Historical atlas - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

A historical atlas is an atlas

Atlas

An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a map of Earth or a region of Earth, but there are atlases of the other planets in the Solar System. Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats...

that includes historical maps

MAPS

Maps is the plural of map, a visual representation of an area.As an acronym, MAPS may refer to:* Mail Abuse Prevention System, an organisation that provides anti-spam support...

and charts depicting the evolving geopolitical landscape. They are helpful in understanding historical context, the scope and scale of historical events and historical subjects (such as the expansion of the Roman Empire

Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....

), and macro-history. Some historical atlases try to present the entire history of the world, such as the Historical Atlas of the World

Historical Atlas of the World

Historical Atlas of the World is a historical atlas that contains 108 color maps showing religious boundaries, countries, cities, buildings army movements and expeditions. It contains an index to place, peoples, historical and military events and explorers...

, while others are more specialised, for only one time period or location, such as the Historical Atlas of the American West

Historical Atlas of the American West

Historical Atlas of the American West is a historical atlas and a standard reference work depicting the history and geography of the seventeen states comprising the American West. Written by Warren A. Beck and Ynez D. Haase, the atlas was published by the University of Oklahoma Press in 1989.Each...

or the Historical Atlas of China

Historical Atlas of China

There have been many sets of atlas of the historical place-names of China named The Historical Atlas of China. Among them, two versions published during the 1980s are still used by today's students and scholars alike as a historical atlas....

. They may also include historical photographs and explanatory text or essays. The first known historical atlas was the Parergon by Abraham Ortelius

Abraham Ortelius

thumb|250px|Abraham Ortelius by [[Peter Paul Rubens]]Abraham Ortelius thumb|250px|Abraham Ortelius by [[Peter Paul Rubens]]Abraham Ortelius (Abraham Ortels) thumb|250px|Abraham Ortelius by [[Peter Paul Rubens]]Abraham Ortelius (Abraham Ortels) (April 14, 1527 – June 28,exile in England to take...

in 1579, which was a supplement to the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum

Theatrum Orbis Terrarum

Theatrum Orbis Terrarum is considered to be the first true modern atlas. Written by Abraham Ortelius and originally printed on May 20, 1570, in Antwerp, it consisted of a collection of uniform map sheets and sustaining text bound to form a book for which copper printing plates were specifically...

. William R. Shepherd produced a well-known Historical Atlas in 1911 http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/history_shepherd_1911.html. Psychiatrist Colin McEvedy

Colin McEvedy

Colin Peter McEvedy , was a British psychiatrist, historian, demographer and non-fiction author. He was born in Salford, Lancashire and died in London....

was one of the first to produce historical atlases using the same base map throughout many time periods, in his Penguin atlas of history series, which has become common in modern atlases. Recently, historical atlases have been made available online.

External links

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