12 Most Brutal Civilizations of All Time
Bloodthirsty barbarians and evil empires are not just the stuff of modernity. From ancient times until today, there have been civilizations that simply defied the laws of civility and decency, butting right up against brutality in their bid to conquer more land and rule their people with an iron fist.
Merciless civilizations flourished on all corners of the globe, many of which you’ve heard of, and some that you almost definitely have not. One thing that all of these savage empires have in common is the trail of suffering and despair that they left in their wake. Stay with us as we count down the top twelve most beastly civilizations that ever graced the planet…
1. The Apaches
The silent but deadly Apaches would sweep in and slaughter unsuspecting American colonists by storm, using their apex knife skills to gut their enemies like fishes.
2. The Maori
When it came time to grab a snack on the battlefield, the Maori of New Zealand had a unique favorite treat: human flesh.
3. The Romans
The Roman Empire has been largely romanticized in the last century or so, but this civilization didn’t make the greatest omelet in history without breaking plenty of eggs.
4. The Vikings
The Vikings were hell from the water; a sea scourge so deadly and nightmare-inducing that they paralyzed Europe with their ruthlessness.
5. The Celts
The Celts are another civilization that we love to romanticize, but trust us, it wasn’t all pots of gold and rainbows in ancient Celtic history.
6. The Mongols
Ever heard the statistics about Genghis Khan’s sixteen million descendants? Let’s just say that the majority of the Mongol king’s conquests were very likely not consensual
7. The Aztecs
The Mexican Aztecs took human sacrifice to a ghastly new level, butchering upwards of 20,000 people per year to sate the bloodthirsty desires of their sun god, Huitzilopochtli, who coincidentally was also the god of war.
8. The Spartans
Take the drill sergeant scene from Full Metal Jacket, multiply it by one hundred, and throw in more than a touch of sadism, and you have the Spartans- a civilization that prized brutality and wartime “honor” above anything else.
9. The Khmer Rouge
The modern era brought us one of the worst and cruelest regimes in recorded history: The Khmer Rouge. Led by noted sociopath Pol Pot, The Khmer Rouge steamrolled through Cambodia.
10. The Assyrians
If anyone were to ask the Assyrians, they would say that they were the tenacious underdogs of the ancient world, but this is far from the full story.
11. The Nazis
Although they only lasted a short period of time, thankfully, the Nazis made an undeniable dark mark on the world with their horrific Holocaust and brutal totalitarian reign.
12. The U.S.S.R.
Although there’s a hotly debated contest of the vilest regimes between our first and second place picks, we think that the U.S.S.R. has the Nazis beat by sheer deaths alone.