- The **Pandyan Empire** of Southern India, which lasted from about **500 BC to 1350 AD** (1850 years)².
- The **Byzantine Empire**, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, which dominated much of Europe and the Levant between **330 and 1453 AD** (1123 years)².
- The **Silla Kingdom** of Korea, which ruled the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula from **57 BC to 935 AD** (992 years)².
- The **Ethiopian Empire**, also known as Abyssinia, which claimed a lineage to King Solomon and ruled over various regions of East Africa from **1270 to 1974 AD** (704 years)³.
- The **Holy Roman Empire**, which was a loose confederation of Germanic states and territories under the nominal authority of the Pope and the Emperor, from **800 to 1806 AD** (1006 years)².
- The **Ottoman Empire**, which was one of the largest and most influential empires in history, spanning from **1299 to 1922 AD** (623 years)².
- The **Roman Empire**, which was the predecessor of the Byzantine Empire and one of the most powerful civilizations in the ancient world, from **27 BC to 476 AD** (503 years)².
- The **Ming Dynasty** of China, which was one of the most prosperous and culturally rich periods in Chinese history, from **1368 to 1644 AD** (276 years)².
- The **British Empire**, which was the largest empire in history by land area and population, covering a quarter of the world's surface and ruling over a fifth of its people, from **1583 to 1997 AD** (414 years)².
- The **United States of America**, which is the oldest constitutional republic and federal democracy in the world, from **1776 to present** (248 years)².
I am a history buff.
Uh-huh. And how many DIRECT CHAINS OF LINAGE? Remember a monarchy requires that the next generation take over. If you kill the father and take over, it doesn't count. If the current monarch steps down and you aren't the next of kin when you take over, you don't count. If there is a change in the government with a new constitution, it doesn't count.
AS A HISTORY BUFF, you should know the current US government is from 1786, NOT 1776. Our current GOVERNMENT did not exist until 1787. C'mon... what happened on September 12, 1787? It fixed the weakness of WHAT and basically created the GOVERNMENT we enjoy today. July 4th, 1776 is the birth of the US, but the US government in its current form did not EXIST until Sept 12th, 1787.
Honestly, given the name BYZANTINE is a synonym for BACKSTABBING, I am amazed you have the balls to include it.
They might be the same COUNTRY, but they aren't the same GOVERNMENT. Seriously, am I like, the only person here who uses the english language correctly? Are people here unable to READ and have to see everything through the lens of their own delusions rather than, I dunno, use the DEFINITION OF THE WORDS THEY READ?
HOW CAN YOU CONFUSE
COUNTRY WITH
GOVERNMENT?
One is a location. The other is a social contract.
- The **United States of America**, which is the oldest constitutional republic and federal democracy in the world, from **1776 to present** (248 years)².
I am a history buff.
1787 to present is 237 years, not 248 years,
You might be a history buff, but you obviously aren't too good at reading comprehension or you wouldn't have listed off a bunch of countries, instead, you should have included a list of dynasties.
Here's an example,
Let's say Trump gets elected, Biden has him shot and remains in power. That would be the END of the US Government and we would have to start the timer over from scratch. The US would continue to exist as a COUNTRY, but as a GOVERNMENT it would have been overthrown and replaced. If the PEACEFUL transference of power does not take place as agreed to by the rules of the government, then the government is not continuous.
This is the advantage of the US government, because the transference of power, even during the US civil war, was peaceful and followed the rules. Now, one could argue that PARTS of the US do not qualify, and I would agree, but as long as a single State in the US followed the rules, then the government has been continuous for longer than any other government in human history.
EDIT: If you want to be a purist and state that the current US government didn't exist in 1791 with the final ratification of the Bill of Rights, I would disagree, as the Bill of Rights is an ADDENDUM, not a rewrite, however, my argument would still stand as 2024 - 1791 is 235 years, and still the winner by... god I forget the runner up. I think over 80 years of difference, but I haven't looked it up in a long time, so it might be more. I seem to recall Italy was the front-runner until WW2? No. That wasn't it. I forget and I have already wasted too much time on this.
