The Hyborian Age When Conan Walked the Earth

Comic book cover art showing the world of Conan the Barbarian.

“Know, oh Prince, that between the years when the oceans drank Atlantis and the gleaming cities, and the years of the rise of the sons of Artas, there was an Age Undreamed Of, when shining kingdoms sat spread across the world like blue mantles beneath the stars.” – Text, center right.

The story of Conan the Barbarian began in 1932, when Robert Howard first wrote the character to life in a serial comic publication called “Weird Tales.” At the time of Howard’s suicide in 1936, he had written 21 complete stories about the sword-wielding hero. The copyright to the character was passed through numerous hands in the ensuing decades, and lawsuits between conflicting claims continue to pop up occasionally. The franchise has expanded greatly and has been adopted across multiple media like television, novels, video games, and live-action films.

This map of the world during the ‘Hyborian Age’ (i.e. era of Conan) was designed by Dan Panosian as the cover art for Conan the Barbarian #1, published by Titan Publishing Group. Geographic features are depicted pictorially while decorative visual elements give the audience an impression of the magic, danger, and mystery of Conan’s world.