Mapping the Boundaries of History across the World

For any given geographic point in the world, which peoples and nations have lived there? Point in History, a project by professional data visualizer Hans Hack, informs us. Just click on any spot on a map of the world and the site creates a timeline dating back to prehistoric times.

For my example above, I chose the modern Italian city of Brindisi. The application tells us that after the Stentinello Neolithic culture, the heel of the Italian boot saw the presence of Greeks, Romans, Ostrogoths, and Byzantines, followed by the rule of Sicily, Aragon, Naples, the odd-named Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, and, finally, unified Italy.

-via Flowing Data