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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 25,000 in the Roman Empire at its peak in 117 AD?
Click on the map to zoom in.
Population figures (mostly) according to these datasets by Scott Ortman and John Hanson, 3000 Years of Urban Growth by Tertius Chandler and Gerald Fox, 4000 Years of Urban Growth: An Historical Census by Tertius Chandler. Other city populations calculated according to the size of their historical sites (view list here).
Both historical and modern-day names accepted.
Striped territories indicate Parthia under Roman client king Parthamaspates's rule.
Quiz by Dekkie
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Last updated: September 11, 2023
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First submittedJanuary 17, 2022
Times taken4,582
Average score20.0%
Rating4.92
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Population
Cities
1.0m
Roma
(Rome)
400k
Alexandria
225k
Seleucia ad Tigrim
200k
Antiochia ad Orontem
(Antakya)
150k
Leptis Magna
(Al-Khums)
125k
Caesarea Maritima
(Caesarea)
125k
Memphis
(Mit Rahina)
125k
Ptolemais Hermiou
(El Mansha)
100k
Carthago
(Tunis)
100k
Ctesiphon
(Salman Pak)
85k
Alexandria Troas
(Dalyan)
85k
Syracusae
(Syracuse)
70k
Charax Spasinu
(Al-Bubsairy)
70k
Edessa
(Şanlıurfa)
70k
Ephesus
(Selçuk)
70k
Thessalonica
(Thessaloniki)
65k
Amphipolis
(Amfipoli)
65k
Apamea
(Qalaat al-Madiq)
65k
Corinthus
(Corinth)
65k
Gades
(Cádiz)
65k
Nisibis
(Nusaybin)
60k
Athenae
(Athens)
55k
Agrigentum
(Agrigento)
55k
Babylon
(Hillah)
55k
Laodicea ad Mare
(Latakia)
55k
Pergamum
(Bergama)
55k
Ptolemais
(Tolmeita)
50k
Berytus
(Beirut)
50k
Lugdunum
(Lyon)
48k
Smyrna
(İzmir)
47k
Agedincum
(Sens)
46k
Tegea
45k
Arsinoe
(Faiyum)
44k
Capua
Population
Cities
43k
Narbo Martius
(Narbonne)
43k
Thelepte
(Thélepte)
42k
Nemausus
(Nîmes)
42k
Sicyon
(Sikyona)
42k
Thysdrus
(El Djem)
41k
Augustodunum
(Autun)
41k
Halicarnassus
(Bodrum)
41k
Nicopolis
(Preveza)
40k
Rhodus
(Rhodes)
40k
Susa
(Shush)
38k
Ambianorum
(Amiens)
38k
Caesarea Mauretaniae
(Cherchell)
37k
Antinoöpolis
(Minya)
37k
Edessa
37k
Hermopolis Magna
(Tall al-Ashmunein)
37k
Londinium
(London)
35k
Athribis
(Tell Atrib)
35k
Autricum
(Chartres)
35k
Byzantium
(Istanbul)
35k
Demetrias
(Volos)
35k
Hadrumetum
(Sousse)
35k
Ostia Antica
(Ostia)
34k
Anazarbus
(Dilekkaya)
34k
Ancyra
(Ankara)
34k
Nicomedia
(İzmit)
34k
Sardis
(Sart)
34k
Zeugma
(Belkıs)
33k
Berenice
(Benghazi)
33k
Tanis
(Tell Abu Seifa)
31k
Gisacum
(Le Vieil-Évreux)
31k
Megara
31k
Samos
(Chora)
31k
Samosata
(Samsat)
Population
Cities
31k
Scythopolis
(Beit She'an)
30k
Amastris
(Amasra)
30k
Argos
30k
Beroea
(Aleppo)
30k
Erythrae
(Ildır)
30k
Hatra
30k
Iader
(Zadar)
30k
Maronea
(Maroneia)
30k
Oxyrhynchus
(Al-Bahnasa)
29k
Altinum
(Altino)
29k
Panticapaeum
(Kerch)
29k
Pella
28k
Augusta Treverorum
(Trier)
28k
Catana
(Catania)
28k
Damascus
28k
Heracleopolis Magna
(Ihnasia)
28k
Patavium
(Padua)
28k
Sicca Veneria
(El Kef)
28k
Syene
(Aswan)
27k
Aphroditopolis
(Aftih)
27k
Paestum
26k
Bubastis
(Zagazig)
26k
Mediolanum Santorum
(Saintes)
26k
Tarquinii
(Tarquinia)
25k
Arbela
(Erbil)
25k
Cyrene
(Shahhat)
25k
Gortyna
(Gortyn)
25k
Hibis
(Kharga)
25k
Intaranum
(Entrains-sur-Nohain)
25k
Mantinea
(Mantineia)
25k
Palmyra
(Tadmur)
25k
Puteoli
(Pozzuoli)
25k
Uthina
(Mornag)
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 66
Jan 24, 2023
A hundred cities and they never dip below 24k... in 117 AD... geez.
Dekkie
+2
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
+3
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
+1
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?
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