Ptolemaic Empire: Did you mean...?

This map illustrates the trading networks which connected the Ptolemaic Kingdom to South Asia and East Africa by the second half of the 1st century BCE. During this time period, Ptolemaic Egypt was a major player in the spice trade which...

A map showing the known world at the time of the Ptolemaic Empire, ca. 300 BC.

The Sasanian Empire (224-651 CE, also given as Sassanian, Sasanid or Sassanid) was the last pre-Islamic Persian empire, established in 224 CE by Ardeshir I, son of Papak, descendant of Sasan. The Empire lasted until 651 CE when it was overthrown...

The Ottoman Sultanate (1299-1922 as an empire; 1922-1924 as caliphate only), also referred to as the Ottoman Empire, written in Turkish as Osmanlı Devleti, was a Turkic imperial state that was conceived by and named after Osman (l. 1258-1326...

The Holy Roman Empire officially lasted from 962 to 1806. It was one of Europe’s largest medieval and early modern states, but its power base was unstable and continually shifting. The Holy Roman Empire was not a unitary state, but a confederation...

Limestone head of Ptolemaic King, 2nd to 1st century BCE, Medinet Madi. (Egyptian Museum, Castello Sforzesco, Milan)

"The Holy Roman Empire was in no way holy, nor Roman, nor an empire," wrote Voltaire, and this interpretation still dominates the popular imagination, so the Holy Roman Empire is treated as a bad joke, a pale parody of the glory of Rome...

Ptolemy of Mauretania (r. 23-40 CE) was king of Mauretania and one of the last surviving members of the Ptolemaic dynasty. His father Juba II (c. 48 BCE to 23 CE) was a Numidian royal and his mother Cleopatra Selene II (40 to c. 5 BCE) was...

The Mali Empire (1240-1645) of West Africa was founded by Sundiata Keita (r. 1230-1255) following his victory over the kingdom of Sosso (c. 1180-1235). Sundiata's centralised government, diplomacy and well-trained army permitted a massive...

In this interview, World History Encyclopedia sits down with author James Lacey to chat about his new book Rome: Strategy of Empire published by Oxford University Press. Kelly: Can you tell us a little bit about your background...