Thanks Steve. What I wanted to do was to have a Earth with a few super states and then some smaller ones. Do you know of any good online world history time lines or just any history web sites? I've tried google but I can't find anything that I could use. And thank you for explaning what I did wrong and why.
oilcan
There are a number of periods in both our own history and in AH with a number of great powers, although it depends on what you want. For instance the period of so called gunpowder empires, shortly before western Europe started the great age of exploration and conquest. Then there were the Ottomans, Persians, Muhguls and Ming with smaller and somewhat weaker states in N Africa [was it Mali at this time] and Russia. At the same time in the Americas you had the Aztecs and Incas. Of course most of those were to be destroyed and the rest dominated over the next few centuries by the upstart Europeans, coming out of left field with new technology and cultures, which just goes to show that maps and other figures can be misleading.
One other point which you might find useful if you post a map in the future and want people to suggest how it might have occurred. Often the case not to name the states shown and some interesting ideas come up as to whom they might be. Some of them may be joke replies but some can be most inventive.
There is a map section somewhere, know it's been referred to, but can't see it at a quick look. Hopefully someone else will be able to tell you. I've never been that involved with maps myself.
Steve