Conan Chronologies

Conan chronologies have been prepared by a variety of people from the 1930s onward to provide a timeline into which to fit the numerous Conan the Barbarian stories by Robert E. Howard and later writers. This article covers the major schemes that have been advanced over the years.

Several factors impact the differences in chronologies. First, the earliest (Miller/Clark) chronology overlooked some internal evidence in the stories then known that might otherwise have influenced its story placement. Second, internal evidence in subsequently discovered stories contrary to its scheme was ignored, with these tales either simply incorporated into the existing scheme or (in at least one instance) rewritten to fit it. Third, while most later stories by other hands were written in accord with the Miller/Clark chronology (and incorporated into revised versions), a few disregarded it, some (such as the movie adaptations) even contradicting material in the original Howard stories. These factors are discussed in the sections on the various major chronologies that follow.