This is in fact the principle Greg and I used in developing the population figures for the First Age. Population probably reached a peak circa 350 and dropped precipitiously by 450 and probably did not return to its former numbers until 800 or even later.
>
> illuminate33 writes:
>
> >I cannot find anything about rapid population growth or the development of military food supply in the Imperial Age.... Any ideas?
>
> Unchecked population growth is scary. Let's say you start with 5,000
> people who survived the Dawn, and a growth rate of 2% per year.
>
> By Year 2 there are 5100 people.
> By Year 10 there are nearly 6000 people.
> By Year 50 there are 13,000 people.
> By Year 150 there are 96,000 people.
> By Year 230 there are 466,025 people.
> By Year 375 there are 8.2 million people.
> By Year 450 there are 36 million people.
> By Year 650 there are 1,908 million people.
>
> Of course, a 2% growth rate will not be sustainable indefinitely;
> there will be wars, plagues and famines reducing the rate or even
> turning it negative for a while. But just after the Dawn, when
> Glorantha is almost empty and waiting for people to fill it up, an
> even higher rate might be sustained.
>
> Stephen
>