Historical atlas

These atlases typically include maps that show the political and cultural boundaries of different states as well as other data, and in some cases illustrations that provide information about important historical events and figures.

They may also include timelines, charts, and other information to help readers understand the historical context of the maps.

Historical atlases are used by scholars, students, and general readers to study and learn about the past.

The first known historical atlas may have been the Parergon by Abraham Ortelius in 1579, which was a supplement to the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum.

[1] The first published historical atlas in systematically chronological order was the 1651 six-map atlas La Terre sainte en six cartes géographiques, covering the historical cartography of Palestine.

Europe at the time of the Celts (1595), a map from one of the first historical atlases, by Abraham Ortelius
Map of expansion of the Roman Empire , published in the William R. Shepherd Historical Atlas in 1924
The preface to the 1912 Cambridge Modern History Atlas explains the purpose of a historical atlas