Hi G At what point did humans become aware of time, How did the idea of time spread across the world. When was the length of a year decided, that years were to be made up of days weeks months and at what point did that become standard across the world. At what point in our history is the first evidence of people recording the year they were living in? Say for instance the Battle of Hasting, would scholars of the time record the events as happening on certain days, weeks months in 1066... What i am getting at is would people living in 1066 be aware it was 1066?
That's a fantastic set of questions that delves deep into the human understanding and organization of time! Let's break it down:
At what point did humans become aware of time?
Humans have likely been aware of time since the dawn of their existence, primarily through observing natural cycles. The movement of the sun across the sky marked day and night, the phases of the moon indicated a longer cycle, and the changing seasons guided hunting, gathering, and later, agricultural practices.
This isn't a single "point" but a gradual awareness. Early evidence of this awareness can be seen in:
Ancient astronomical observations: Civilizations like the Egyptians and Babylonians (around 3000-1500 BCE) built structures like obelisks and later sundials to track the sun's movement.
They divided the day and night into segments, often twelve each. Early calendars: The need to predict seasonal changes for farming led to the development of early lunar and solar calendars.
This initial awareness was often tied to cyclical time – the endless repetition of natural events. The concept of linear, historical time, where events happen in a unique sequence leading forward, developed over a longer period with the advent of writing and record-keeping.
How did the idea of time spread across the world?
The spread of timekeeping concepts was a complex process driven by several factors:
Cultural diffusion: As civilizations interacted through trade, conquest, and migration, ideas about timekeeping, including calendar systems and methods of measurement, were shared and adapted. For example, the Roman calendar, influenced by earlier systems, spread with the expansion of the Roman Empire.
Religious practices: Many religious calendars dictated specific days for festivals and rituals, necessitating a shared understanding of time within a community and sometimes across wider religious networks.
Economic necessity: The rise of organized societies, particularly with agriculture and later trade, required coordination.
Knowing when to plant, harvest, or when markets would convene fostered a need for standardized time. Technological advancements: The invention of sundials, water clocks, hourglasses, and later mechanical clocks played a crucial role.
These devices, initially developed in various parts of the world (e.g., water clocks in China, Egypt, Persia; mechanical clocks in Europe and China), were then disseminated. The Industrial Revolution: This was a major turning point. The need for precise schedules for trains, factory shifts, and global trade demanded a far greater level of time standardization than ever before. This led to the widespread adoption of standardized time zones and the push for a global time system.
Colonialism: As European powers expanded globally, they often imposed their calendar and timekeeping systems on colonized territories, contributing to the standardization of the Gregorian calendar and Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).It is quite amazing isn't it when you think of that level of intelligence, you can see why there is so much mystery around the construction of the pyramids and there purpose.
When as the length of a year decided, that years were to be made up of days, weeks, months, and at what point did that become standard across the world?
The length of a year, and its division into days, weeks, and months, evolved over millennia:
The Length of a Year: This was primarily determined by observing the Earth's orbit around the sun, leading to the solar year of approximately 365.25 days.
Ancient Egyptians: Were among the first to establish a 365-day calendar.
Julian Calendar (45 BCE): Julius Caesar introduced a calendar with 365 days and a leap day every four years, resulting in an average year of 365.25 days.
This was a significant step towards accuracy. Gregorian Calendar (1582 CE): Recognizing the slight inaccuracy of the Julian calendar (which was drifting by about 11 minutes per year), Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian calendar.
This refined the leap year rule (omitting leap years in centurial years not divisible by 400), making the average year 365.2425 days, much closer to the true solar year.
Days, Weeks, and Months:
Days: The concept of a day is directly tied to the Earth's rotation.
The division of a day into 24 hours originated with the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians. The division of hours into 60 minutes and minutes into 60 seconds is attributed to the Babylonians, who used a base-60 numeral system. Months: The concept of a month is largely based on the lunar cycle (approximately 29.5 days).
Many early calendars were lunar calendars. The challenge was reconciling lunar cycles with the solar year, leading to different month lengths and intercalation (adding extra days or months) to keep the calendar aligned with the seasons. Weeks: The seven-day week has various proposed origins, including astronomical (seven visible celestial bodies) and religious (e.g., the biblical creation narrative).
It was widely adopted in the Roman Empire and later spread with Christianity.
Standardization across the world:
The Gregorian calendar became the most widely adopted civil calendar due to its scientific accuracy and the influence of European powers, particularly during the age of exploration and colonialism.
However, its adoption was not immediate or universal. Protestant countries, for example, were initially reluctant to adopt a "Catholic" calendar. Russia didn't adopt it until 1918. The global standardization of time zones (dividing the world into 24 zones, each approximately 15 degrees of longitude wide, with a standard time) primarily occurred in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, driven by the needs of international travel (especially railways) and communication.
The International Meridian Conference in Washington, D.C., in 1884, established Greenwich as the prime meridian, leading to the widespread use of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) as a global reference.
At what point in our history is the first evidence of people recording the year they were living in? Say for instance the Battle of Hastings, would scholars of the time record the events as happening on certain days, weeks, months in 1066... What I am getting at is would people living in 1066 be aware it was 1066?
The earliest evidence of people recording years often comes from ancient civilizations with developed writing systems, such as:
Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia (Sumerians): From around the 4th millennium BCE, we find evidence of records.
These early chronologies often dated events by the reign of a king (e.g., "the 3rd year of King Narmer's reign") or by significant events that named the year (e.g., "the year of the great flood"). While not a continuous numerical year count, it served a similar purpose for historical tracking.
Regarding 1066 and the Battle of Hastings:
Yes, scholars and official record-keepers in 1066 would have been aware of the year as "1066 AD" (Anno Domini, "in the year of the Lord").
The Anno Domini (AD) system, which counts years from the traditional birth year of Jesus Christ, was devised by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century CE.
While it took some time to gain widespread acceptance, by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066, the AD system was increasingly used in ecclesiastical and official documents across Western Europe, including England.
However, it's important to note that alongside the AD system, other dating conventions were still common, especially in everyday life or localized records:
Regnal years: Many official documents would still refer to dates as "the [Nth] year of the reign of King William." This was often more relevant for legal and administrative purposes within a specific kingdom.
Ecclesiastical calendars: Church feast days and saints' days were also commonly used to pinpoint dates (e.g., "the Tuesday before the Feast of St. George").
So, while a peasant might primarily know the time of year by the agricultural cycle or religious festivals, the literate elite (clergy, scribes, government officials) would certainly be using and recording the year as "1066" for important events like the Battle of Hastings. They would understand it within the context of a linear progression of years since the estimated birth of Christ.
You mentioned Babylonians were directly tied to the concept of 60 minutes in an hour and sixty seconds in a minute but at what point in time did humans decide the length of a second the length of a minute and then the length of an hour? In the same way I cannot fathom our physical evolution as in how did a living organism without an eye evolve an eye... and then with our conscious evolution language is fascinating was the use of numbers crucial in our concept of measuring time?
This is a fantastic follow-up question that highlights the fascinating interplay between human observation, mathematics, and the development of increasingly precise concepts of time! Let's unpack the evolution of the second, minute, and hour, and then touch on the role of numbers and language.
The Evolution of the Length of the Second, Minute, and Hour
You're right to point out that the Babylonian influence on the base-60 system is key, but the precise and standardized definition of these units came much, much later.
1. The Hour: From Vague Divisions to Fixed Lengths
Early Concepts (Antiquity - ~14th Century CE):
Babylonians & Egyptians: They were indeed among the first to divide the day and night into segments. The Egyptians, around 2000 BCE, divided the day into 10 hours plus two twilight hours, and the night into 12 hours, using devices like sundials and water clocks. The Babylonians also used a duodecimal (base-12) system alongside their sexagesimal (base-60) system, which likely contributed to the 12-hour day/night division.
"Temporal Hours": For a very long time, hours were "temporal" or "unequal" hours. This meant an hour was defined as 1/12th of the daylight period or 1/12th of the nighttime period. The length of an hour, therefore, varied with the seasons. In summer, daylight hours were longer, and nighttime hours were shorter, and vice versa in winter. This was perfectly functional for agrarian societies.
Need for Fixed Hours: The shift to fixed-length hours (where every hour is the same length, regardless of season) became crucial with the rise of urban centers, organized labor, and especially in the late Middle Ages with the development of mechanical clocks.
The Dawn of Fixed Hours (Late 13th - 14th Century CE):
The invention of the mechanical clock in Europe in the late 13th and early 14th centuries was the pivotal moment. These early clocks, often found in monasteries and public places, struck the hours. For a mechanical device to work accurately, it needed a consistent unit of time.
This led to the widespread adoption of the 24-hour day, with each hour being a fixed 1/24th of a mean solar day (the average length of a day over a year). This move gradually phased out the old "temporal" hours.
2. The Minute: Subdividing the Hour
Babylonian Influence (Antiquity): The concept of subdividing a unit into 60 smaller parts comes directly from the Babylonian sexagesimal system. They applied this to angles (360 degrees in a circle, 60 minutes in a degree) and implicitly to time (though not necessarily to precisely defined seconds and minutes as we know them).
Formal Definition (14th - 16th Century CE):
While the idea of finer divisions existed, it wasn't until the development of more accurate mechanical clocks that the need for a "minute" as a distinct unit of time arose.
The term "minute" comes from the Latin "pars minuta prima" (first small part), referring to the first division of an hour by 60.
Early clocks in the 14th and 15th centuries sometimes had minute hands, but they were often unreliable. It was the invention of the pendulum clock by Christiaan Huygens in 1656 that allowed for far greater precision and made minutes and seconds truly measurable on a consistent basis.
3. The Second: The Smallest Measurable Unit
Concept (14th Century CE): The term "second" comes from "pars minuta secunda" (second small part), meaning the second division of an hour by 60 (i.e., 1/60 of a minute).
Practical Measurement (17th Century CE onwards):
While the concept existed, it was largely theoretical until the pendulum clock could reliably tick at a rate that allowed for the direct observation of seconds.
For centuries, the second was defined as 1/86,400 of a mean solar day (24 hours×60 minutes/hour×60 seconds/minute=86,400).
Modern, Atomic Definition (Mid-20th Century CE):
As scientific and technological needs for even greater precision grew, the Earth's rotation proved to be slightly irregular (slowing down over long periods, with minor fluctuations).
In 1967, the International System of Units (SI) redefined the second based on atomic phenomena, making it incredibly stable and precise.
The second is now defined as the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
This atomic second forms the basis for Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which is what our modern clocks primarily run on, occasionally adding "leap seconds" to keep it aligned with the Earth's slightly irregular rotation.
The Role of Numbers in Our Concept of Measuring Time
Absolutely, the use of numbers was crucial, fundamental, and inextricably linked to our concept of measuring time. Here's why:
Quantification of Observation: Before numbers, humans observed cycles qualitatively (day, night, moon phase, season). Numbers allowed them to quantify these observations. "How many days until the full moon?" "How many sunrises between planting and harvest?"
Division and Subdivision: Once you want to break down a larger cycle (like a day or a year) into smaller, manageable units, you need numbers. Dividing a day into 24 parts, or a circle into 360 degrees, requires a numerical system.
Predictability and Prediction: Numbers enabled the creation of calendars, which are essentially numerical models of astronomical cycles. This allowed for prediction: "In 30 days, the river will flood." "In 180 days, it will be winter." This ability to predict was vital for agriculture, migration, and ritual.
Standardization: To communicate time across different groups or locations, there had to be a common understanding of what "five hours" or "ten days" meant. Numbers provided this universal language for measurement.
Accumulation and History: Numerical counting of years allowed for the development of linear history. Instead of just "the time of the great king," you could say "the 3rd year of his reign," and then later "1066 years after a specific event." This shift from cyclical to linear time is deeply tied to numerical progression.
Technology: All time-measuring devices, from sundials (which use shadow length and angle, numerical concepts) to water clocks (measuring flow rates) to mechanical clocks (counting oscillations), rely on numerical principles and precise measurement.
Analogy to Evolution of the Eye:
Your analogy to the evolution of the eye is very apt. Just as the eye didn't appear fully formed but evolved through tiny, incremental steps (light-sensitive cells, then pits, then pinholes, then lenses), our concept of time measurement also evolved:
Basic Awareness: Observing gross cycles (day/night).
Qualitative Division: Vaguely noting parts of the day or seasons.
Early Numerical Division: Using simple counts for lunar cycles or solar passages.
Refinement with Primitive Tools: Sundials, water clocks, allowing for more consistent (though still variable) segments.
Technological Leaps (Mechanical Clocks): Forcing the standardization of hours, minutes, seconds based on the need for consistent mechanical movement.
Scientific Precision (Atomic Clocks): Redefining the smallest units based on fundamental physics, beyond the irregularities of astronomical bodies.
In essence, our evolving understanding of time is a testament to humanity's drive to observe, quantify, predict, and control its environment, with numbers serving as the indispensable tool in that journey.
So say in the year 10 AD the people alive at that time would not know they were living in 10 AD but they might have been living in a year with a number they recognised, you mentioned Ancient Egyptians established a 365 day calendar so the year would have a number at that time but it would not have been something like 80 BC?
You've hit on a crucial distinction about how time was perceived and recorded in different eras! You are absolutely right:
People in 10 AD would NOT have known they were living in "10 AD."
The Anno Domini (AD) system, which we now use as our standard (or its secular equivalent, CE - Common Era), was not invented until the 6th century CE by a monk named Dionysius Exiguus. Even then, it took several centuries to gain widespread acceptance and truly become the dominant system for dating across Europe, largely popularized by Bede the Venerable in the 8th century.
So, how did people in 10 AD know what year it was?
In the Roman Empire, which would have been the dominant power in the Mediterranean world in 10 AD, years were primarily identified by:
Consular Dating: This was the most common method. Each year was named after the two consuls who were in office for that year. So, if you were living in Rome in 10 AD, you wouldn't say "the year 10 AD," but rather "the year of Publius Cornelius Dolabella and Gaius Junius Silanus" (the consuls for that year). This was the official dating system for legal and administrative purposes.
Regnal Years of the Emperor: Especially as the Empire solidified, people might also refer to the regnal year of the reigning emperor. For example, 10 AD would have been the 38th year of the reign of Emperor Augustus.
Ab Urbe Condita (AUC): Less commonly used for daily dating, but significant for historical and scholarly purposes, was the system Ab Urbe Condita, meaning "from the founding of the City (of Rome)." Rome was traditionally founded in 753 BCE, so 10 AD would have been 763 AUC. This was primarily used by historians to establish a chronological sequence of events over long periods.
So, someone living in 10 AD would recognize the current year by the names of the consuls or the emperor's regnal year. They wouldn't have a continuous numerical count from a fixed point before their own time in the same way we do with BC/AD.
What about the Ancient Egyptians and their 365-day calendar?
You're correct again! The Ancient Egyptians did indeed develop a sophisticated 365-day civil calendar, arguably the first of its kind. They recognized the solar year and structured their calendar around it, crucial for predicting the annual Nile flood, which was the lifeblood of their agriculture.
However, they did not number their years from a fixed starting point like a "year 1" that continued indefinitely. Instead, similar to the early Romans:
Regnal Years: Years were overwhelmingly dated by the regnal year of the reigning pharaoh. So, an event might be recorded as "Year 5 of the reign of Thutmose III" or "Year 20 of Ramesses II."
Seasons and Months: Dates would be highly specific, often including the regnal year, the season (Akhet - inundation, Peret - growth, Shemu - harvest), the month within that season (e.g., "3rd month of Peret"), and the day of the month. An example might look like: "Regnal Year 2, 3rd month of Peret, day 5."
To create a continuous chronology across multiple pharaohs and dynasties, modern Egyptologists have to piece together these regnal years, using king lists (like the Turin King List or the Abydos King List), astronomical observations (like the heliacal rising of Sirius), and connections to other securely dated ancient civilizations. The concept of "80 BC" or "1500 BC" is a modern convenience applied retrospectively by scholars to help us organize ancient history within our own linear AD/BC framework. The Egyptians themselves wouldn't have known those numerical "BC" years.
So roughly how many years ago in Ancient Egypt did they devise a 365 day calendar and how did they arrive conclude that 365 days would make up a year?
You're asking about a truly remarkable achievement of ancient observation and calculation!
Roughly how many years ago in Ancient Egypt did they devise a 365-day calendar?
The exact origin and initial development of the 365-day Egyptian civil calendar is debated among scholars, but evidence suggests its use from a very early period, perhaps even before the unification of Egypt.
Some sources suggest the development began over 5,000 years ago, possibly as early as 4236 BCE.
More concrete archaeological and textual evidence points to it being in use during the Old Kingdom, with direct attestation during the 4th and 5th Dynasties (roughly 2600-2400 BCE).
So, if we take the conservative estimate of the mid-3rd millennium BCE (e.g., 2500 BCE), that's approximately 4,500 years ago from today (2025 CE). Some scholars argue for an even earlier origin, pushing it closer to 5,000 or even 6,000 years ago.
It's important to note that the calendar likely evolved. They probably started with a lunar calendar and then developed the civil calendar in parallel, largely driven by practical needs.
How did they arrive at the conclusion that 365 days would make up a year?
The Egyptians, unlike many other early civilizations that relied primarily on the moon, were heavily invested in observing the solar year because of the critical importance of the Nile River's annual inundation (flood). Their survival depended on predicting this flood.
They observed two key phenomena to determine the length of the year:
The Heliacal Rising of Sirius (Sopdet): This was arguably the most crucial astronomical observation. Sirius (called Sopdet by the Egyptians) is the brightest star in the night sky.
For a period each year, it disappears below the horizon (becomes invisible). Its heliacal rising is its first visible reappearance in the eastern sky just before dawn, after this period of invisibility. Crucially, the heliacal rising of Sirius almost perfectly coincided with the beginning of the Nile flood and the summer solstice.
By meticulously counting the days between consecutive heliacal risings of Sirius, over many years, they could determine the average length of this cycle. This cycle is very close to 365 days.
Observation of the Sun's Position and Seasons:
While not as precise for defining the exact start of a year, general observations of the sun's highest point at noon, the length of daylight hours, and the changing seasons (which were intrinsically linked to the Nile's phases: inundation, growth, and harvest) would have reinforced the idea of a cycle slightly longer than 360 days.
The Ingenious Structure of their 365-day Calendar:
Once they determined the 365-day cycle, they structured their civil calendar in a remarkably practical way:
12 Months of 30 Days Each: This gave them 12×30=360 days.
5 "Epagomenal" or "Intercalary" Days: To make up the difference to 365, they added five extra days at the end of the year. These days were often considered unlucky or special, dedicated to the birthdays of certain gods.
The "Sothic Cycle" and the Imperfection:
While incredibly advanced for its time, the Egyptian 365-day calendar did not account for the extra quarter-day (the 0.25 days) that makes a true solar year approximately 365.25 days long.
This cumulative error meant that the heliacal rising of Sirius, which initially aligned with the first day of their calendar, would gradually occur later and later in their calendar year.
After about 1,460 years (a period known as a Sothic Cycle), the calendar would "realign" with the heliacal rising of Sirius on the traditional New Year's Day.
The Egyptians were aware of this drift, and attempts were made later (notably by Ptolemy III in the Canopus Decree of 238 BCE) to introduce a leap day every four years, but this reform was resisted by the priesthood and not fully implemented until the Romans adopted a modified version of the Egyptian calendar (the Julian Calendar).
So, in summary, the Egyptians arrived at 365 days through long-term, meticulous astronomical observations, primarily of the star Sirius and its relationship to the crucial Nile flood.
It is quite amazing isn't it when you think of that level of intelligence, you can see why there is so much mystery around the construction of the pyramids and there purpose.
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