Have you ever wanted to see history ebb and flow like a river of time? Me too!
This 5-Foot-Long Chart Lays Out Over 4,000 Years of World History
In 1931, John B. Sparks created the Histomap, condensing more than 4,000 years of world history into a vibrant infographic…
“Clear, vivid, and shorn of elaboration, [the] Histomap holds you enthralled as you follow the curves of power down time’s endless course,” the map’s front cover reads. “Here is the actual picture of the march of civilization, from the mud huts of the ancients through the monarchistic glamor of the middle ages to the living panorama of life in present day America.”
(Conflating “monarchist glamor” and the Middle Ages is a bit much, but such information provides yet another view of history, and how it changes.)
Time waits for no one but this map stops at the beginning of the 20th century. Even so, it’s a fascinating visualization of the rise and fall of civilizations, both common and lesser known.
The link above will take you to the article and smaller image of the map. For a more detailed, digital version of the Histomap, head over to Yale University Library and enjoy!
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J.R. Johnson 
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