The Wallchart of World History
Encyclopedia
The Wallchart of World History: From Earliest Times to the Present is a synchronological wallchart
and timeline
("timechart") that graphically depicts the history of mankind
from 4000 BC
, the biblical beginning of man, to modern times
.
The chart is based on The Bible, thus a chronological history of The Bible is presented on its first pages, causing nowadays some reluctance to use the chart, that eventually merges with secular history on the pages following.
The original version by Edward Hull
was published in 1890 and spanned to his present day in the 19th century. The chart has been later updated to continue up to the 21st century.
design (even in updated versions) and is thoroughly accompanied by illustrations.
As indicators of time, all through is the chart divided into big black posts which mark centuries
and thin red lines which mark decades (with very thin red lines occasionally marking single years).
Additionally, big red crosses indicate great persecutions of Christian
s at the times of the Roman Empire
and small red crosses stand for each of the crusades
. Red circles indicate ecumenical council
s. Also, question mark
s indicate uncertainties (they are mostly seen at the beginning of the timechart, where the certainty of events and the accuracy of dates are most disputed).
The nation streams are segmented into different colours, each colour indicating the reign of a particular ruler or a certain type of government. In some cases, prime minister
s are shown in the lower half of nation streams and president
s in the upper half. Coloured scrolls and strips near the top of the chart stand for important people other than the rulers and other political leaders shown on the nation streams. These streams grow wider or thinner in accordance to historical context. Some streams divide to indicate a split in the nation (e.g. to indicate the independence of a state) or flow into others to illustrate its conquest, invasion, or acquisition by such other nation.
The Independent
describes the chart's peculiar design for a peculiarly big scope of human history as something that...
and advances with their genealogy
. At a point of this genealogy
, after the deluge (which is indicated by a black line), the chart is divided in two: the upper part continuing with the genealogy and the lower broader part showing the origin of the first nations as men supposedly separated because of the confusion of tongues
following the construction of the Tower of Babel
. The link between the genealogy upwards and the nation streams downwards is presented by recognizing the founders of each nation as specific people from the genealogy, in accordance to certain interpretations of The Bible.
At certain points of the chart, large percentages of space are occupied by big empires such as the Babylonia
n Empire (under the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II), the Persian Empire, the Macedonian Empire, and the Roman Empire
, which, at one page, occupies almost the entire part of the chart used for nation streams.
At the fall of Rome
, the empire's colossal nation stream is divided into many smaller streams of Barbaric Kingdoms
.
As history advances, the nation streams, being first wavy, gradually straighten up, probably to illustrate how history becomes more certain and undisputed as it narrows down to the present.
The independence of many colonies is clearly shown as big nation streams standing for colonial empire
s split into several smaller streams. World War I and World War II are indicated by bold black lines behind the streams with a thickness determined by their duration.
Wallchart
A wallchart is a type of large poster often displaying information for educational use or entertainment. One popular use of a wallchart is to track progress of sports teams in cup events....
and timeline
Timeline
A timeline is a way of displaying a list of events in chronological order, sometimes described as a project artifact . It is typically a graphic design showing a long bar labeled with dates alongside itself and events labeled on points where they would have happened.-Uses of timelines:Timelines...
("timechart") that graphically depicts the history of mankind
History of the world
The history of the world or human history is the history of humanity from the earliest times to the present, in all places on Earth, beginning with the Paleolithic Era. It excludes non-human natural history and geological history, except insofar as the natural world substantially affects human lives...
from 4000 BC
4th millennium BC
The 4th millennium BC saw major changes in human culture. It marked the beginning of the Bronze Age and of writing.The city states of Sumer and the kingdom of Egypt were established and grew to prominence. Agriculture spread widely across Eurasia...
, the biblical beginning of man, to modern times
Modernity
Modernity typically refers to a post-traditional, post-medieval historical period, one marked by the move from feudalism toward capitalism, industrialization, secularization, rationalization, the nation-state and its constituent institutions and forms of surveillance...
.
The chart is based on The Bible, thus a chronological history of The Bible is presented on its first pages, causing nowadays some reluctance to use the chart, that eventually merges with secular history on the pages following.
The original version by Edward Hull
Edward Hull (geologist)
Edward Hull , M.A., L.L.D., F.R.S., a geologist and stratigrapher, held the position of Director of theGeological Survey of Ireland. He was also a professor of geology in the Royal College of Science, Dublin. His dates are listed in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.He was born in...
was published in 1890 and spanned to his present day in the 19th century. The chart has been later updated to continue up to the 21st century.
Format and design
The chart maintains a VictorianVictorian decorative arts
Victorian decorative arts refers to the style of decorative arts during the Victorian era. The Victorian era is known for its eclectic revival and interpretation of historic styles and the introduction of cross-cultural influences from the middle east and Asia in furniture, fittings, and Interior...
design (even in updated versions) and is thoroughly accompanied by illustrations.
As indicators of time, all through is the chart divided into big black posts which mark centuries
Century
A century is one hundred consecutive years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages .-Start and end in the Gregorian Calendar:...
and thin red lines which mark decades (with very thin red lines occasionally marking single years).
Additionally, big red crosses indicate great persecutions of Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
s at the times 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 small red crosses stand for each of the crusades
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
. Red circles indicate ecumenical council
Ecumenical council
An ecumenical council is a conference of ecclesiastical dignitaries and theological experts convened to discuss and settle matters of Church doctrine and practice....
s. Also, question mark
Question mark
The question mark , is a punctuation mark that replaces the full stop at the end of an interrogative sentence in English and many other languages. The question mark is not used for indirect questions...
s indicate uncertainties (they are mostly seen at the beginning of the timechart, where the certainty of events and the accuracy of dates are most disputed).
The nation streams are segmented into different colours, each colour indicating the reign of a particular ruler or a certain type of government. In some cases, prime minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
s are shown in the lower half of nation streams and president
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
s in the upper half. Coloured scrolls and strips near the top of the chart stand for important people other than the rulers and other political leaders shown on the nation streams. These streams grow wider or thinner in accordance to historical context. Some streams divide to indicate a split in the nation (e.g. to indicate the independence of a state) or flow into others to illustrate its conquest, invasion, or acquisition by such other nation.
The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
describes the chart's peculiar design for a peculiarly big scope of human history as something that...
Content
The chart begins with Adam and EveAdam and Eve
Adam and Eve were, according to the Genesis creation narratives, the first human couple to inhabit Earth, created by YHWH, the God of the ancient Hebrews...
and advances with their genealogy
Genealogies of Genesis
The genealogies of Genesis record the descendants of Adam and Eve to Abraham, including the age at which each patriarch fathered his named son and the number of years he lived thereafter. The genealogy contains two branches: for Cain, given in Chapter 4, and for Seth in Chapter 5...
. At a point of this genealogy
Genealogy
Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members...
, after the deluge (which is indicated by a black line), the chart is divided in two: the upper part continuing with the genealogy and the lower broader part showing the origin of the first nations as men supposedly separated because of the confusion of tongues
Confusion of tongues
The confusion of tongues is the initial fragmentation of human languages described in the Book of Genesis 11:1–9, as a result of the construction of the Tower of Babel....
following the construction of the Tower of Babel
Tower of Babel
The Tower of Babel , according to the Book of Genesis, was an enormous tower built in the plain of Shinar .According to the biblical account, a united humanity of the generations following the Great Flood, speaking a single language and migrating from the east, came to the land of Shinar, where...
. The link between the genealogy upwards and the nation streams downwards is presented by recognizing the founders of each nation as specific people from the genealogy, in accordance to certain interpretations of The Bible.
At certain points of the chart, large percentages of space are occupied by big empires such as the Babylonia
Babylonia
Babylonia was an ancient cultural region in central-southern Mesopotamia , with Babylon as its capital. Babylonia emerged as a major power when Hammurabi Babylonia was an ancient cultural region in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq), with Babylon as its capital. Babylonia emerged as...
n Empire (under the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II), the Persian Empire, the Macedonian Empire, and 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....
, which, at one page, occupies almost the entire part of the chart used for nation streams.
At the fall of Rome
Decline of the Roman Empire
The decline of the Roman Empire refers to the gradual societal collapse of the Western Roman Empire. Many theories of causality prevail, but most concern the disintegration of political, economic, military, and other social institutions, in tandem with foreign invasions and usurpers from within the...
, the empire's colossal nation stream is divided into many smaller streams of Barbaric Kingdoms
Barbarian
Barbarian and savage are terms used to refer to a person who is perceived to be uncivilized. The word is often used either in a general reference to a member of a nation or ethnos, typically a tribal society as seen by an urban civilization either viewed as inferior, or admired as a noble savage...
.
As history advances, the nation streams, being first wavy, gradually straighten up, probably to illustrate how history becomes more certain and undisputed as it narrows down to the present.
The independence of many colonies is clearly shown as big nation streams standing for colonial empire
Colonial empire
The Colonial empires were a product of the European Age of Exploration that began with a race of exploration between the then most advanced maritime powers, Portugal and Spain, in the 15th century...
s split into several smaller streams. World War I and World War II are indicated by bold black lines behind the streams with a thickness determined by their duration.