500 CE (Superpowers)

These Historical Statistics are a detailed collection facts and data taken from the state of the world and its nation in the year 500 AD (1253 AUC). Many of the numerical figures are wide approximations with some even serving only as a basic guideline. These tables serve to give a better understanding of the world at that time period, its major players, the alliances, and the distribution of the world's wealth.

World Statistics

 * World Population: 365 Million Inhabitants
 * Total Area: 148.9 Million km2
 * Population Density: 2.45 inhb/km2
 * Life Expectancy: 27 years
 * Gender
 * Men: 24 years
 * Women: 32 years
 * Highest Elevation: 8,850 m (Mt. Everest)

Axum Empire

 * Capital: Axum
 * Population: 29 Million
 * Percentage of World Total Population: 7.9%
 * Total Area: 1,050,000 km2
 * Percentage of World Total Area: 0.7%
 * Population Density: 27.6 inhb./km2
 * GDP: 2,560,000,000 Dn
 * Life Expectancy: 29 years
 * Official Language: Ge'ez
 * State Religion: Roman Christianity (95%)
 * Head of State: King ZQWS (Zaqahwas)
 * Religious Head: Pope Gelasius I (in Rome)
 * Legislature: Council of the Great King

Axum Military Statistics

 * Men fit for military service: 10 Million
 * Total Armed Forces: 740,000 Soldiers
 * Total Ground Forces: 190,000 Soldiers
 * Total Naval Forces: 550,000 Crewmen
 * Border Fortifications: Nubian Wall; Somali Wall

Rankings

 * Wealth: 5th
 * Production: 7th
 * Population: 7th
 * Area: 10th
 * Advancement: 6th
 * Human Development: 4th
 * Military: 8th

Roman Empire

 * Capital: Rome
 * Population: 166.5 Million Inhabitants
 * Citizenship: 68 Million Citizens (40.8%)
 * Percentage of World Total Population: 45.6%
 * Total Area: 5.8 Million km2
 * Percentage of World Total Area: 3.9%
 * Population Density: 2.36 inhb/km2
 * Life Expectancy: 38 years
 * By Gender
 * Men: 35 years
 * Women: 41 years
 * By Order
 * Senatorial: 58 years
 * Equestrian: 52 years
 * Middle-Class Plebeian: 48 years
 * Lower-Class Plebeian: 32 years
 * Slave: 28 years
 * Urbanization: 42-48%
 * Literacy Rate: 67%
 * Head of State: Emperor Periclius
 * Religious Head: Pope Gelasius I
 * Legislature: Curia Romana
 * Senate Seats: 900

Roman Population Statistics

 * Ethnicities:
 * Roman/Roman-Mix: 45 Million people (27%)
 * Slaves (Various): 42 Million slaves (25.2%)
 * Greek: 23 Million people (13.8%)
 * Celts: 17 Million people (10.2%)
 * Phoenician: 16 Million people (9.6%)
 * Aegyptian: 13 Million people (7.8%)
 * Dacian: 6 Million people (3.6%)
 * Semitic: 5 Million people (3%)
 * Persian: 4 Million people (2.4%)
 * Germanic: 4 Million people (2.4%)
 * Other (Syrian, Lydian, African): 25 Million people (15%)
 * Religions:
 * Roman Christianity: 136 Million people (81.7%)
 * Graeco-Roman Polytheism: 15 Million people (9%)
 * "Heretical" Christian: 8 Million people (4.8%)
 * Judaism: 4 Million people (2.4%)
 * Other: 3.5 Million people (2.1%)
 * Languages: (Note that people can speak more than one language)
 * Latin: 113 Million people (67.9%)
 * Greek: 54 Million people (32.4%)
 * Phoenician: 20 Million people (12%)
 * Coptic: 18 Million people (10.8%)
 * Aramaic: 10 Million people (6%)
 * Brythonic: 9 Million people (5.4%)
 * Syriac: 8 Million people (4.8%)
 * Gaulish: 6 Million people (3.6%)
 * Goidelic: 5 Million people (3%)
 * Hebrew: 4 Million people (2.4%)
 * Parsik: 4 Million people (2.4%)
 * Other: 50 Million people (30%)
 * Social Orders
 * Senatorial Order: 900 Senators
 * Upper Class: 9,800 people
 * Equestrian Order: 1,600,000 Equites or 1% of the population
 * Middle-Class Plebeian: 50 Million Plebs or 30% of the population
 * Lower-Class Plebeians: 93.5 Million Plebs or 56.2% of the population
 * Slaves: 42 Million Servi or 25.2% of the population

Roman Military Statistics

 * Men considered fit for military service: 60 Million
 * Total Armed Forces: 1,215,000 Soldiers
 * The Legion:
 * Total Stationed Soldiers (for defense): 400,000-450,000 Soldiers
 * Total Mobile Ground Forces: 652,600 Soldiers
 * Roman Legion: 204,800 Legionaries in 32 Legions
 * Ballistarii: 11,520 Artillerymen in 32 Legions and 1,200 Doctores Ballistarii
 * Commanders: 2,290 Centurions (up to General rank)
 * Auxilia: 360,000 Comensati
 * Legionary Archers: 76,800 Sagittae
 * Cabellica: 10,000 Equites
 * Classis: 120,000-160,000 Crewmen
 * Undefended Land Borders: 0 km
 * Unsupervised Sea Borders: 0 km
 * Border Fortifications: Wall of Dacia; Great Judean Wall; Wall of the River Vistula; Berber Wall; Wall of Mauretania; Cimbrian Wall; Aegyptian Wall; Bosporus Sea Wall

Roman Foreign Relations
(All Vassals and Allies are trade partners)
 * Foederati (Vassal States): Kingdom of Armenia; Kingdom of Nobatia; Bosporian City-States; Ghassān
 * Allies: Axum Empire; Frankish Union (until 501)
 * Trade Partners: Gupta Empire; Sassanid Persia; Himyarite Kingdom; Berber Tribes; Kadamabas Dynasty; Moriyan Kingdom; Arab Tribes; Qi Empire
 * Historic Enemies: Sassanid Persia; Berber Tribes; Jutes; Garamantian Tribes

Roman Wealth (for 500 AD)
(All values below are approximations)
 * 1 Denarius (Dn) = $25 US
 * Silver Content: 70%
 * 180-1066 CE: 1 Dn = $15-45 US
 * GDP: 37,765,950,000 Dn ($944,148,750,000)
 * Government Income: 13,400,680,000 Dn ($335,017,000,000)
 * Taxes: 5,440,680,000 Dn ($136,017,000,000)
 * Trade: 3,670,000,000 Dn ($91,750,000,000)
 * Government Businesses: 4,290,000,000 Dn ($107,250,000,000)
 * Government Expenditure: 7,285,951,000 Dn ($182,148,775,000)
 * Civic Repairs: 243,000,000 Dn ($6,075,000,000)
 * Naval Expenditure: 852,000,000 Dn ($21,300,000,000)
 * Military Expenditure: 1,707,551,000 Dn ($42,688,775,000)
 * Soldier Wages: 394,551,000 Dn
 * Other Wages (+Praemia): 30,800,000 Dn
 * Repairs (Walls, Equipment, etc.): 1,282,200,000 Dn
 * Construction: 2,488,000,000 Dn ($62,200,000,000)
 * Other Expenditures: 1,995,400,000 Dn ($24,885,000,000)
 * Budget Balance: +6,114,729,000 Dn

Values
(One Dn equal 20 Asses)
 * Income:
 * Yearly Wage for an unskilled laborer - 365 Dn ($9,125)
 * Yearly Wage for a baker - 730 Dn ($18,250) (With cost of supplies deducted)
 * Yearly Wage for a skilled artisan - 1700 Dn ($42,500)
 * Yearly Wage for a teacher - 2100 Dn ($52,000)
 * Yearly Wage for an Auxiliary Soldier - 400 Dn ($10,000)
 * Yearly Wage for a Legionary - 800 Dn ($20,000)
 * Praemia, payment for ending an entire term of service - 5000 Dn ($125,000)
 * Yearly Wage for a Sagitta - 900 Dn ($22,500)
 * Yearly Wage for a Ballistarius - 900 Dn ($22,500)
 * Yearly Wage for a Doctores Ballistarii - 2500 Dn ($62,500)
 * Yearly Wage for an Equestrian Soldier - 10,000 Dn ($250,000)
 * Yearly Wage for a Centurion - 4000-18000 Dn or $100,000-$450,000
 * Yearly Wage for a Dux (General) - 30,000-60,000 Dn or ''$750,000-$1,500,000
 * Yearly Income from a plantation of 100 Slaves - 25000 Dn ($625,000)
 * Yearly Income from a plantation of 500 Slaves - 90000 Dn ($2,250,000)
 * Yearly Income of Gaius Licinius Calvus (owner of 135 plantations) - 7,200,000 Dn ($180,000,000)
 * Yearly Wage for a Macanus (Banker) - 2000 Dn ($50,000)
 * Yearly Wage for a Medicus (Doctor) - 3500 Dn ($87,500)
 * Costs:
 * 1 Tunica - 3.8 Dn ($95)
 * 1 Donkey - 125 Dn ($3,125)
 * 1 Horse - 250 Dn ($6250)
 * 1 Male Slave - 800-2400 Dn or $20,000-$60,000
 * 1 Female Slave - 2000-3000 Dn or $50,000-$75,000
 * 0.5 Liters of Wine - 0.4 Dn ($10)
 * 1 Modius (6.67 kg) of Wheat - 4 Dn ($100)
 * One days worth of bread for one person - 0.4 Dn ($10)
 * 1 Liter of Water - FREE!
 * Small Fishing Boat - 100 Dn ($2500)
 * Light leather shoes - 6 Dn ($150)
 * Silk shoes - 400 Dn ($10,000)
 * 1 Sword - 20 Dn ($500)

Rankings

 * Wealth: 1st
 * Production: 1st
 * Population: 1st
 * Area: 1st
 * Advancement: 3rd
 * Human Development: 2nd
 * Military: 2nd

Sassanid Empire

 * Capital: Ctesiphon
 * Population: 46 Million
 * Percentage of World Total Population: 12.6%
 * Total Area: 4,170,000 km2
 * Percentage of World Total Area: 2.8%
 * Population Density: 11 inhb./km2
 * GDP: 7,320,000,000 Dn
 * Life Expectancy: 24 years
 * Official Language: Parsik
 * State Religion: Zoroastrianism (67.4%)
 * Head of State: King Bahram VII
 * Religious Head: The Mobadan
 * Legislature: Ministry of the Persians

Persian Population Statistics

 * Ethnicities:
 * Persian: 33 Million people (71.7%)
 * Arab: 8 Million people (17.4%)
 * Indian: 2 Million people (4.3%)
 * Semitic: 2 Million people (4.3%)
 * Roman: 0.5 Million people (1.1%)
 * Other: 0.5 Million people (1.1%)
 * Religions:
 * Zoroastrianism: 31 Million people (67.4%)
 * Manichaeism: 7 Million people (15.2%)
 * Greek Polytheism: 4 Million people (8.7%)
 * Judaism: 2 Million people (4.3%)
 * Roman Christianity: 1 Million people (2.2%)
 * Other: 1 Million people (2.2%)
 * Languages:
 * Parsik: 36 Million people (78.3%)
 * Arabic: 10 Million people (21.7%)
 * Latin: 7 Million people (15.2%)
 * Indian Languages: 6 Million people (13%)
 * Greek: 6 Million people (13%)
 * Aramaic: 3 Million people (3.3%)
 * Social Orders:
 * Bozorgan (Nobles): 300,000 people
 * Atorbanan (Priests): 600,000 people
 * Arteshtaran (Warriors): 2 Million people (4.3%)
 * Dabiran (Secretaries): 14 Million people (30.4%)
 * Vasteryoshan-Hootkheshan (Laborers): 29 Million people (63%)

Persian Military Statistics

 * Men fit for military service: 19 Million
 * Total Armed Forces: 917,000 Soldiers
 * Total Ground Forces: 807,000 Soldiers
 * Paighan Light Infantry: 320,000 Soldiers
 * Dailamite Heavy Infantry: 260,000 Soldiers
 * Clibanarii: 75,000 Horsemen
 * Azatan: 140,000 Horsemen
 * War Elephants: 6,000 Elephants (2 riders)
 * Total Naval Forces: 110,000 Crewmen
 * Border Fortifications: Armenian Wall; East Arabian Wall; Wall of the White Huns

Rankings

 * Wealth: 7th
 * Production: 6th
 * Population: 5th
 * Area: 5th
 * Advancement: 7th
 * Human Development: 5th
 * Military: 3rd

Back to Timeline or Superpowers