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Looting & the Spoils of War: A Historical Timeline

Twenty chronological accounts of how power was won, how wealth and communities were affected, and what survived after conflict.

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  1. 1. Alexander the Great: Conquest & Empire (336–323 BCE)
  2. 2. Julius Caesar: Rome, Wealth & Expansion (58–44 BCE)
  3. 3. Rome: Prosperity, Plunder & Imperial Decline (27 BCE–476 CE in the West)
  4. 4. Early Muslim Conquests & New Empires (632–750)
  5. 5. The Crusades: Faith, Territory & Wealth (1096–1291)
  6. 6. Genghis Khan & the Mongol Conquests (1206–1368)
  7. 7. Ottoman Expansion, Administration & Decline ()
  8. 8. European Overseas Empires & Extraction ()
  9. 9. French Revolution & Napoleonic Wars (1789–1815)
  10. 10. Colonial Africa: Conquest & Resources ()
  11. 11. American Civil War & Reconstruction (1861–1877)
  12. 12. World War I: Empires & Rupture (1914–1918)
  13. 13. World War II: Occupation & Reconstruction (1939–1945)
  14. 14. Decolonization & African Independence (1945–1980)
  15. 15. Cold War: Proxy Wars & Global Influence (1947–1991)
  16. 16. South Africa: Apartheid, Transition & Inequality (1976–2026)
  17. 17. Middle East: War, Resources & Regional Power (1979–2026)
  18. 18. Balkans: Nationalism, War & Reconstruction (1991–Present)
  19. 19. Modern African Conflicts: Land, Minerals & Displacement (1990–2026)
  20. 20. Ukraine, Gaza & the Future of Reconstruction (2022–2026)