This is the first and only historical atlas to present global history in a series of uniform world maps, so allowing complete and instant comparability between different periods and regions. For example, when did modern humans first colonize different parts of the world? What was happening in China when Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Empire? What was the global reach of the great religious faiths at the time of the European Reformation? Covering the whole of human history from six million years ago to the present day in 56 specially commissioned world maps, this is the perfect book for quick reference and a highly appealing and authoritative overview of the human story for the 21st century.