The Atlas
Navigate history by era and region.
23 countries · 7 eras · Curated paths
Select an era to see where the world was changing.
Selected:
View era →
10,000 BCE
500 BCE
1500
1914
Today
Timeline of World History
~200,000 BCE → Present
Human Origins & Early Societies
Humans emerge, migrate, and build early settlements.
Africa
Middle East
Europe
South & East Asia
Oceania
200000 BCE → 3000 BCE
Ancient Civilizations
Writing, states, and religion take shape across early centers.
Africa
Middle East
Europe
South & East Asia
Americas
3000 BCE → 500 BCE
Classical Empires & Thought
Philosophy, empire, and universal ideas spread widely.
Middle East
Europe
South & East Asia
500 BCE → 500 CE
Post-Classical Worlds
Trade networks and new political orders reshape regions.
Africa
Middle East
Europe
South & East Asia
Americas
500 CE → 1200 CE
Early Modern Transformation
Exploration, gunpowder empires, and global exchange accelerate change.
Africa
Middle East
Europe
South & East Asia
Americas
Oceania
1200 CE → 1750 CE
Industrial & Imperial Age
Industry, nationalism, and empire transform economies and power.
Africa
Middle East
Europe
South & East Asia
Americas
Oceania
1750 CE → 1914 CE
The Modern World
World wars, decolonization, globalization, and the digital age.
Africa
Middle East
Europe
South & East Asia
Americas
Oceania
1914 CE → 2025 CE
Regions
Africa
6 eras
Human Origins
Early Modern
Modern
Middle East
6 eras
Ancient
Early Modern
Modern
Europe
5 eras
Classical
Early Modern
Modern
South & East Asia
5 eras
Ancient
Early Modern
Modern
Americas
4 eras
Ancient
Industrial
Modern
Oceania
6 eras
Human Origins
Early Modern
Modern
Or start with a country
A rotating selection, refreshed weekly.
🇪🇹
Ethiopia
One of the oldest civilizations on earth, never colonized.
🇧🇷
Brazil
A continent-sized story of colonialism, creativity, and contradictions.
🇯🇵
Japan
An island arc shaped by isolation, reinvention, and resilience.
🇮🇩
Indonesia
Thousands of islands, hundreds of cultures, one evolving republic.
🇨🇳
China
Five thousand years of dynastic rise, revolution, and resurgence.
🇷🇺
Russia
Tsars, soviets, and the struggle between reform and control.
🇦🇷
Argentina
Boom, crisis, and the cultural richness of the Southern Cone.
🇮🇳
India
A civilization of staggering diversity, continuity, and reinvention.