Empires might not be the places with the highest per capita productivity. E.g. the Netherlands had the highest (estimated) GDP per capita in Europe (and probabl

Empires might not be the places with the highest per capita productivity. E.g. the Netherlands had the highest (estimated) GDP per capita in Europe (and probably the world) between the early 1500's and 1800. Not sure about ancient Greece, I would assume that craftsmen wages in the Low Countries must have been significantly higher by the late middle ages.