How did a people from Scandinavia end up sacking Rome and ruling Spain?. The Goths undertook one of history's most epic migrations, and their journey forever changed the face of Europe. I mapped out their incredible story.

My 27th attempt at vector topography. I'm slowly getting closer to the visuals that I want.

The most fun image & video creation tool in the world is here. Try it for free in the Grok App.

The Caribbean island nations are the reason why I can't remember all the countries.

US president James K. Polk almost doubled the size of the US. In one term. Finalized the annexation of Texas in 1845. Signed the Oregon Treaty 1846. Pushed for the Mexican-American war, resulting the Mexican cession in 1848

I consider my maps to be artistic and simplified representations. A single snapshot of a place and time. It can never have the nuance and complexities of the real world, history and different opinions. This becomes most apparent, whenever I make maps about modern borders.

I'm playing around with topography. I want everything on my maps to be vectors. Since this data doesn't exist, I have to make my own. Still a work in progress.

The Roman Empire wasn't just legions and emperors. It was also buerocracy. Provinces, governors and administration held it together for centuries.

Not just a desert kingdom. The Omani Empire once ruled a maritime network from Arabia to Africa. It's a forgotten oceanic power.

Say what you will about the Mercator projection, it's still the best looking one.

If you want to explore more maps and history in one place, I have a newsletter here:.

If you want to explore more maps and history in one place, I have a newsletter here:.

1615 years ago, Rome fell to the Visigoths under Alaric I. On 24 August 410. The first sack of Rome in nearly 800 years. A shocking blow to the eternal city marked a symbolic start for the fall of the Western Roman Empire.

While Europeans fought for generations for each meter of European soil,.the Americans bought and conquered half a continent within years.

Old trade routes had shorter routes than modern ones do. Sailors didn't spend years sailing from one side of the world to another. They made trips between trade centers where other sailors took over the next leg. Ships were specialized and sailors knew local waters.

The spice trade was reliant of camels. On the Egyptian route, the camels took the goods from the sea port to barges on the Nile. It took ~2 months. The Persian route took thousands of camels through the harshest deserts. It took ~2-4 months.

I wrote a thread about the spice trade. Read more here:.

This tiny island is the Hormuz, in the Strait of Hormuz. It was one of the most valuable pieces of real estate in the spice trade. Close to the mainland Persia, but isolated. It offered a secure way of offloading goods from India, China and the East Indies.

The Germanics and the Gaul was a nuisance to Rome. The Goths, Vandals and Suevii migrated deep into Roman territory. The Anglo-Saxons invaded Britain. The ones who stayed home and survived the Huns, created their own kingdoms.

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This monopoly was so profitable, it forced rival nations to a radical solution: find another way. The quest to bypass Venice and the Mamluks launched the Age of Discovery. Columbus sailed west and Vasco da Gama around Africa. All for a taste of the spice trade.

After the final journey over the Alps or by the sea, the spices reached the consumers. The total markup from a farmer in Indonesia to a kitchen in Germany was about 18,000% for rare cloves. For pepper about 5,000%