalyan)
26k
Antiochia ad Pyramum
(Karataş)
26k
Apulum
(Alba Iulia)
26k
Arbela
(Erbil)
26k
Bubastis
(Zagazig)
26k
Burdigala
(Bordeaux)
26k
Damascus
26k
Emesa
(Homs)
26k
Leptiminus
(Lemta)
26k
Sardis
(Sart)
25k
Caesarea
(Kayseri)
25k
Vindobona
(Vienna)
24k
Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium
(Cologne)
24k
Gortyna
(Gortyn)
23k
Cos
(Kos)
23k
Nuceria Alfaterna
(Nocera Superiore)
23k
Parium
(Kemer)
23k
Rusicade
(Skikda)
22k
Ancyra
(Ankara)
22k
Beroea
(Aleppo)
22k
Hibis
(Kharga)
22k
Hierapytna
(Ierapetra)
22k
Messene
(Mavromati)
22k
Neapolis
(Naples)
22k
Nisibis
(Nusaybin)
22k
Ptolemais Hermiou
(Al Mansha)
22k
Puteoli
(Pozzuoli)
Dekkie
+2
Level 55
Sep 11, 2023
So, this quiz needed a bit of an update due to some missing cities on here. Most notably some in the short-lived eastern provinces and vassal, but also Amfipoli and Cádiz.

Some new sources include:

Ancient Charax Spasinou (Iraq) - Interpreting a multi-phase city - At 700 ha, this is a very large city. It's also a relatively newly excavated site (2016). Due to this, a safer population density of 100/ha was used.

Modernization Theory and House Garden Transformation; Erbil City as Case Study - For Arbela. Approximately 125 ha in size during the second stage. A population density of 200/ha was used.

Dekkie
+2
Level 55
Sep 11, 2023
Wikipedia - Susa - This city was 400 ha in size. A population density of 100/ha was used for this occupied Parthian city.
Angbo
+4
Level 65
Jan 25, 2022
Amazing!
Dekkie
+1
Level 55
Jan 25, 2022
Thanks!
Fianchetto
+2
Level 73
Jan 24, 2023
I only got any from reading Acts...
FreeStater
+2
Level 67
Jan 24, 2023
A hundred cities and they never dip below 24k... in 117 AD... geez.
Dekkie
+4
Level 55
Jan 24, 2023
That's the Roman era for you. With the Germanic invasions in Europe later on, the continent would be absolutely devastated with most cities dipping way below the figures here and would not recover for centuries on end.
Thorvald
+1
Level 69
Jan 24, 2023
I am a bit surprised that Jerusalem didn't make it. Also, without a map, I would guess that some Geek and Pheonician colonies would be here (eg. Massilia/Marseille, Malaca/Malaga). And finally, it turns out that Lutetia/Paris was not as crowdy as according to Asterix :D
Dekkie
+4
Level 55
Jan 24, 2023
Jerusalem was in ruins at Roman peak territorial expansion. The city was destroyed in 70 AD after quelling a Jewish rebellion and wouldn't be restored until 130 AD.

Surprisingly those colonies were pretty sparsely populated in comparison to other cities. Massilia sitting at around 15k while Malaca was relatively small at 3k.

Lutetia was never actually that major under the Romans and would sit at approximately 8k inhabitants.

Frederick3
+2
Level 56
Mar 14, 2023
I also guessed Lutetia based off of Asterix, lol
overtired
+2
Level 84
Sep 17, 2023
Aw man, I've been to Ephesus and forgot about it. Amazing place.

(I've also been to Argos, but mostly just for cheap toasters and stuff.)

Dekkie
+1
Level 55
Sep 17, 2023
I went to Paphos in Cyprus not too long ago, which is not on this list, but was still a relative large city which was estimate to have hosted about 20,000 people at its peak.

Very impressive ruins, including lots of mosaics, houses, a theatre and even part of the old town walls.

Relox84
+1
Level 70
Sep 17, 2023
Can we have Evreux accepted or Le-Vieil-Evreux?
PeregrineFalcon
+1
Level 76
Apr 29, 2024
Great quiz. Could you accept Nicea?
Dekkie
+1
Level 55
Apr 29, 2024
Thanks! This should work now.
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