HE XIX century Today it is still one of the most fascinating periods in history. It produced numerous ideological, political and technical revolutions that have shaped contemporary times forever. At the same time, it opened the doors to a world where countless discoveries, contacts between various civilizations and scientific advances became widespread. The change was structural and at all levels.

Therefore, cartography also developed. The dawn of modernity was full of graphic innovations that would give way to the cartographic crafts of our time. It was no longer just a matter of representing the world (which would be practically discovered by the end of the century and discovered in its entirety), but to position the human inside it. Nature has been tamed, isn’t it time map out humanity itself?

We have already seen how illustrators such as JH Colton or John B. Sparks tried to do this through a format that was innovative at the time: the river, which has been a constant current since the beginning of time. they were going to tear off the arms in the form of cultures and civilizations. These were creative works and prisoners of their time, plagued by widespread Eurocentrism and full of historical and political clichés.

But they were interesting in their own right because they aimed to capture the passage of time in a single graphic. Always. The work of both, especially Colton, will contribute to expanding the explanation of history and social geography through graphic means. But it wasn’t eye-opening. Such an honor probably belongs to the author of the first histomap: Friedrich StrassAustrian cartographer.

graduate Der Strom der Zeiten (flow of time), the drawing would surface as early as 1803, some time before Napoleon established his empire. The brilliant graphical finish and boldness of representation would achieve great success, being translated into many languages ​​and serving as a distant influence for other activists, educators, geographers, and illustrators (from Emma Willard to Eugene Pick).

Der Strom der Zeiten He drew in part on the ideas of the English philosopher Joseph Priestly and aspired to capture at once a vertical understanding of human history. Under the title “World History” he begins from a gray nebula from which the cultures already known at that time spontaneously sprouted. Greeks, Assyrians, Italians, Chinese or Phoenicians. Strass focuses his attention on European peoples and cultures, marginalizing the development or prominence of African or Asian empires.

The beginning of everything. (David Rumsey Collection)

Detail of the first towns. (David Rumsey Collection)

The importance of the Roman Empire. (David Rumsey Collection)

It was a common vice among European illustrators, intellectuals, scientists and thinkers of the time. China and India accounted for half of the world’s population and half of its economic output for centuries. However, River Strass quickly focuses on the Roman Empire as the culprit. many civilizations Where today and many states central to the development of Europe, such as Spain or France, would arise.

Eastern cultures. (David Rumsey Collection)

Latin kingdoms. (David Rumsey Collection)

As time progresses, arms appear, merge and disappear. Strass’s historical view was essentially elitist: he listed monarchs and leaders chronologically according to their possessions (Philip II and Charles V became the largest tributary of their time). On the right side stranded Asian civilizations. Others, such as African or American women, are not even visible.

Der Strom der Zeiten This is an incomplete map of human history, but it is of great importance in developing a different perspective on the flow of time and man’s place in time. And with all that, it’s still beautiful today.

in Xataka | Counting to 99 for each European language is explained on a very interesting map

in Xataka | Moon map by Johannes Hevelius, the first satellite cartography published in 1647

*An earlier version of this article was published in February 2019.