580:
197:, upon which a large majority of all our historic and chronological dates are founded. To disturb this system would produce great confusion, with no good results, as the general outlines of history and the relation of one period to another, can be as correctly obtained upon this system, as upon any other, and hinders no one from extending the stream of time back, to suit the chronology of the Septuagint; the claims of the
169:
The chart succeeds in synchronizing
Ancient History, Modern History, and Biblical Genealogical timelines in one extensive chart — and in many ways, Adam's timeline is still the most beautiful and ambitious work of its kind — no other chart has come close to its comprehensive depth in a single massive
158:
The chart was popular enough to be reprinted through several editions, and has been updated to continue into the 21st century. Knock off copies were produced in
America and England. One such copy was published by Irish geologist Edward Hull in 1890, which gave an incorrect attribution to him after he
279:
Since the chart combines secular history with biblical genealogy, it worked back from the time of Christ to peg their start at 4,004 B.C. Above the image of Adam and Eve are the words, "In the beginning God created the Heaven and the Earth" (Genesis 1:1) — beside which the author acknowledges that —
165:
Although new versions remain in print over a hundred years after its first publication, and these newer versions sometimes contain slight amendments to take the years since 1871 into account — they still represent a knowledge of world history, which although considered comprehensive in 1871 — would
131:
The scroll traces the course of human history from 4004 BC to 1883 using time lines, flow charts, and family trees that encompass settlements, countries, empires and civilizations around the world, from
Babylon, Sparta, and China to Italy, Russia, and Wales. The text is accompanied by pictures of
215:
These nation streams are segmented into different colours, indicating the reign of a particular ruler or government, and growing wider or thinner in accordance to historical context. Some divide to indicate a split in the nation and indicate the independence of a state, or flow into others to
264:
The design may have inspired later 'Maps of World
History' such as the HistoMap by John B. Sparks, which chronicles four thousand years of world history in a graphic way similar to the enlarging and contracting nation streams presented on Adam's chart. Sparks added the innovation of using a
173:
More contemporary histories of the world now exist, such as 'What On Earth
Wallbook of Big History', which continues the overall chronological format of Adam's chart, but replaces Adam and Eve with the Big Bang, and the biblical genealogy with a phylogenetic diagram of evolutionary descent.
223:
Numerous tables and references document significant figures shown on the nation streams, such as significant poets, historians, and literary works, which are noted in coloured scrolls near the top of the chart. For example, entries for
150:
with numerous historical references and compendiums (listed in the
Sources, below)* merging secular history with a chronological account beginning with Adam and Eve in 4004 B.C. (date of the Biblical creation of the world proposed by
132:
landmark events and personalities, including architectural monuments like the pyramids, history-changing tools and weapons, inventions, and portraits of famous rulers, adventurers, scientists, cultural figures.. and maps drawn by
561:"Indicates at a glance the date, progress, and synchronism of historical events, as clearly as could be learned in days and weeks in ordinary historical works" (A.D. Hager, Secretary, Chicago Historical Society)
271:
The Oregon
Encyclopedia notes that it is now prized by museums and library collections as an early representative of commercial illustration that made history lessons 'colourful and dramatic'.
261:
describes the chart's design for representing a large scope of human history as something that "resembles an unusually complicated digestive system, with its lines, loops, bulges and branches.
268:
According to the book
Cartographies of Time: History of the Timeline, the Synchronological Chart "was ninetheenth-century America's surpassing achievement in complexity and synthetic power."
212:
Nations and
Kingdoms are represented by parallel streams each brought into the same divisions of time. When conquered or absorbed into another government, its stream terminates.
700:
209:
In the chart, the stream of Time is represented by a long black flowing line, where every hundred years is marked by an upright black pillar, while red lines mark the decades.
193:
The author is fully aware of the difficulties and uncertainties of any system of
Chronology.. it is deemed prudent to base this work on the accepted system of Archbishop
564:"The plan adopted is a very ingenious one is such that the student sees at a glance exactly the condition of the world at any given date" (Scientific American)
170:
illustration. Yet the scope of its knowledge is limited and needs to be supplemented if it is to meet contemporary demands for the teaching of history.
586:
216:
illustrate its conquest, invasion, or acquisition by another nation. In the case of uncertainty or dispute between historical sources —
685:
558:"It is worth a library of books on the subject of history" (G. McCloskie, L.L.D. Professor of Natural History at Princeton College)
579:
186:
design, and compresses 6,000 years of history into a 23-foot wallchart. It is thoroughly illustrated with tables, and references.
765:
732:
833:
319:
643:
541:(37 statues, 128 busts, and 250 inscriptions containing the history of Greece from 1582 to 355 BC located in Oxford)
900:
875:
895:
412:
Sources Consulted are listed within the chart itself, right beside the Colby & Co Publishers colophon:
662:
346:
120:
115:
that graphically depicts a Biblical genealogy alongside a timeline composed of historic sources from the
611:
804:
792:
According to the chart, the universe was created in 4004 BC, and human history began with Adam and Eve.
287:(indicated by a black line), the chart splits into two, with the upper portion continuing the biblical
861:
183:
365:
are indicated by bold black lines behind the streams with a thickness determined by their duration.
345:, which, at one point, occupies almost the entire part of the chart used for nation streams. At the
307:
712:
it resembles an unusually complicated digestive system, with its lines, loops, bulges and branches
516:
284:
283:
The genealogies continue until the Deluge and Tower of Babel in 2,348 B.C., and after depicting
80:
15 (original version), +1/2 page in revised/updated version, totaling at 32 with extra material.
455:
303:
486:
684:
292:
849:
160:
137:
8:
890:
461:
397:
353:. The independence of many colonies is clearly shown as big nation streams standing for
545:
381:
350:
249:
143:
159:
added a geologic strata to the chart. (Reference: National Museum of American History
829:
639:
522:
334:
330:
85:
325:
At certain points of the chart, large parts are occupied by big empires such as the
302:
The nation streams are interspersed with numerous tables containing, for example: A
780:
740:
696:
538:
449:
133:
823:
691:
633:
439:
369:
354:
257:
480:
473:
385:
296:
349:, the empire's colossal nation stream is divided into many smaller streams of
166:
have to be considerably augmented to represent a more contemporary knowledge.
884:
776:
770:
761:
417:
217:
116:
528:
510:
393:
362:
342:
237:
194:
152:
205:
of India; or the uncertainties of Chinese tradition. (Sebastian C. Adams)
401:
358:
225:
92:
338:
427:
389:
368:
Numerous insets remark the discovery of significant inventions such as
241:
280:"Moses assigns no date to this Creation. Where it begins is unknown".
733:"The Wall Chart of World History / The Timechart of Biblical History"
423:
377:
326:
311:
291:
and the lower showing the division into nations supposedly after the
288:
229:
124:
112:
635:
The Wall Chart of World History: From Earliest Times to the Present
467:
373:
315:
245:
443:
435:
233:
202:
142:
Published in 1871 by writer, educator, and Presbyterian minister
44:
318:
from Hebrew, Phoenician, Persian, and Greek, and a list of the
198:
189:
On the overall format of the chronology, the author remarks:
147:
86:
431:
108:
Chronological Chart of Ancient, Modern and Biblical History
232:, and the change in navigation with the invention of the
606:
604:
850:
https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/nmah_1807960
314:
Inscriptions, Tables comparing the development of the
601:
146:, the chart integrates genealogies of the King James
265:Logarithmic scale for the presentation of history.
822:Rosenberg, Daniel; Grafton, Anthony (2 July 2013).
657:
655:
627:
625:
882:
825:Cartographies of Time: A History of the Timeline
821:
663:"Timechart History of the World - Exodus Books"
20:Adams Synchronological Chart or Map of History
652:
622:
102:Adams Synchronological Chart or Map of History
760:
571:
686:"Books: Top of the pop-ups and wallcharts"
244:, while smaller red crosses stand for the
754:
726:
724:
722:
720:
678:
676:
54:Strobridge & Company, Cincinnati, OH
552:
513:'s Annals of the Old and New Testaments
883:
717:
240:, red crosses indicate persecution of
673:
136:*National Museum of American History
730:
682:
631:
589:Composite image of the 1881 edition.
357:split into several smaller streams.
285:Noah's flood as described in Genesis
177:
13:
485:Universal History of the World by
320:Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
14:
912:
869:
828:. Princeton Architectural Press.
612:"Sebastian C. Adams (1825-1898)"
578:
16:1871 chart by Sebastian C. Adams
855:
703:from the original on 2012-10-26
683:Feay, Suzi (12 December 1999).
494:Compendium of History by Kerney
842:
815:
797:
632:Hull, Edward (26 March 1999).
1:
805:"Explore the British Library"
594:
500:Goodrich's Universal History
7:
876:Sebastian C. Adams (artist)
506:Haydn's Dictionary of Dates
400:reading his plays to Queen
329:Empire (under the reign of
10:
917:
537:The Arundelian Marbles or
534:Goodrich History of Greece
519:'s Dictionary of the Bible
407:
274:
105:, originally published as
648:– via Google Books.
572:Image of the 1881 edition
84:
76:
68:
58:
50:
40:
32:
24:
479:History of the World by
308:List of kings of Babylon
766:"First, there was Adam"
517:Antoine Augustin Calmet
491:Cyclopædia of Biography
737:Valerie's Living Books
638:. Barnes & Noble.
616:oregonencyclopedia.org
464:'s Nineveh and Babylon
456:John Gardner Wilkinson
304:List of Assyrian kings
207:
182:The chart maintains a
140:
452:'s Ancient Monarchies
422:Greek Historians: i)
248:. Red circles denote
191:
129:
901:Historical timelines
553:Notable Endorsements
531:'s History of Greece
503:Hawes' Synchronology
458:'s Ancient Egyptians
293:confusion of tongues
896:19th-century prints
731:Jacobsen, Valerie.
667:www.exodusbooks.com
497:Worcester's History
487:Johannes von Müller
462:Austen Henry Layard
416:English Historian:
398:William Shakespeare
250:ecumenical councils
228:, the invention of
117:history of humanity
21:
546:King James Version
476:'s Ancient History
382:Johannes Gutenberg
351:barbarian kingdoms
144:Sebastian C. Adams
28:Sebastian C. Adams
19:
835:978-1-56898-763-7
523:Humphrey Prideaux
339:Macedonian Empire
331:Nebuchadnezzar II
178:Format and design
98:
97:
69:Publication place
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863:
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779:. Archived from
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739:. Archived from
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539:Parian Chronicle
450:George Rawlinson
355:colonial empires
134:John Alsop Paine
88:
60:Publication date
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870:External links
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764:(2005-11-03).
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386:Printing press
335:Persian Empire
297:Tower of Babel
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218:question marks
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783:on 2005-11-26
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777:Eugene Weekly
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771:Eugene Weekly
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762:Eugene Weekly
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743:on 2008-12-29
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781:the original
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741:the original
736:
711:
705:. Retrieved
690:
666:
634:
615:
548:of the Bible
529:George Grote
511:James Ussher
411:
394:Steam engine
367:
363:World War II
347:fall of Rome
343:Roman Empire
324:
301:
282:
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238:Roman Empire
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195:James Ussher
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153:James Ussher
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125:modern times
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509:Archbishop
402:Elizabeth I
359:World War I
226:Joan of Arc
891:1890 works
885:Categories
787:2009-02-27
747:2009-02-28
707:2009-02-27
595:References
525:Connexions
442:, and vi)
428:Thucydides
390:James Watt
341:, and the
327:Babylonian
242:Christians
220:are used.
424:Herodotus
392:with his
384:with the
378:Telescope
372:with the
312:Cuneiform
289:genealogy
230:Gunpowder
184:Victorian
113:wallchart
51:Publisher
701:Archived
470:'s Works
468:Xenophon
376:and the
374:Pendulum
316:Alphabet
246:crusades
93:18434872
33:Language
444:Tacitus
436:Sallust
430:, iii)
408:Sources
333:), the
295:at the
275:Content
234:Compass
203:Puranas
121:4004 BC
72:England
45:History
41:Subject
36:English
832:
642:
567:Source
434:, iv)
426:, ii)
396:, and
337:, the
25:Author
848:url="
438:, v)
199:Vedas
148:Bible
119:from
111:is a
77:Pages
830:ISBN
773:news
640:ISBN
544:The
432:Livy
361:and
306:, A
201:and
87:OCLC
64:1871
155:).
123:to
887::
807:.
790:.
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768:.
735:.
719:^
710:.
699:.
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689:.
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654:^
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603:^
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388:,
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618:.
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