1000 years of European Borders changing. Poland was big for a long time. Germany was not.
Gammy Dodger stashed this in Trivia, Trivets and Rivets
http://loiter.co/v/watch-as-1000years-of-european-boarders-change/
Always wanted to learn more about European history but could never find the time? Look no further than the time-lapse map in the video above, which has boiled down the continent's history into just three-and-a-half minutes.
The map traces changes in Europe's borders from 1000 AD until 2003, and was created using software from the Centennia Historical Atlas.
Watch the Byzantine Empire fall apart, follow the victories of the Mongols, and watch national borders shift, all accompanied by a fittingly dramatic soundtrack by Hans Zimmer from the Inception score.
Stashed in: Europe, Maps!, History, Maps, Europe, Anthropology
Germany was made up of many little countries for a long time, barbarian tribes?
A good book: Before European Hegemony
http://ahorbinski.dreamwidth.org/5764.html
(drier than the driest sherry)
Also (the novel) Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eaters_of_the_Dead
(gin, straight up)
The 2nd one looks easier to bear, and I could even cheat and watch the movie ;) I read history of the world last year, interesting, yet still like a textbook, a lot to retain. I've been doing silly pleasure reading since!
Chapter 4 of BEH didn't grab you?
"Possible roles in world trade: entrepot, shipper, producer, comprador; Genoa and Venice were shippers.
P.S. Surprise Crusades cannibalism!"
OK, you've piqued my interest :)
The video you've linked here (unfortunately unauthorized --and stamped with a LiveLeak tag as if they created it!) is taken directly from the "Centennia Historical Atlas" which you can learn more about, and download for Windows or Mac, on my web site here: http://HistoricalAtlas.com. I'm the author, head cartographer, and creator of the software, the maps, the map animation, the accompanying text, and all other features of this "apt app". Thought you might like to know! :)
Frank Reed
Centennia Software / HistoricalAtlas.com
Conanicut Island USA
1:33 AM Mar 17 2014