Press play and watch 4,000 years of empires, dynasties and wars flow across one map — from 2100 BCE to today. Stop at any year to see who ruled where, what was happening, and who was alive at the same time.
One map, one timeline. Everything on the site is tied to a place and a year, so you never lose the thread.
Territories, states and rulers change as the timeline moves. Drag to any year or press play and watch borders shift.
Pick a year and see every region side by side: the Tang dynasty, the Abbasid Caliphate and Charlemagne’s Francia, all at once.
Hundreds of guided tours play like an interactive documentary: the map moves with the story, scene by scene.
Hundreds of battles with background, the course of the fighting and the outcome — many with step-by-step animated maps.
More than a thousand historical figures, each with a life story, key dates and who else was alive at the same time.
Questions generated live from the site’s data — dates, battles, rulers, flags — with twelve levels to climb.
Most history sites look out from Europe. TimelineSurf was built in Chinese first, with Chinese, Asian and world history given equal weight — so you can see how Rome and Han China, the Abbasids and the Tang, or the Mongols and medieval Europe fit together.
The map, the timeline, continent views and “The world now” are free forever — no account needed. Pro unlocks everything else.
Payments outside mainland China are handled by Buy Me a Coffee (card or PayPal); we never see your payment details. The annual plan renews each year and can be cancelled at any time on Buy Me a Coffee. “Lifetime” means for as long as the service runs.
The interface, maps, country and state names are in English. The historical texts — tours, biographies, battle accounts — are being translated in batches; anything not yet translated still shows in Chinese, and every page lets you switch languages.
No. The map and free features work without one. An account keeps your bookmarks, notes and quiz progress across devices and holds a Pro purchase.
The maps are historical illustrations showing the broad picture, based on standard chronologies. They are not statements about modern borders or sovereignty. If you find a mistake, please tell us — we correct things constantly.
Historical images come from Wikimedia Commons with credits. Where none exists, we show an AI-generated illustration, always labeled as such. Real photographs are used for people from the photographic era.
The content is written for curious adults and older students. Accounts and payments are for users aged 13 and over.