Border history
The interactive map lets you inspect named territories in 1500 BC and compare them to earlier or later snapshots on the timeline.
Ancient historical map
World map in 1500 BC
Explore a reconstruction of the world around 1500 BC. Track the rise of early states, river valley kingdoms, and the first territorial empires. Figures near this year include Moses, Nefertiti.
Snapshot at a glance
What this 1500 BC world map contains
Counts come directly from this snapshot and the historical layers available in HistorIQly Map.
71 named mapped areas
163 boundary geometries
3 conflict records covering this year
235 landmarks standing
Example labels in this source snapshot
These names are encoded in the boundary dataset. Inclusion does not settle disputed borders, sovereignty, spelling, or historical interpretation.
- state societies and Aramaean kingdoms
- Egypt
- Chorrera
- Kingdom of David and Solomon
- Greek city-states
- Saba
- Khoiasan
- Tibetans
- Cimerians
- Dravidians
- Sinic
- Saami
- Zhoa
- Berbers
What this snapshot shows
Explore the 1500 BC world in context
Biographical context
Meet figures alive in, or close to, 1500 BC and move from political geography to the people connected to the period.
Era-based reading
The related chronicles below provide long-form reading tied closely to the ancient period.
Conflicts connected to 1500 BC
Conflict records whose date ranges include 1500 BC
These editorial date ranges include 1500 BC. Some records group intermittent campaigns or long-running conflict series, so inclusion does not mean continuous fighting in that exact year.
1550 BC – 1450 BC
Mitanni–Hittite Rivalry
Mitanni Empire vs Hittite Empire
The Hurrian kingdom of Mitanni and the Hittite Empire clashed for dominance over northern Syria and the upper Euphrates. This great-power rivalry shaped the Late Bronze Age political order until Mitanni's eventual collapse.
Key battles and events: Hittite campaigns into northern Syria (c. 1500 BC); Battle for Aleppo
1595 BC – 1155 BC
Kassite Conquest of Babylon
Kassite dynasty vs Babylonian kingdom
After the Hittite sack of Babylon, the Kassites seized power and ruled Babylonia for over four centuries — one of the longest-lasting dynasties in Mesopotamian history.
Key battles and events: Fall of Babylon to Hittites (1595 BC); Kassite consolidation of Babylonia
1764 BC – 1150 BC
Elamite–Babylonian Wars
Babylonian Empire vs Kingdom of Elam
Centuries of intermittent warfare between Babylon and Elam for control of southern Mesopotamia. Hammurabi initially defeated Elam, but Elamite kings later sacked Babylon and carried off the stele of Hammurabi's law code.
Key battles and events: Hammurabi's defeat of Elam (1764 BC); Elamite sack of Babylon (1158 BC)
Historical figures near 1500 BC
People connected to this part of the timeline
Egypt / Sinai / Canaan
Moses
c. 1391 BC – c. 1271 BC
Leading the Exodus from Egypt, receiving the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, founding Israelite law and nationhood
Egypt
Nefertiti
c. 1370 BC – c. 1330 BC
Queen of Egypt, religious revolutionary, co-regent of the Aten heresy, owner of the most famous face in ancient art
Landmarks standing in 1500 BC
Monuments and wonders of the 1500 BC world
Sites already standing (or still being used) in 1500 BC, drawn from the map's landmark layers.
Built 1539 BC · Africa
Valley of the Kings
Royal burial ground of pharaohs including Tutankhamun
Built 1600 BC · Asia
Hattusa
Capital of the Hittite Empire in ancient Anatolia
Built 1600 BC · Europe
Mycenae
Bronze Age citadel and major center of Greek civilization
Built 1700 BC · North America
Poverty Point
Monumental earthwork complex in Louisiana with concentric ridges and a 72-foot mound, built by hunter-gatherers 3,500 years ago
Built 2000 BC · Asia
Baalbek
Roman temple complex with the largest hewn stone blocks in the world
Built 2000 BC · South America
Isla del Sol
Sacred island on Lake Titicaca revered by the Inca as the birthplace of the sun, dotted with ruins of shrines and the sanctuary of the Sacred Rock.
Related chronicles
Long-form reading for the same period
Egypt / Sinai / Canaan · Leader
Moses
The Lawgiver Who Freed a Nation
The prince of Egypt who became a fugitive shepherd, confronted the most powerful ruler on earth, and led an enslaved nation to freedom — told in his own words.
Read MosesEgypt · Leader
Nefertiti
The Beautiful One Has Come
The queen who helped overthrow a thousand years of Egyptian religion, ruled as equal to a pharaoh, and vanished from history — leaving behind the most recognised face in the ancient world.
Read NefertitiBoundary source and context layers
How to read this historical reconstruction
Boundary geometry is adapted from Historical Basemaps, a GPL-3.0 project built for world- and continent-scale historical mapping. The source is a work in progress: pre-modern territories can overlap, borders are often disputed, and a snapshot should be read as a reconstruction around 1500 BC, not as survey-level fact.
The source marks 163 of 163 geometries in this snapshot as approximate.
Conflicts, landmarks, trade routes, and biographies come from separate HistorIQly editorial datasets. They provide discovery context but do not yet expose a citation for every individual record; verify a specific claim with specialist sources before citing it.
Frequently asked questions
About the 1500 BC world map
What does the 1500 BC world map show?
The 1500 BC source snapshot reconstructs political borders, territories, and named states for around 1500 BC. You can inspect individual territories, view linked historical figures, and compare this snapshot with nearby years like 3000 BC and 2000 BC.
Which conflicts are connected to the period around 1500 BC?
HistorIQly records whose date ranges include 1500 BC include Mitanni–Hittite Rivalry, Kassite Conquest of Babylon, Elamite–Babylonian Wars. Long-running entries may represent intermittent campaigns rather than continuous warfare.
Which historical figures are connected to the period around 1500 BC?
Figures linked near 1500 BC include Moses, Nefertiti. Some were alive in this year; others are included because their lives fall within the surrounding historical period.
How many time periods does HistorIQly Map cover?
HistorIQly Map includes 49 historical snapshots spanning from 3000 BC through the modern era, covering the ancient era and every other major period of world history.
Which powers and regions appear on the 1500 BC map?
Example labels encoded in the 1500 BC source snapshot include state societies and Aramaean kingdoms, Egypt, Chorrera, Kingdom of David and Solomon, Greek city-states, Saba. These labels and reconstructed boundaries can be approximate or disputed; inspect the map methodology before using them for research.
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