History by century · The 1600s BCE
The 17th century BCE
In the 1600s BCE, 51 recorded states existed somewhere in the world. 11 were founded and 10 came to an end. The great powers of the age included the Elamite Confederation, the Assyrian Empire and the Babylonian Empire.
Great powers
Profiles of the 17th century BCE, ranked by their military, territorial, economic and historical weight in the Institute’s analysis and by how strong they were in these hundred years.
Elamite Confederation2700 BCE – 539 BCEScore 4.7/10
Assyrian Empire2025 BCE – 609 BCEScore 6.4/10
Babylonian Empire1894 BCE – 1595 BCEScore 6.6/10
Byblos2600 BCE – 332 BCEScore 4.5/10
Ebla3000 BCE – 1600 BCEScore 4.4/10
Kingdom of Ugarit1800 BCE – 1185 BCEScore 3.9/10
Hittite Empire1650 BCE – 1178 BCEScore 5.3/10
Middle Kingdom of Egypt2055 BCE – 1650 BCEScore 5.6/10
Dilmun2200 BCE – 538 BCEScore 3.3/10
Key events
People
States founded 11
- Abydos Dynasty 1650 BCE – 1600 BCE
- Fifteenth Dynasty of Egypt 1650 BCE – 1550 BCE
- Hittite Empire 1650 BCE – 1178 BCE
- Kingdom of Mycenae 1650 BCE – 1100 BCE
- Kingdom of Pylos 1650 BCE – 1180 BCE
- Sixteenth Dynasty of Egypt 1650 BCE – 1580 BCE
- Kingdom of Tiryns 1600 BCE – 1100 BCE
- Mycenaean Kingdom of Iolkos 1600 BCE – 1200 BCE
- Mycenaean Kingdom of Orchomenos 1600 BCE – 1200 BCE
- Mycenaean Kingdom of Thebes 1600 BCE – 1200 BCE
- Shang dynasty 1600 BCE – 1046 BCE
States that came to an end 10
- Fourteenth Dynasty of Egypt 1725 BCE – 1650 BCE
- Kussara 1780 BCE – 1650 BCE
- Middle Kingdom of Egypt 2055 BCE – 1650 BCE
- Zalpa 1900 BCE – 1650 BCE
- Ursum 1900 BCE – 1640 BCE
- Hahhum 1900 BCE – 1630 BCE
- Hassum 1800 BCE – 1630 BCE
- Abydos Dynasty 1650 BCE – 1600 BCE
- Ebla 3000 BCE – 1600 BCE
- Xia dynasty 2070 BCE – 1600 BCE
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). The 17th century BCE. In The Epoch Institute. https://the-epoch-institute.org/centuries/17th-century-bce
- MLA
- “The 17th century BCE.” The Epoch Institute, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/centuries/17th-century-bce. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “The 17th century BCE.” The Epoch Institute. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/centuries/17th-century-bce.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘The 17th century BCE’, The Epoch Institute. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/centuries/17th-century-bce (Accessed: ).