Greatest Civilization in History (Americas, Europe, and Greco-Roman Poll)

[DAVOUT]

My vote (In alphabetical order):

AM
Aztec
Inca
Maya

EU
France
Germany
Great Britain
Italy
Spain

GR
Greece
Macedonia
Roma

[Wernazuma III]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
Only if the Aztec had fallen in that time, of course. Though one cannot deny that the Aztec had the largest empire of the bunch. Probably millions of souls under their command, streaching over most of present day of Mexico. A larger empire than the Toltecs at any rate. Then again, recent scholarship believes that the Toltecs were mostly mythological, promogated by the Aztecs, claiming they took from them.
The Aztec system of tributary empire was definately unique in its utter scope. No other MesoAmerican empire was anywhere near as large. In addition the Aztecs were responsible for an intricate road system that amazed the Spaniards as to how well maintained they were, with couriers walking constantly along the path, latrines every 10-15 km, and even woman could be safe walking alone. They were very large in mixing the cultures of Central America, as they would be in controlling such a large trading network.

Not only probably, the Aztecs definitely ruled over several million people. The Toltecs never had a proper "empire" at all, as did the Aztecs.
However, I'd argue that the area of influence of Teotihuacán was superior, and mixture of cultures is much more evident in Teotihuacán than it was in Tenochtitlan. Teotihuacán was a multi-ethnic metropolis, there were districts for different ethnicities not only from (proper) Mexico but also from Maya regions.
The Aztecs did not rule over most of what is today Mexico, but only the central/southern regions with an outpost in the very south, in total maybe 15% of what is Mexico today.

About the infrastructure, I'm not trying to say that the Aztecs were inapt or something, after all they were the first imperial power in the region after 500 years, so they must have had something to them. I'm trying to set them in the right frame. The bit of "women walking safe" however sounds more like a topos, originally written by some Aztec-friendly Spanish chronicler (possibly Sahagún) and thereafter repeated without much quellenkritik (the dictionary suggests "verification of sources", but that isn't quite what the German word means).

As for the Toltecs being rather mythical - this is a two-edged thing. Of course, most of what we know draws from mythological sources and is rather nebulose and doubtful. For example the "Empire of Tula" has most probably never existed. But "Toltec" is also how the Aztecs referred to the Nahua-speaking people living in central Mexico already at the time of their own arrival, and they surely existed and conquered even muchof the Maya lands in the south-east - not as an empire but as independent groups of warriors.

[OzzyKP]

Originally posted by DAVOUT
My vote (In alphabetical order):

AM
Aztec
Inca
Maya

Pssh, Frenchie.

[DAVOUT]

Originally posted by OzzyKP


Pssh, Frenchie.

Problem?

[binTravkin]

How is USA a civilization?
I only know of something called 'Western civilization' or the civilization of most European states, USA, Canada, Australia and some other minor states colonized by europeans.

Oh, sorry I reviewed the other options. This is OT after all, stupid me..

[LordShiva]

Where is teh Africa poll? My nomination has been left out

[Will9]

The 2 African nominations are going to the round without the use of a poll.

[OzzyKP]

Originally posted by DAVOUT


Problem?

USA > Aztec, Inca, Maya

[DAVOUT]

Originally posted by OzzyKP


USA > Aztec, Inca, Maya

Even Americans does not built a civ in 230 years.