Medieval Trade Networks

The location and success of many cities can be understood when examining the surrounding topography and its relation to other urban centers. Many of our modern cities can trace their origins to an 11th century context – as depicted in the map below.

For about 5 years I’ve been trying to fill a knowledge and visual gap when it comes to medieval trade routes. The current maps on the internet depicting trade routes are either very zoomed out and abstract or very zoomed in and detailed. I wanted to strike a balance between the two by compiling maps and visualizing text information from more than 50 sources (excl. wikipedia) and created this map. All visuals are original.

Download the full resolution map (version 10) for non-profit or educational prints or usage with the following link:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1vw1gsBJuLa05dcmfi898603njh6WdoQw

If you have a special request regarding the map, contact me by mail using the button on the top of this page.

Find a zoomable version of the map (version 5) here:
https://www.pathozoom.com/image/123047/popular/7

A portion of the full map (version 10)

If you’re feeling extra generous today you can donate to me using the following button:

 

 

Keep in mind that this is not an academic product, but a result of 100’s of hours of hobby research and passion. This map has now been printed in books, articles, hangs on the walls of peoples homes and is being used as educational material in schools. I’m thankful for everyone who found and made use of it!