Timeline Map

I found an interesting timeline at http://www.mapsofwar.com/ind/imperial-history.html

This map details the imperial history of the Middle East--which empire controlled which area at a given time in history. One can choose to just "play" the movie, but you can also click a different portion of the timeline to play from that era on. It would be better if it did a "goto and stop" there, but you can have this same effect if you click on the portion of the timeline you want, then hit "pause" to admire the map of that era.

What makes this timeline interesting is that, in addition to being able to click on different times, it also has a rollover effect providing a name for the era. For example, on the screenshot included here, when you select the year 1187, the text "Saladin's Empire" appears when you roll the cursor over this year. This gives you an era name as well as the year to help provide more information and history. It is a simple map, but it helps provide a summary history of the Middle Eastern Empires.