Religions changed, and how we know

Five histories told in order, a chapter at a time: Hinduism from the farmers of Mehrgarh, Judaism from the hill villages of Iron Age Canaan, Buddhism from the Ganga plain, Christianity from Galilee and Islam from late antique Arabia. Every claim names the verse, inscription, excavation or study behind it, and says how settled the evidence is.

69 chapters and 3152 cited sources so far, about 26 hours of reading. Sikhism is next.

All five on one family-tree chart, and on a world map you can play through time. Every date and place comes from the chapters and links back to the one that cites it. Both are free to print and share.

How Hinduism evolved, told in 13 cited chapters: from Neolithic India, the Indus and the Rigveda to the Upanishads, bhakti, colonial rule and modern India.

The Hinduism series Timeline The history in six charts

How Buddhism evolved, told in 14 cited chapters: from the Buddha and Ashoka to the first images, Mahāyāna, China, Tibet, Theravāda, Zen and mindfulness.

The Buddhism series Timeline The history in four charts

How Christianity evolved, in 14 cited chapters: from the historical Jesus and Paul to the canon, Nicaea, the schism, the Reformations and the global church.

The Christianity series Timeline The history in four charts

How Islam evolved, in 14 cited chapters: from late antique Arabia, Muhammad and the Qur'an to the caliphates, the law schools, Sufism, empire and reform.

The Islam series Timeline The history in four charts

How Judaism evolved, told in 14 cited chapters: from Yahweh among the gods and the exile to the Torah, the rabbis, Kabbalah, Hasidism, Zionism and today.

The Judaism series Timeline The history in four charts

The same method, applied to other traditions. Each series is published only when all of its chapters meet the same standard of evidence.

From Guru Nānak’s Punjab to the Khālsā, the Singh Sabhā and the diaspora

Academic mainstream is the default narrative. Where scholars disagree, or where modern politics drives the argument as much as the data, the strongest form of each position is stated rather than caricatured. Primary sources are quoted in the original script, transliterated and translated, followed by what the passage does and does not prove.