Mladjov's Historical Maps
February 17, 2015 12:35 PM Subscribe
Bronze Age maps. Maps of Ancient Greece and Rome, India and China. Maps of the Viking era, the Crusades, and the High Middle Ages. Maps of Asia after the Mongol conquest, of Mexico before the Spanish conquest—dozens upon dozens of intricate historical maps.
Ohhhh man the 17 year old dungeon master that lives inside me is awakened by these and he demands I get back to running a GURPS game set in ancient Crete.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 1:08 PM on February 17, 2015 [10 favorites]
posted by Potomac Avenue at 1:08 PM on February 17, 2015 [10 favorites]
...and now I have the Game Of Thrones theme stuck in my head.
posted by The Whelk at 1:53 PM on February 17, 2015
posted by The Whelk at 1:53 PM on February 17, 2015
Map porn is the best porn.
posted by Joey Michaels at 2:40 PM on February 17, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by Joey Michaels at 2:40 PM on February 17, 2015 [4 favorites]
(especially the Viking map - swoon)
posted by Joey Michaels at 2:41 PM on February 17, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Joey Michaels at 2:41 PM on February 17, 2015 [1 favorite]
Holy crap. I'm teaching the second half of my Unv's history survey right now, and you just made my day. Thank you!
posted by strixus at 3:10 PM on February 17, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by strixus at 3:10 PM on February 17, 2015 [2 favorites]
a GURPS game set in ancient Crete
there's a Fafhrd and Grey Mouser story where some sort of world portal dumps them into the Black Sea region in about 300 BC, where they get by on piracy etc.
posted by thelonius at 4:07 PM on February 17, 2015
there's a Fafhrd and Grey Mouser story where some sort of world portal dumps them into the Black Sea region in about 300 BC, where they get by on piracy etc.
posted by thelonius at 4:07 PM on February 17, 2015
Nice maps -- clearly a labor of love by Ian Mladjov.
More maps like this, in book form, to be found in the excellent New Penguin Atlas of Medieval History. I have spent hours with that book.
posted by Triplanetary at 4:35 PM on February 17, 2015 [3 favorites]
More maps like this, in book form, to be found in the excellent New Penguin Atlas of Medieval History. I have spent hours with that book.
posted by Triplanetary at 4:35 PM on February 17, 2015 [3 favorites]
It's a shame I can only favorite this once.
posted by tallthinone at 4:50 PM on February 17, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by tallthinone at 4:50 PM on February 17, 2015 [2 favorites]
Asia after the Mongol conquest...
Oh man, how great can it get!
posted by BlueHorse at 6:18 PM on February 17, 2015
Oh man, how great can it get!
posted by BlueHorse at 6:18 PM on February 17, 2015
These are great. The "tentative" nature of the Hittite Anatolia map is really cool. Assuwa here? Assuwa there? It's wild how many names are so similar to modern names, but we just can't be sure.
Anyone know how to interpret the diacritical marks in the Hittite toponyms? I'm getting the impression from this that it could just indicate a different symbol for the same sound.
Separately, I just picked up a print of a map of the Ottoman Empire, in Ottoman script. The effect of a map that you "know" but can't read is mesmerizing.
posted by daveliepmann at 9:44 PM on February 17, 2015 [1 favorite]
Anyone know how to interpret the diacritical marks in the Hittite toponyms? I'm getting the impression from this that it could just indicate a different symbol for the same sound.
Separately, I just picked up a print of a map of the Ottoman Empire, in Ottoman script. The effect of a map that you "know" but can't read is mesmerizing.
posted by daveliepmann at 9:44 PM on February 17, 2015 [1 favorite]
This is great. As well as the maps, the chronologies and genealogies of monarchs from all over the world (as well as various pantheons) are really good.
posted by plep at 1:18 AM on February 18, 2015
posted by plep at 1:18 AM on February 18, 2015
These are amazing. I love maps generally and historical maps in particular. I also love interactive ones.
Here's a map of travel times in the Roman Empire.
Here's an interactive world history map.
posted by Happy Dave at 4:23 AM on February 18, 2015 [2 favorites]
Here's a map of travel times in the Roman Empire.
Here's an interactive world history map.
posted by Happy Dave at 4:23 AM on February 18, 2015 [2 favorites]
I love the ancient maps that show Tibet, for what it was, a large, autonomous area. The Chinese teach their students Tibet was a tiny country, they rescued from feudalism.
posted by Oyéah at 10:44 AM on February 18, 2015
posted by Oyéah at 10:44 AM on February 18, 2015
Sweeeeet. *rabbitholes*
posted by Quasirandom at 12:19 PM on February 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Quasirandom at 12:19 PM on February 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
Anyone know how to interpret the diacritical marks in the Hittite toponyms?
‹š› is an ordinary /s/, while ‹ḫ› is /x/ or so. The macron marks (literally) long vowels, e.g. ‹ā› is /aː/. Other points to note are that ‹z› is /ts/, and that what's important about stops (in the usual transcription) is not whether they're written voiceless or voiced, which the Hittites didn't care about, but whether they're written single or double. It's not entirely settled what the phonetic difference was but reading ‹aka› as [aga] and ‹akka› as [ak(ː)a] shouldn't be toooo far off.
More maps like this, in book form, to be found in the excellent New Penguin Atlas of Medieval History.
That's just number two in McEvedy's series of four! I've spent just as much time with the others, his Penguin Atlases of Ancient, Modern, and Recent History.
posted by finka at 1:34 PM on February 18, 2015 [3 favorites]
‹š› is an ordinary /s/, while ‹ḫ› is /x/ or so. The macron marks (literally) long vowels, e.g. ‹ā› is /aː/. Other points to note are that ‹z› is /ts/, and that what's important about stops (in the usual transcription) is not whether they're written voiceless or voiced, which the Hittites didn't care about, but whether they're written single or double. It's not entirely settled what the phonetic difference was but reading ‹aka› as [aga] and ‹akka› as [ak(ː)a] shouldn't be toooo far off.
More maps like this, in book form, to be found in the excellent New Penguin Atlas of Medieval History.
That's just number two in McEvedy's series of four! I've spent just as much time with the others, his Penguin Atlases of Ancient, Modern, and Recent History.
posted by finka at 1:34 PM on February 18, 2015 [3 favorites]
Another useful book for your quiver.
Atlas of the Year 1000
Also a good gift for the history nerd in your life.
posted by DigDoug at 11:44 AM on February 19, 2015
Atlas of the Year 1000
Also a good gift for the history nerd in your life.
posted by DigDoug at 11:44 AM on February 19, 2015
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