4,000 Years of Religion, Mapped

From 2000 BC to 2025 on one map and one clock. Each square takes the faith of most of the people living there. No narration: only the map, the wars and words from the sources. CHAPTERS 0:00 Many gods 0:43 The teachers 1:36 Roads of empire 2:52 The crescent and the Silk Road 4:18 Conquerors and converts 5:40 Splits 7:20 The empty chair 8:21 The whole world, 2025 HOW TO READ IT A square shows the local majority, not everyone who lives there, and the clock changes speed along the way. Only the Pew chart near the end is measured. The map and the running counters are this film's own estimates, and before 1900 they are rough. They run below survey totals: for 2020 the film has 1.74 billion Christians, Pew about 2.3 billion. SOURCES Faith shares: Pew Research Center, How the Global Religious Landscape Changed From 2010 to 2020 (2025), national censuses and surveys. Population before 1800: after McEvedy & Jones, Atlas of World Population History (1978), and Biraben (1979). Map: Natural Earth (public domain). Quotes Ashoka, Rock Edicts XII and XIII, trans. E. Hultzsch (1925) The Edict of Milan, in Lactantius, trans. W. Fletcher (1886) Al-Baladhuri, Futuh al-Buldan, trans. P. K. Hitti (1916) Al-Maqqari, trans. P. de Gayangos (1840) Russian Primary Chronicle, trans. L. Wiener (1902) Fulcher of Chartres, trans. O. J. Thatcher & E. H. McNeal (1905) Gesta Francorum, trans. A. C. Krey (1921) William of Rubruck, trans. W. W. Rockhill (1900) MUSIC Alexander Borodin, In the Steppes of Central Asia. Musopen Symphony. Musopen, CC0. Ottorino Respighi, The Pines of Rome: IV. The Pines of the Appian Way. United States Army Band. Public domain. Gustav Holst, The Planets: I. Mars, the Bringer of War. Skidmore College Orchestra, courtesy of Musopen. Attribution. Original 16-bit score and sound design made for this film. Icons: Microsoft Fluent Emoji (MIT). Spotted a mistake? Tell us in the comments. #Religion #History #Maps