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How Europe’s Culture Moved Around over the last 2,000 years

What were the cultural hubs of Europe in ancient, medieval and modern times? A new research project believes they can give a better picture of this by mapping out where the best and brightest of western civilization were born and died. In a video they unveiled this month, you can follow how Europe has changed over the last 2,000 years.

The research team, led by Dr. Maximilian Schich of the University of Texas at Dallas, has reconstructed the migration and mobility patterns of more than 150,000 notable individuals, which they hope will better our understanding of large-scale cultural dynamics.

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“The study draws a surprisingly comprehensive picture of European and North American cultural interaction that can’t be otherwise achieved without consulting vast amounts of literature or combing discrete data sets,” Schich said. “This study functions like a macroscope, where quantitative inquiry and qualitative inquiry complement each other.”

The video that looks at Europe shows that after the 12th century, Rome’s role as the dominant cultural centre of the region decreased, and Paris became one of the most popular destinations for culturally significant migrants.

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