Gifts for history lovers: 9 prints to hang that they will love
Roberto Zampieri
History lovers' favourite gift
Map of the Roman Empire at its greatest extent
- Printed on handmade Amalfi paper, with deckled edges
- Hand-assembled beech wood frame and museum glass
- Sheet 40 x 60 cm (15.7 x 23.6 in), 45 x 65 cm (17.7 x 25.6 in) framed
- Certificate of authenticity signed by the craftsman
€220
Pay in 3 interest-free instalments with PayPal
Tracked and insured
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The right gift for a history lover is something they can look at every day and that speaks of their favourite period. A book is read once and ends up on the shelf; a framed historical print, an old map or a great moment from the past stays on the wall for years, and every time they walk past it reminds them of who gave it to them.
In this guide you will find 9 prints to give as gifts, grouped by type of history lover: those who love ancient Rome, those who enjoy great speeches and dramatic turns, those who follow military history and those who prefer the Middle Ages. They range from €79 to €220, and for each one we tell you why it is the right gift and who it is for.
How to choose a gift for a history lover
Three questions are enough.
What is their period? History lovers almost always have a favourite era: ancient Rome, the Middle Ages, Napoleon, the great battles. A generic "history" gift is welcome; a gift about their period moves them. If you don't know, look at their bookshelf: the titles will tell you everything.
Where will they hang it? The large maps (40 x 60 cm, 15.7 x 23.6 in) look their best in a study, above a desk or in a hallway; the smaller prints (29 x 42 cm, 11.4 x 16.5 in) suit a bookcase, a corridor or a spot next to other pictures.
How much do you want to spend? Under €100 there is the standard of a Roman legion; between €100 and €170 the historical scenes and the Tabula Peutingeriana; over €200 the great maps, the gift that makes the biggest impression.
For those who love ancient Rome
It is the theme our customers give most often: Rome is the history everyone has studied and that never stops fascinating.
1. The map of the Roman Empire at its greatest extent
The empire at its largest, under Trajan, in AD 117: from Britain to Mesopotamia, with an all-Roman Mediterranean at its centre. At the bottom, the date as the Romans wrote it, 870 ab Urbe condita, that is, from the founding of Rome. It is our best-loved print and the one people give most.
Perfect for someone who has read everything about the empire, and for the study of a history teacher.
€220 · 45 x 65 cm (17.7 x 25.6 in) with frame and glass
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Discover and buy the print2. All the Roman emperors, their faces and dates
All the emperors of ancient Rome on a single plate, each with his face taken from coins and statues and with his years of reign. It is the gift for someone who enjoys recognising them one by one and for anyone who wants to always have in front of them who came after whom.
Perfect for the ancient history student, the collector of Roman coins, someone who never misses a documentary.
€220 · 42 x 62 cm (16.5 x 24.4 in) with frame and glass
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Discover and buy the print3. The plan of ancient Rome by Luigi Canina
Luigi Canina, a nineteenth-century architect and archaeologist, spent his life measuring and drawing the ruins of Rome and excavating along the Appian Way. This plan of his reconstructs the centre of the ancient city, building by building, with the precision of someone who had studied it in the field.
Perfect for the archaeologist, the architect, someone who has just graduated in archaeology or classics.
€210 · 31 x 44 cm (12.2 x 17.3 in) framed
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Discover and buy the print4. The Tabula Peutingeriana, the Romans' road map
It is the medieval copy of a map of the roads of the Roman Empire: a scroll almost seven metres (23 ft) long, now in the Austrian National Library in Vienna, with cities, staging posts and distances. It is named after Konrad Peutinger, the humanist who owned it in the sixteenth century. Our print reproduces one part of it; on the product page you can choose between four different sections.
Perfect for lovers of travel, maps and Roman roads; it also looks good as a series, one section next to the other.
€165 · 31 x 44 cm (12.2 x 17.3 in) framed
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Discover and buy the printFor those who love the great moments of history
Not maps, but scenes: the nineteenth-century paintings that told the history of Rome like a film, with the characters at the centre.
5. Cicero Denounces Catiline, by Cesare Maccari
The Senate in 63 BC: Cicero standing, the senators around him, and Catiline sitting alone, shunned by everyone. It is the moment of the famous "Quo usque tandem abutere, Catilina, patientia nostra?" ("How long, Catiline, will you abuse our patience?"). Cesare Maccari painted it in the late nineteenth century in Palazzo Madama, now the seat of the Italian Senate.
Perfect for the lawyer, the judge, the politician, the Latin teacher, and anyone who has just graduated in law.
€154 · on Amalfi paper, 29 x 42 cm (11.4 x 16.5 in)
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Discover and buy the print6. The Assassination of Caesar, by Vincenzo Camuccini
The Ides of March, 44 BC: the conspirators close in on Caesar, who falls at the foot of Pompey's statue. Vincenzo Camuccini, the great Roman Neoclassical painter, made it one of the most famous history paintings of the early nineteenth century. The day that changed the history of Rome, in a single scene.
Perfect for anyone with a soft spot for Julius Caesar and for those looking for an important gift without going over €120.
€119 · 31 x 44 cm (12.2 x 17.3 in) framed
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Discover and buy the printFor those who love military history
7. The standard of the Legio X Equestris
The Tenth was Julius Caesar's favourite legion, the one that followed him into Gaul and on which he relied at decisive moments. Its standard, with the golden bull on a red background, is reconstructed from historical sources and printed on fabric, ready to hang like a real field banner.
Perfect for the legion enthusiast, the historical re-enactor, the youngster who discovered history through video games. It is also the most affordable gift in this guide.
€79 · banner 40 x 30 cm (15.7 x 11.8 in)
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Discover and buy the standard8. Napoleon on the Battlefield of Eylau
East Prussia, February 1807: Napoleon on horseback crosses the snowy field after one of the bloodiest battles of his wars. The original painting, by Antoine-Jean Gros, is in the Louvre. This is not the triumphant Napoleon of the official portraits, but a man facing the price of war.
Perfect for lovers of Napoleon and the nineteenth century, readers of military history, toy soldier collectors.
€158 · 31 x 44 cm (12.2 x 17.3 in) framed
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Discover and buy the printFor those who love the Middle Ages
9. The Hereford Mappa Mundi
Drawn around 1290 by Richard of Haldingham and kept in Hereford Cathedral, in England, it is the largest medieval map of the world to have survived. It was not made for travelling: it is the world as a thirteenth-century man imagined it, with Jerusalem at the centre, the East at the top and fantastic peoples at the edges.
Perfect for lovers of the Middle Ages, cathedrals and manuscripts, and for anyone looking for a gift nobody else will give.
€210 · 31 x 44 cm (12.2 x 17.3 in) framed
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Discover and buy the printWhich one to choose: the quick guide
- Loves ancient Rome: the map of the empire at its greatest extent (€220) or all the Roman emperors (€220).
- Is an archaeologist or architect: Canina's plan of ancient Rome (€210).
- Loves travel and maps: the Tabula Peutingeriana (€165).
- Is a lawyer or teaches Latin: Cicero Denounces Catiline (€154).
- Is a Julius Caesar fan: the Assassination of Caesar (€119) or the standard of the Tenth Legion (€79).
- Loves Napoleon: Napoleon at Eylau (€158).
- Loves the Middle Ages: the Hereford Mappa Mundi (€210).
Why it is not a poster
A history lover can spot a poor copy straight away. That is why our prints are made the way they used to be.
Amalfi paper. Made from pure cotton fibres, thick and soft to the touch, with the deckled edges of handmade paper: the oldest paper in Italy.
Handcrafted frame. In beech wood, cut and assembled by hand by our craftsmen: the print arrives ready to hang.
Embossed mark. Every print bears the Trizio Editore mark blind-embossed into the Amalfi paper.
The legion standard is the only exception: it is a banner printed on fabric, like the real ones.
What to write on the card
For a history lover, a Latin phrase is worth a thousand wishes. Three ideas, all authentic:
Historia magistra vitae, "history is the teacher of life": Cicero wrote it in De oratore. Perfect with the Cicero print.
Festina lente, "make haste slowly": according to the historian Suetonius it was the favourite motto of the emperor Augustus. Ideal with the map of the empire or the emperors.
Veni, vidi, vici, "I came, I saw, I conquered": Julius Caesar's message after the victory at Zela, in 47 BC. For Caesar fans, together with the standard of the Tenth or the Assassination of Caesar. We told its story in Veni, vidi, vici: what Julius Caesar's phrase means.
If you want to know more before choosing, on our blog you will find the story of the map of the Roman Empire at its greatest extent and that of the Roman legions and their standards.
Frequently asked questions
What should I give a history lover?
Something linked to their favourite period that they can always have in sight: an old map, a historical scene or the standard of a Roman legion to hang in the study or by the bookcase. It lasts longer than a book and they see it every day.
What should I give someone who loves ancient Rome?
The most popular gift is the map of the Roman Empire at its greatest extent; alternatively the plate with all the Roman emperors, Luigi Canina's plan of ancient Rome or, under €100, the standard of the Legio X Equestris.
What should I give for a history or archaeology degree?
A print to go with the new study: Canina's plan of ancient Rome for an archaeologist, the Tabula Peutingeriana for someone who studied ancient geography, the map of the empire for a historian. For a law degree, Cicero Denounces Catiline.
How much should I spend on a gift for a history lover?
In our guide prices range from €79 for the standard to €220 for the great maps. The historical scenes on Amalfi paper with a frame cost between €119 and €158.
Do the prints come framed?
Yes: the Amalfi paper prints in this guide come with a handmade beech wood frame, ready to hang. The legion standard is a fabric banner.
How are they shipped?
By express courier: shipping is tracked and insured and the print travels in reinforced packaging. When it leaves, you receive the tracking code by email so you can follow the parcel until delivery.
Can I have a print in a different size or with another frame?
Yes, write to us on WhatsApp at +39 352 049 2129 or at info@trizioeditore.it and we will choose size and frame together.
Can I pay in instalments?
Yes, with PayPal you can pay in 3 interest-free instalments, where PayPal offers this option in your country.
Rome · AD 117
The map of the Roman Empire at its greatest extent
Handmade Amalfi paper · Handmade beech frame · €220
Pay in 3 interest-free instalments with PayPal
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