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The White CouncilRe: PopulousTolkien and Inklings Discussion |
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The White CouncilRe: PopulousTolkien and Inklings Discussion |
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Posted by Martin Read on September 01, 1999 at 06:15:08 In Reply to: Re: Populous posted by Neithan on September 01, 1999 at 03:07:05:
: : Minis Tirith : : Thranduils Kingdom : : Rivindell : : Mordor(cirith ungol, baradur etc.) : : Erebor : : does anybody know?? : No, but this is certain to bring Martin out (it is a favorite subject of his) and has caused some debate as everyone have their own ideas. If you want to, you can mail me off-list and get my material, my adress is >palle_r@get2net.dk<. : :-) Neithan Turambar Quite right. I would only have a go at Minas Tirith, for a number of reasons. At the time of LOTR Minas Tirith's population had evidently declined (unoccupied houses etc) from its peak. The only general guide we have is the number of combatants that Gondor could raise . Unfortunately we are not given any numbers for the Minas Tirith militia, if it existed. One interpretation of a phrase in LOTR would give the fiefs of the south (of Gondor) the ability to raise 30,000 armed men in an emergency. The south here would probably include the sizeable towns of Dol Amroth and Pelargir as well as the rural population. This population probably far exceeded that of Minas Tirith alone. Taking rough estimates - enough able bodied men to tend the fields back home, older men and boys unable to fight, then a minimum figure for the male population of southern Gondor would seem to be about 90,000 - say 100,000 in round numbers, with the womenfolk up to 200,000. Taking a tithe of this figure (which seems about the right ratio for a pre modern ratio of rural to urban population) gives Minas Tirith a population of 20,000. Enabling the local Minas Tirithians to mount 3,000 men on the walls in the seige - which again is seems a roughly equitable number. So I would say a likely figure for MT at the time of LOTR would be between 10,000 and 30,000 people, declining from a peak of 40,000 to 80,000 in its prime.
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