10 greatest countries in history

[jBirch]

Whta gives the imperial Japan in the world exept the slautery of their natives and afterwards the slautery of Koreans and Chiness?

You're right. I was thinking modern civilisation, as much of the electronics era and hefty dose of modern culture has been derived from Japan (arguably, more then China in the modern period).

The Ottomans what give in civilization exept a reign of terror in Balkans and in all Europe, and for destruction of the Arab kingdoms?
So why must be in the list?

Again, you're right. I was thinking of the Byzantine empire, not the Ottoman one. For some reason, I coflated the two.

In my defense, the Ottoman empire has been the balance of Eastern Europe for most of the Middle and Industrial ages. It brought us Islam which is kinda influential and important in the world and arguably a bit of Protestantism (which it is believed it supported in order to weaken Western Europe).

The Turks are Romans? what is this a new joke?!

The Byzantine empire is what I was thinking of. They were the eastern half of the Roman empire after the split between Rome proper and Constantinople (Istanbul). Brought you Christianity and, to a lessor extent, modern Orthodoxy. Ain't it wonderful? Plus some other public works and legal stuff.

I'm thinking of geographic Turkey and not ethnic Turkish tribes which were the Ottomans, down from the second Khanate, and suceeded Byzantia. Ethnically, I think the Byzantines were Greek.

Wow, I really have to bone up on my history, don't I?

James.

[Inquartata]

. Japan certainly was settled by China way back in the day and then isolated from then on.

This is still a matter of some debate. The general consensus is that Japan was settled during the last Ice Age when the islands were connected to the mainland, but there is some speculation that the earliest inhabitants came rather from Korea than China. In any event it would have been more of a migration of prehistoric peoples than a "settlement" by an existing nation or race, in the sense that America was "settled" by England, France and Spain...

I know there's a modern tendency to think that everything and everyone everywhere anytime happened first in China, but this notion can be carried too far.

[VELISARIOS]

lol.
Yes the Byzantines were Greeks but at start were Romans (political). After Justiniannos all emperors were Greeks and some of them were Armenians.
Ottomans conquer all other Turks and then destroy us (the Easter Romans-Byzantines).

[VELISARIOS]

Considering how mutable borders have been over the millenia, not to mention the way countries themselves have risen and perished, that doesn't really seem like the best way to do it...

Would advances made in Moorish Spain in the 10th century be credited to Spain, or to Syria, to the Caliphate of which the Moorish Emirate was nominal subject? Some notable events in Jerusalem during the Crusades---credited to Israel? "Palestine"? Judea? The Kingdom of Jerusalem? Such paradoxes abound.

Depends. For example if we see a castle wich build from Crusades in Israel then we should say' This castle builded from the people of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalim.

[Teme]

No. Look at ancient history. The Mongols invaded both several times and likely the Mongol tribes were exiles from China.

Mongols invaded part of Russia once. It was more of a vassalage than occupation, really. And lasted only for about 150 years. The Mongols never colonised or organised any form of government in Russia. They just taxed.

Besides, Mongols are/were not Chinese (at least by their own understanding). And big part of their troops at the time were Turkic tribesmen, anyway.