# The greatest civilizations of the ancient world

From Mesopotamia to the Nile, from the Indus to Mesoamerica: the civilizations that produced writing, cities, laws and monuments. Which was the most fascinating?

- 54 votes · 15 items
- Aug 18, 2018 · muenchenpixel
- https://even.best/en/l/2198/the-greatest-civilizations-of-the-ancient-world

## Top 15

1. **Sumerians** (6 · ▲6 ▼0) — The first cities, like Uruk and Ur, and cuneiform writing.
2. **Minoans** (5 · ▲5 ▼0) — The palace culture of Knossos on Crete.
3. **Ancient Egypt** (4 · ▲5 ▼1) — Pyramids, hieroglyphs and three thousand years of pharaohs on the Nile.
4. **Babylonians** (4 · ▲4 ▼0) — The Code of Hammurabi and the city of Babylon.
5. **Hittites** (4 · ▲4 ▼0) — Ironworking and one of the first peace treaties.
6. **Assyrians** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — A great empire with capitals such as Nineveh.
7. **Mycenaeans** (2 · ▲3 ▼1) — Fortresses and gold in Bronze Age Greece.
8. **Shang dynasty** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Bronzes and the first Chinese characters.
9. **Maya** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Pyramids, calendars and writing in the jungle.
10. **Phoenicians** (1 · ▲2 ▼1) — Seafarers and traders who invented the alphabet we use.
11. **Persian Empire** (1 · ▲2 ▼1) — The Achaemenid Empire, one of the largest of antiquity.
12. **Olmecs** (1 · ▲2 ▼1) — The mother culture of Mesoamerica, with its colossal heads.
13. **Indus Valley Civilisation** (0 · ▲2 ▼2) — Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, with planned cities and drains.
14. **Roman Empire** (0 · ▲1 ▼1) — Law, roads and aqueducts from the Atlantic to the East.
15. **Ancient Greece** (-3 · ▲0 ▼3) — Democracy, philosophy and theatre.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.