History
Historical atlases, empire data, and the long-view rabbit holes I keep coming back to.
“The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” — William Faulkner
Where the long view lives — historical atlases, empire datasets, heritage-site trails, and the reading lists I keep circling back to. Some of these links are twenty years old and only survive in archived form; those are marked.
In progress
Viking Sites Map
An interactive Leaflet atlas of Viking-age sites — settlements, burials, hoards, and runestones, each with sourced coordinates.
In the worksIreland Through Time
Two hundred Irish historical sites, bilingual in English and Irish, from passage tombs to Norman keeps.
In the worksThe Greek World
A stylized historical map of the wider Greek world — not just the mainland, but every colony from Iberia to the Black Sea.
In the worksReference links
The history sites, maps, and datasets I actually open — plus a handful of dead ones preserved here because nothing replaced them.
Atlases & historical maps
- World History Maps
- David Rumsey — the world in 1810
- Historical Battles Map (nodegoat)
- Histomap
- Hammond Histomap of Religion — image
- UsefulCharts
- NUKEMAP
- Palaeos — deep time
Empires, cycles & big history
- List of Largest Empires
- Seshat Databank
- The Ghosts of Empires Past (Turchin)
- Generational Dynamics
- The Decline of the West (TV Tropes)
- The 12 Regions of China
- Twenty Decisive Battles of the World — review
- Machiavelli (Qcurtius)
Ancient & classical
- Ancient Origins
- Early Christian Writings
- Godchecker
- Lars Brownworth
- Hardcore History 60: The Celtic Holocaust
- Best — The Maori Canoe — NZ web archive
Vikings & the north
- Follow the Vikings — map
- Finland: the Viking Ages — archived
- How cats conquered the world — and a few Viking ships
- The Gaels Were From Scythia
Heritage sites & historic travel
- UNESCO World Heritage — data feeds
- World Heritage Site — Connections
- Trip Historic
- Ireland’s Best Historic Sites (Lonely Planet) — archived
- Historical Places in Ireland (Vagabond Tours)
- Roadward Bound — Learning From the Past
American West & the Pacific Northwest
- Historic Churches of Astoria & Warrenton
- The Racist History of Portland
- Declassified: America’s Secret Flying Saucer — archived
- Northwest Coast Native Settings: Raven Warrior — archived
Reading lists, blogs & listening
- Books I Suggest You Read (Gene Expression) — archived
- Razib Khan’s history shelf — sign-in required
- JayMan’s Blog
- List of Battles Won by Country — access required
- Pod City: 19 History Podcasts — archived
- RealLifeLore: The Greco-Turkish Cold War — Nebula subscription