Greatest Ancient Dynasties - Version 2.0

Watch the original version:
• Greatest Ancient Dynas...
Other videos in this series:
Greatest European Dynasties - • Greatest European Dyna...
Greatest Asian Dynasties - • Greatest Asian Dynasti...
Greatest African Dynasties - • Greatest African Dynas...
Narration by Matt Baker:
usefulcharts.com/
Animation by Syawish Rehman:
/ @almuqaddimahyt
Audio Editing by Jack Rackam:
/ @jackrackam
Intro music "Lord of the Land" by Kevin MacLeod and licensed under Creative Commons Attribution license 4.0. Available from incompetech.com

[@UsefulCharts]

Many viewers were disappointed with my previous video on this topic so I decided to redo it! Let me know which version you like better.

[@yanstein8464]

i think this one is better because it's way more consistent with the previous three videos

[@bakthihapuarachchi3447]

This

[@lakshmipraveen8734]

Thank you so much. I liked both the Videos. -Fan of Achaemenid Empire

[@eyuin5716]

This list is far superior to your last one.

[@superpowerdragon]

this video is definitely better than the previous one, much appreciate to your work

[@fraso7331]

While I prefer Version 2.0, I think the best thing is, you did both. It shows how different it can get if criteria are used instead of just asking experts, which dynastie they would prefer. So both versions together are among the best history-content on KZbin, when it comes to short, but informative.

[@Lord_Raymund]

Well wouldn’t call all those channels experts.

[@payrysdoscs4903]

Yesss I agree

[@nigelchemlover273]

@@Lord_Raymund it's not just KZbin channels. It's the actual experts that do it as well. Everybody picks and chooses favorites. They are no different because they are human too.

[@SaudiHaramco]

"people didn't like that the criteria weren't clear.. this time only hereditary monarchies" "1st entry: an unknown speculative dynasty that might have existed.." lol

[@UsefulCharts]

What can I say? I'm a born rule-breaker.

[@cleopatraviiqueenofegypt159]

It was unexpected to say the least

[@Lord_Raymund]

History is not about inclusivity, that is why wars were fought back then.

[@sanexpreso2944]

@@UsefulCharts inca royal family pls

[@MAP2023]

@@sanexpreso2944 Yes, but the Incas were modern, not ancient. Soon.

[@KeXLim]

I feel that one of the Han dynasty’s greatest achievements is to embed in the Chinese psyche the concept of China as a single political and cultural entity, and the Chinese as a single ethnic identity. The Qin may have pioneered the idea, but it was the Han who made it take root in the minds of the people and become a lasting reality. So lasting in fact that this idea is just as strong today as it was 2,000 years ago. That’s no small feat.

[@riser7795]

yea, it is this concept together with the mandate of heaven that causes China to become whole again whenever it breaks apart numerous times throughout its history. Without it, China would probably be what Europe is today, being made up of many smaller countries.

[@Numero103]

@@riser7795 that would have been more so if European powers go their way with it like they did with Africa, but I guess you can say they did sort of as china is kind of divided up to day by tiny bit due to modern politics

[@SkepticalChris]

The Qin Dynasty should have been included, certainly if the video included Alexander's dynasty. The Qin Dynasty's vast unification efforts including not just the military unification but also that of standardizing Chinese script, measurements, weights, and implementing the first mass bureaucracy in China. Quite literally, everything the Han dynasty did, the Qin did first.

[@klyanadkmorr]

And kinda fascist like all groups cementing themselves as OTHER BETTER & SPESHAL SUPERIOR THEREFORE SHOULD DOMINATE & RULE! yay humanity

[@halleyconjecture]

chinese identity as a political and cultural unity exist only after qianlong reign, I think what you mean is Han identity as an ethnic group

[@andrewparker1622]

Honestly, the best thing is that you listened to people's thoughts and problems with the first video and actually took them to heart. Way too many people would have either moved on or gotten angry at criticism

[@cleopatraviiqueenofegypt159]

Thank you so much Matt for taking our views into consideration not many KZbinrs would do that. I must say this one is faruch better and I agree with most of ur choices. Again ur effort is appreciated.

[@cleopatraviiqueenofegypt159]

*far much better...sorry for the typo

[@enricobonomi9471]

Now you only have to make 10 more lists with different criteria each. You know we'll watch them all

[@HistoryExplained]

I love this new series on ancient history! Keep ‘em coming! 🔥

[@meep3035]

You got a cool channel too

[@HistoryExplained]

@@meep3035 thank you :)

[@AskiatheGreat64]

@@HistoryExplained Yeah, you really do, hopefully you would make a video about Taharqa one day!

[@AskiatheGreat64]

@@HistoryExplained And King Piankhi.

[@MaximAmadi]

do a 3rd version please, ancient history is too interesting!

[@JayNewberyy]

glad you made a second attempt; with the inclusion of the 'dynasty' of Socratic philosophers my immediate thought was that (if this kind of dynasty was to be included) that the 'dynasty' of Buddhist teachers across all traditions should be included also - not only because of religious, philosophical, and societal/ethical influence but also because many members of the monastic sangha today can trace the lineage of their instruction directly back to the Buddha (admitting some of that lineage might be deemed legendary or mythical)

[@JulesGoldstein]

It would be interesting to show an overlapping map with all if the empires, sort of a Venn Diagram of Dynasties. Watching the video, it almost seems like control of the Nile delta is a prerequisite for great empire status.

[@Foogi9000]

The Nile is easily Controllable, Patrollable, and is Fertile.

[@jillianelliss]

IT'S AMAZING YOU'VE DONE THIS FOR YOUR VIEWERS. Thank you, it shows you don't take them for granted. It's hard put together charts like this and takes A LOT of time to research and put these together. Much appreciated. Thank you.

[@lymanbrown-whitehill2884]

This version of the list is much closer to what mine would be. I can't understand leaving off the fourth dynasty of Egypt altogether though. Their contributions in art and architecture have not only endured, they have served as touchstones and inspirations for many successive civilizations. When people think of an impressive building that was constructed by an ancient dynasty, a lot of us think of the great pyramid of Giza. That was also the case *two thousand* years ago, at a time when the Julio-Claudian dynasty didn't even exist yet.

[@Lord_Raymund]

Yeah I agree with you they should at least have gotten the 10th place instead of the dynasty that we don’t actually know much about.

[@giwrgoshmm9430]

there numerous ancient scripts and test that prove the Egyptians found the pyramids already there.. there truly date goes somewhere around 4.000 bc.....

[@OurayTheOwl]

This video is definitely what people were expecting the first time around

[@Illjwamh]

Knew who your top 2 were gonna be right from the start, based on the criteria. Still, a few surprises in the rest of it. Nice work.

[@sinoroman]

Good 2.0 video, was surprised tbh!

[@cadr003]

I like both together because with both you get a comprehensive understanding of ancient empires and their historical accomplishments

[@HistoryandHeadlines]

My pick is the Nerva-Antonine Dynasty for a variety of reasons. Also, although they used adoptive succession, they were nevertheless related in various ways anyway. What would be your top pick and why?

[@user-ew5vj1sl1u]

Hello

[@HistoryandHeadlines]

@@user-ew5vj1sl1u Hello!

[@cleopatraviiqueenofegypt159]

His pick (Julio-Claudian) based on the same argument he uses . It's far much greater than ur pick

[@leonardodavid2842]

Let’s not forget Julio-Claudian dinasty also used adoptive succession. Tiberius and Nero were both adopted. The Nerva-Antonine dinasty adopted emperors which were more distantly related, and took the whishes of the senate into it’s succession decisions, however nontheless, as you say, emperors were distantly related.

[@cleopatraviiqueenofegypt159]

@@leonardodavid2842 but we're more closely related to the dynasty than the Nerva emperors

[@ahheng6402]

Wishing movies are made on these ancient dynasties for history interest out reach. Greetings from Malaysia.

[@songbird7450]

Hollywood would probably butcher that...

[@lenzzzzzzz]

Now we need a list of top 10 non-heretical dynasties list.

[@SethSeht]

Non-heretical ? You mean non-hereditary ?

[@classicepisodesofcrimewatc9971]

I was wondering how the hell heresy was related to dynasties.

[@ryanslearningchannel7427]

Yes!!!

[@mohammediqbal123]

Absolutely brilliant loved it

[@bitkower]

I thought both lists were distinct and well done in their own right. Keep up the good work!

[@ghostflossy2403]

Great content as usual

[@olinayoung6287]

Awesome, thanks!!

[@megusta9268]

love this version props!

[@rockingthemike]

honestly, i enjoyed both for what each is. your content is solid; haters gonna hate.

[@lakshmipraveen8734]

Thank you so much, Even I like before video.

[@barbarossarotbart]

Your first attempt had the major flaw that the youtubers did pick their personal favourites and did not use a well defined set of criteria like you did in this one.

[@JamesWon6]

I like this chart better, thanks for making it

[@chop5388]

Great video

[@defgt432]

Excellent !

[@tomaszdrobny9354]

The first video was promising something and delivered something else almost half of the entries weren't real dynasties. I am do glad that you did this one it id so much better

[@guileniam]

The list is perfect

[@joojishibuki]

This was a great list

[@Tekmirion]

Very good!

[@brunocoliveira89]

I like both versions. The first one was very very interesting to know the reasoning behind each choice and I think philosophers and general dynasties can have equal impact on history than of the ruling monarchies.

[@EeliOo]

I honestly love YOUR videos!! I have to admit that although I liked the first version of this video. When I saw it, I felt like when I saw the series of the jesus, moses and muhammed videos that you did with other channels. I feel that although they might be knowledgeable, they are very biased. I love that you try to be as unbiased as possible and also consider your audience input. Keep it up. I do have to admit I have subscribed to some of those other channels because of you, so thank you!

[@SethTheOrigin]

they aren’t biased

[@snope1970]

What a rock star you are Matt. You are doing God's work with this page.

[@screwthenet]

Hmm interesting...I like the takes this channel does. ^

[@kevinsmith9013]

yea, this list hits all the feels

[@whynot6406]

very well done.

[@ronaldlogan3525]

this is better than the last one that made no sense whatever. I would like to thank UsefulCharts for introducing the other KZbinrs that deal with this subject. nicely done

[@kfiraltberger552]

It takes a lot to come out and say "I was wrong" and I'm glad matt is one of the people able to put useless honor and focus on logic and education. We are all humans, and all make mistakes sometimes. And no, I'm not saying the first version of the top 10 was completely terrifying or didn't deserve to see light. It's just that it was incorrect in a few things, and the new list fixes them. I will say, this video felt like a "what ancient empire was best?" more than "what ancient dynasty was best?" nonetheless- my list is: 1. Han dynasty 2. achaemenids 3. Mauryan- in a time where no one could unify the massive and rich lands of India, the mauryans did better then anyone before them. They brought indian culture a bit more together, or we might have ended up with an india as culturaly diverse as africa or europe. 4. 18th dynasty- ruled for very long, and expanded egypt to its peak. I would argue that today, we wouldn't be as fascinated with egyptian culture, language and mythology, without the help of the 4th, 18th and maybe 19th dynasties. I did limit myself to only use the top 10 you gave, otherwise the 4th dynasty would be here and after it the 18th. 5. Julio claudian- while most influencial probably in roman history, just like the argead, it simply didnt have enough great leaders to speak of, and not enough time as rulers. Although much more then others lower, which explains why they are lower. 6. Neo assyrian- doesn't get the credit it deserves. As you yourself said, they were able to create the first truly military power in history, and ruled for 300 years over a massive territory all around the middile east, the most importent area of that time. I would also argue that without a strong assyrian empire, we probably wouldn't have seen monotheism in the form of judaism, so if you are a jew, christian or muslim, you might want to thank those guys for being good at conquering and banishing people groups. 7. Argead- yes, Alexander's empire was magnificent. He was a wise, strong, ambitios and benevolent leader that conquered most of the known world, and was named pharoh, greek emperor and even a god, as well as a few very importent indian titles. But nonetheless, 2 people isnt a dynasty. Its not even a family tree, its a branch. And if you want to include the other lessimportent kings of macedonia, I would argue this "dynasty" is just like the julio claudian one, only much less importent or strong. And while we are on the subject, I wouldve put the seleucid dynasty somewhere on this list, I would argue it was at least better then the argead one. 8. Gupta- (see explanation for number 10) 9. Nubian dynasty- (see explanation for number 10) 10. Olmecs- honestly, I don't know enough about this one, so i trusted your knowledge and kept them where they are.

[@missrehana3833]

Thanks 💐

[@ismaelbenhayoun2668]

Hi Matt, Thank you for this new great Video. I am a Huge fan of your works and i am very exited to receive an order i did recently for 3 of your Maps (Marrakesh - Morocco). Would be great if we may know anything more than popular info on Darius the Great (wich many believe that is Dhul Qarnain, look at his campaigns "schytian one also"): Please keep going !

[@SethTheOrigin]

he mentioned in his quran video that dhul qarnain was alexander

[@sexydirrtymoney]

This list is so much better!

[@juggermanu]

This one was very cool 👍

[@ladysamxoxo]

I liked both videos, Matt. Both were fascinating. Great work all around!

[@safwabadr4644]

woo hoo Matt you make the coolest videos! I've been waiting for you to make another dynasties video!

[@daviddechamplain5718]

Do we even know if the Olmecs were an empire or kingdom? Certainly their importance as a civilization is huge.

[@cavc94]

I believe they were a bunch of city states which shared culture and maybe language. That was basically the political organization in later years in Mesoamerica so it seems likely that was the olmec organization too. Even when empires were born in the region they only had a loose control over their subjects.

[@ajthelwell6357]

I'm just thankful for the content!

[@IrinaAlexander1]

Great video. Well reasoned, and probably closer to the truth than my own top-pick, which might be heavily biased. I would have personally picked the 18th dynasty for influence on world history, and epic stories )))

[@ruochenlin7994]

Thanks Matt, great content as always! I think two empires deserve honourable mentions: the Hittites, who ruled Anatolia for some 5 centuries (long reign) and had profound influence in ancient near east before the bronze age collapse. Second is the Qin (Ying) dynasty, who was a vassal to the previous Zhou dynasty and eventually unified what was then considered China. Like Alexander, the empire imploded soon after the death of Ying Zheng, the first emperor, but it’s because of him that the writing system used by people, who spoke barely mutually-intelligible languages, were standardised, which served as a foundation of a common Chinese identity. Another thought: Maybe Alexander can be seen as somewhat of a continuation of the Archaemenid empire? After the death of Darius III, Alexander basically just took over the role of the ruler in the Persian empire, rather than imposing a Greek rule over the newly conquered people. He asked his generals to marry local women to assume a more Persian (Iranian) identity, and he even married Roxana, a Bactrian noblewoman, himself!

[@Jruderstam]

You should do one of these but with empires

[@ho3einxerxes988]

Good video❤❤👌

[@slayerofcrusadersandsmallh6404]

Now I agree well done.

[@user-my4zm3ku5r]

Put Population and GDP then you will see true greatness of Mauryan empire (Ruling over 50 Million population which would be one thired of world population) and GDP of Mauryan empire will be near to 35 - 40 % of the world GDP if you read Angus Maddison research which could be the gold slandered for understanding Historical GDP of world.

[@sarahdavis2653]

How did you learn so much about all these dynasties? I hadn’t even heard of most of these 😓Very interesting

[@alexandershockey901]

can you post like a 20 minute long video of ur little intro song i’m trying to practice whistling it

[@elmajraz6019]

Suggestion for future video: Best monarch in all 10 dynasties mentioned Example: Best monarch of the 18th Dynasty of Egypt - __________ Best monarch of Han Dynasty - _________ etc.

[@Anonymous-cm8jy]

Both are great.

[@andromeda331]

I liked both. Those on both were very important.

[@charlesdemuynck1094]

This is really very much better. Less biased.

[@akashraghuvanshi3452]

Awesome video 🔥. I think Gupta dynasty should be on 6th but not a problem

[@erikaheck8261]

When you said, number one, I literally said out loud “YEEEAAAHHHHH”

[@furlizard]

I liked the first video, it was so unique, but I like this one too

[@welcometotheinternet574]

Hey could you make a chart on the Hawai’ian royal family and cadet branches? They are so complicated with numerous cadet branches and elective monarchs and stuff. Please?

[@sedukai5924]

He did a video on the Hawaiian Royal Family

[@vieiraverso8695]

I would like to watch a video about each dynasty that you have mentioned on this video

[@trowabarton101]

You should do a greatest list of all time with the same criteria, seeing how these listed here compare to more modern ones.

[@samsunglg6671]

Both versions are fine, as long as every constituent can explain in detail [sincerely] why they choose their dynasties. Just like some people prefer to move to the US while some would rather live elsewhere for their personal advantages. You could make any number of revisions for as long as they are well presented like the two that we just saw, very satisfied by both for me at least.

[@JL-ti3us]

Is the background of this an basic elevation map?

[@SwathishAyyappan]

Minor quibble, the temple picture you shared for Gupta seems to be from the Chola dynasty.

[@derekhiemforth]

Honestly, I like them both. This one is probably more in line with what folks would expect when thinking of great ancient dynasties, but the very fact that the original video used some out-of-the-box ways of considering the question makes it excellent in a different way. Both get big thumbs-up from me! 👍🏻

[@thisisbossi]

I like the more free-form interpretation of the first video, as well as the more rigid interpretation of this second video. I think they both have a great place, and really I think it'd be neat to have a 3rd video that builds on the more "other types of dynasties" theme. I also appreciate the attempt to include a Mesoamerican culture.... butttttttt the Olmec qualifications seem pretty iffy given that I don't believe there is any evidence for or against that they were a single dynasty. In their place I'd perhaps add the Shang &/or Zhou in ...and possibly also add a little more elaboration that the Julii go wayyy back in their influence (though I admit I'm not sure how a gens vs dynasty might precisely differ in this context), plus a big important asterisk that there is so relatively little known about dynasties in the ancient American civilisations that their omission may largely be due to the gaps in our historical knowledge.

[@delilydebloom7458]

Wow, you navigate the comments on your videos really well, adapting and developing your videos

[@nrj8241]

If not on top Mauryan should perhaps feature in 2nd position of the list just because when Ashoka gave up on the idea of Bherighosh (annexation by war) after Kalinga War, he adopted the idea of Dhammaghosh (Cultural annexation) then he went on to culturally annexed the entire South Asia, South-east Asia till Japan, Tibet including Han Dynasty China, he was most revered by people of these region as a leader than the King itself. Even all these kings submitted to him and ruled in his name during his lifetime

[@torrawel]

Thank you for at least naming 1 American one. Even though I think I would have chosen Teotihuacan since we finally know what a huge influence they had on not only Meso America, but also on far away places north and south of it.

[@michael5549]

I wonder if you'd ever do a top 10 most inconsequential, yet well documented dynasties list.

[@user-lk8lq1pm5h]

Territory shouldn't be considered so much. Large territory doesn't mean large power, example: Russia, most of it's territory is useless. Population would be better criteria. Managing large population is harder than managing large desert.

[@alangervasis]

or mongols..

[@RoScroto]

I agree with you in total 👍

[@blackpearl5834]

Maurya : Are u talking about me ,bro ?😂🤣

[@blackpearl5834]

@usefull chart never gonna understand this .🙄.

[@blackpearl5834]

Example my country India !; Large country by land ,but no development in HDI..... Still millions of Poor people cant afford to buy /eat food

[@Urlocallordandsavior]

I probably would have counted the Argead dynasty beginning from its foundation (like how you start with the Hohenzollern dynasty with their first principalities in Southwest Germany and houses like Wittlesbach and Welf that were heads of various different nations and through personal unions, instead of one large single entity) but I guess this works as well.

[@Bross2292]

Personally, I would have replaced the Unknown Olmec Dynasty with either the Akkadian Dynasty or the 4th Dynasty of Egypt, and I would have swapped the Julio-Claudian Dynasty and the Achaemenid Dynasty, but otherwise, Good Video!

[@joshuasims5421]

Would it be possible to approximate the number of people who lived under a given dynasty or state? It would be fascinating to see that ranking. Who ruled the most individuals over time?

[@spencereades]

I don't think of this as a take 2. More like a companion video to the first one. I genuinely loved the format shakeup of the first one, ranking the top picks of the other channels, but I can see why there was demand for a more traditional list. Each is fascinating in its own way and I'm glad you did both :)

[@maestroicarodecarvalho3947]

Interesting choice for the first! Although we dont know so much, they where the major players in the ancient american world, influencing civilizations that come in contact with them, including south and north american ones

[@charlesspeaksthetruth4334]

If y'all haven't done this before, it would be awesome 👍😎 to get a video on the royal family tree of the Nubian Kings who ruled in Egypt as The 25th dynasty.

[@tempulus9228]

Hey Charles, if you like history, please consider checking out my video timeline of the 150+ most important people in history :)

[@semregob3363]

i second this, but f* egypt, the sovereigns of Kush had their own unique influential civilization there's no need to tie it to egypt to make it more appealing to the western audience.

[@meeseOW]

I enjoyed the last video but this one was even better!

[@eternalthor4967]

Make video on most powerful empires of all time

[@orktv4673]

This list is a lot better! I only feel like the Olmec dynasty is very speculative; a thousand year reign by a single family is incredible.

[@andrewsuryali8540]

A dynasty doesn't need to be a literal single family, just that there must be unbroken path of inheritance. The Julio-Claudians were actually THREE families. That said, the Olmec dynasty as a concept is itself pretty sus.

[@vidyakog5896]

Could you make a video which could clarify which other dynasties existed throughout the world during the vedic era if at all...

[@krcmaine]

I liked them both and I also liked the regional ones too.

[@sidheart8905]

Hi , I would like a video about chinese martial arts lineage and chart... like wang chan, ip man, brucelee are the popular one but would like to know complete about there history.. thanks (y)

[@Lorna8264]

Awesome historian

[@guileniam]

2.0 is perfect

[@beleques]

Great video as always, however I can’t help but feel like the Inca dynasty should have taken the spot of the Olmecs, given the incredible size of the Tawantinsuyu realm, the advanced system to connect all parts of it and their lasting impact on all of the indigenous Andean culture

[@crunchy786]

Make a video on Mongol dynasty

[@safwabadr4644]

he already has a video on Genghis Khan

[@stevejohnson3357]

Influence does not end with state craft so the 1st video was more wide ranging but the 2nd is closer to what we think of as a dynasty. My 1st guess as who would be on this was the Zhou as founders but the Han were more important.

[@ClayGordon]

I personally would have been tempted to vault the Olmecs up a couple of rungs for the influence of one of their innovations - the domestication of cacao. We owe them thanks for the chocolate we all love today. Which leads to … what about a Useful Chart (and video) on the history of chocolate?

[@jadedchameleon4885]

This might be in other comments (I did not read all 623 of them), but am I seeing double or Chandragupta is mentioned as "Made great by" in both the Gupta (4:06) & Mauryan (9:16) dynasties from India, one dated at 319 bce and the other at 321 bce?

[@arnavnalinsharma]

Chandragupta Maurya was the first emperor of the Mauryan dynasty Chadra I Gupta was the first Gupta emperor But most people call him Chandragupta I that is why there is comfusion

[@arnavnalinsharma]

confusion*

[@scotthastie7342]

Thanks for the update Matt. I really enjoyed the first video but agree that a clearer definition of what a dynasty is was needed. One suggestion I would make would be the inclusion of the Japanese royal house. They may not have a huge amount of territory (although their max ww2 expansion was pretty big), but they survived from some time in the classical period until modern times and are still a ruling dynasty so win by far for longevity.

[@AwesomeSauce696969]

Please keep the original version of this video up. I think this video is better in terms of objectivity, but the original version made lots of bold choices that I really appreciated and thought were really cool and fascinating. They are both really good just for different reasons.

[@UsefulCharts]

I will.