Appian Way Software Ltd is a British educational software publisher founded in 1988 by Peter and Anne Britton, with the aim of developing history software.

By the early 1990s it had become the leading producer of history software in the UK.

In 1997 Appian Way merged with another, larger, educational company, Actis Ltd., and Peter became Actis’ MD as well. Actis flourished under Peter’s leadership, but, as the company was a general educational publisher, covering all areas of the curriculum, this move took him well away from his roots. So, a couple of years after Actis was taken over by a financial institution in 2000, Peter left to re-start Appian Way as a specialist history provider again.

TimeMaps

In September 2004 Appian Way was able to publish its first title, The Rise and Fall of Nazi Germany under a new series of programs called TimeMaps. The TimeMaps series is a range of programs aimed at bring a new approach to understanding historical change. The programs offer a narrative of history using animated historical maps placed on interactive timelines to narrate history as it happened bringing it to life in a new and dramatic way.

The main purpose of these programs is to enhance historical knowledge and further understanding of chronology, designed for both Interactive White Boards in the classroom and individual study at school or at home.

In September 2005 Appian Way launched it’s second product in the TimeMaps range, an Interactive Map of World History. There are now two versions of the Interactive Map of World History available, one aimed at key stage 2, the other for key stage 3.

The TimeMaps range of programs have been crafted together by Peter Britton, described by a popular history website as ‘one of the country’s most influential pioneers of history software’, Alex Kent, an award winning cartographer and editor of the British Cartographical Associate and Gooii Ltd, an experienced design and software company who specialise in the education market.