The Collector Surveys Eight Ancient Armies, from Qin Conscription to Attila's Cavalry
The Collector released a historical analysis that ranks eight ancient military forces. Leading the rankings is the Qin Dynasty from the 3rd century BC, boasting an army of up to 1,000,000 soldiers. Next is the Han Dynasty (141–87 BC) with a force of 600,000–700,000, followed by the Mauryan Empire (322–185 BC) at over 600,000. The Gupta Empire (3rd–6th century AD) had more than 500,000 troops, while the Roman Empire (2nd–3rd century AD) fielded between 450,000 and 500,000. The Achaemenid Persian Empire (5th–4th century BC) had 120,000–300,000, the Nanda Empire (4th century BC) boasted over 225,000, and the Hunnic Empire (5th century AD) had over 100,000. Notable military tactics included conscription, merit-based systems, and specialized cavalry.
Key facts
- The Collector published a survey of eight ancient armies, led by the Qin Dynasty with up to 1,000,000 troops.
- The Han Dynasty under Wudi (141–87 BC) fielded 600,000–700,000 men and used military agricultural colonies.
- Megasthenes estimated the Mauryan army at 600,000 infantry, 30,000 cavalry, 9,000 chariots, and 8,000 war elephants.
- The Roman Empire under Septimius Severus had 450,000–500,000 soldiers, with a 20,000-strong Praetorian Guard.
- Modern historians estimate the Achaemenid Persian army at 120,000–300,000 men, rejecting Herodotus's million-man figure.
- Alexander the Great withdrew from India partly because of the Nanda army's 200,000 infantry and 3,000 war elephants.
- Attila the Hun commanded at least 100,000 men, and DNA analysis links the Huns to the Xiongnu who fled China in AD 91.
- The Gupta Empire (3rd–6th century AD) had about 500,000 infantry, 50,000 cavalry, and 10,000 war elephants.
Entities
Artists
- Qin Shi Huang
- Wudi
- Megasthenes
- Chandragupta II
- Gaius Marius
- Septimius Severus
- Herodotus
- Thucydides
- Xerxes I
- Alexander the Great
- Attila the Hun
- Hyun Jun Kim
- Marco Dente
- Claude Vignon
Institutions
- The Collector
- Qin Dynasty
- Han Dynasty
- Mauryan Empire
- Gupta Empire
- Roman Empire
- Achaemenid Empire
- Nanda Empire
- Hunnic Empire
- Xiongnu
- Shunga Dynasty
- Praetorian Guard
- Immortal Guard
- UNESCO
- Wikimedia Commons
- Gansu Provincial Museum
- National Gallery of Art
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Pergamon Museum
- British Museum
- University of Oxford Press
- PNAS
- Warfare History Network
- World History
Locations
- China
- Rome
- India
- Persia
- Greece
- Ferghana
- Uzbekistan
- Yellow Sea
- Central Asia
- Europe
- Balkans
- Mediterranean
- Middle East
- Eurasia
- Chalons
- Berlin
- Washington
- Gansu