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Author: John M. Steele Publisher: Oxbow Books ISBN: 1782974938 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 176
Book Description
Dates form the backbone of written history. But where do these dates come from? Many different calendars were used in the ancient world. Some of these calendars were based upon observations or calculations of regular astronomical phenomena, such as the first sighting of the new moon crescent that defined the beginning of the month in many calendars, while others incorporated schematic simplifications of these phenomena, such as the 360-day year used in early Mesopotamian administrative practices in order to simplify accounting procedures. Historians frequently use handbooks and tables for converting dates in ancient calendars into the familiar BC/AD calendar that we use today. But very few historians understand how these tables have come about, or what assumptions have been made in their construction. The seven papers in this volume provide an answer to the question what do we know about the operation of calendars in the ancient world, and just as importantly how do we know it? Topics covered include the ancient and modern history of the Egyptian 365-day calendar, astronomical and administrative calendars in ancient Mesopotamia, and the development of astronomical calendars in ancient Greece. This book will be of interest to ancient historians, historians of science, astronomers who use early astronomical records, and anyone with an interest in calendars and their development.
Author: John M. Steele Publisher: Oxbow Books ISBN: 1782974938 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 176
Book Description
Dates form the backbone of written history. But where do these dates come from? Many different calendars were used in the ancient world. Some of these calendars were based upon observations or calculations of regular astronomical phenomena, such as the first sighting of the new moon crescent that defined the beginning of the month in many calendars, while others incorporated schematic simplifications of these phenomena, such as the 360-day year used in early Mesopotamian administrative practices in order to simplify accounting procedures. Historians frequently use handbooks and tables for converting dates in ancient calendars into the familiar BC/AD calendar that we use today. But very few historians understand how these tables have come about, or what assumptions have been made in their construction. The seven papers in this volume provide an answer to the question what do we know about the operation of calendars in the ancient world, and just as importantly how do we know it? Topics covered include the ancient and modern history of the Egyptian 365-day calendar, astronomical and administrative calendars in ancient Mesopotamia, and the development of astronomical calendars in ancient Greece. This book will be of interest to ancient historians, historians of science, astronomers who use early astronomical records, and anyone with an interest in calendars and their development.
Author: Betsy Maestro Publisher: Harper Collins ISBN: 0060589450 Category : Juvenile Nonfiction Languages : en Pages : 52
Book Description
Travel through time with the maestros as they explore the amazing history of timekeeping! Did you know that there is more than one calendar? While the most commonly used calendar was on the year 2000, the Jewish calendar said it was the year 5760, while the Muslim calendar said 1420 and the Chinese calendar said 4698. Why do these differences exist? How did ancient civilizations keep track of time? When and how were clocks first invented? Find answers to all these questions and more in this incredible trip through history.
Author: Martin Jenkins Publisher: ISBN: 9781406323733 Category : Clocks and watches Languages : en Pages : 0
Book Description
What is time? When did we first use it? Does it always work? How do animals tell time? A fun and fascinating look at time from the first calendars and clocks to the digital watches and precise time-keeping methods of today.
Author: Geoff Stray Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA ISBN: 0802716342 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 68
Book Description
The only small, popular book on the important subject of ancient calendars. The study of heavenly cycles is common to most ancient cultures. The ancient Egyptians, Chinese, and Babylonians all tried to make sense of the year. But it fell to the later Mesoamerican Maya to create a series of calendars that could be cross referenced. In doing so, the Maya discovered many strange numerical harmonics. Their lunar calendar was extremely accurate-far more so than the Greek Metonic cycle; they tracked Venus to an accuracy of less than a day in five hundred years and their tables could have been used to predict eclipses seven hundred years in the future. This book will provide a much needed compact guide to the Mayan calendar systems as well as covering the essentials of calendar development throughout the world.
Author: Liz Evers Publisher: Michael O'Mara ISBN: 1782430873 Category : Reference Languages : en Pages : 172
Book Description
From the ice-age recordings of moon cycles and the earliest calendars, to modern wristwatches and quantum clocks, time and its effects have always enthralled mankind. We've spent centuries developing new ways of measuring time, describing it and quantifying it, and such methods have given rise to some of the most technically and aesthetically beautiful devices ever invented. This book is a tribute to timekeeping in its many forms and takes in the most significant creations as well as countless time trivia - peppered with time-related anecdotes and quotes, this really is an essential handbook for anyone fascinated by the fourth dimension.
Author: Sacha Stern Publisher: Oxford University Press ISBN: 0199589445 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 468
Book Description
Calendars were at the heart of ancient culture and society and were far more than just technical, time-keeping devices. Calendars in Antiquity offers a comprehensive study of the calendars of the ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern world, from the origins up to and including Jewish and Christian calendars in late Antiquity.
Author: Duncan Steel Publisher: Turner Publishing Company ISBN: 0470245085 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 499
Book Description
"If you lie awake worrying about the overnight transition from December 31, 1 b.c., to January 1, a.d. 1 (there is no year zero), then you will enjoy Duncan Steel's Marking Time."--American Scientist "No book could serve as a better guide to the cumulative invention that defines the imaginary threshold to the new millennium."--Booklist A Fascinating March through History and the Evolution of the Modern-Day Calendar . . . In this vivid, fast-moving narrative, you'll discover the surprising story of how our modern calendar came about and how it has changed dramatically through the years. Acclaimed author Duncan Steel explores each major step in creating the current calendar along with the many different systems for defining the number of days in a week, the length of a month, and the number of days in a year. From the definition of the lunar month by Meton of Athens in 432 b.c. to the roles played by Julius Caesar, William the Conqueror, and Isaac Newton to present-day proposals to reform our calendar, this entertaining read also presents "timely" tidbits that will take you across the full span of recorded history. Find out how and why comets have been used as clocks, why there is no year zero between 1 b.c. and a.d. 1, and why for centuries Britain and its colonies rang in the New Year on March 25th. Marking Time will leave you with a sense of awe at the haphazard nature of our calendar's development. Once you've read this eye-opening book, you'll never look at the calendar the same way again.
Author: Jonathan Ben-Dov Publisher: BRILL ISBN: 9047424190 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 352
Book Description
Covering a wide array of sources from ancient Mesopotamia to the Dead Sea Scrolls, the present volume offers an innovative perspective on Jewish apocalyptic time-reckoning during the Second Temple period, based on a unique calendar year of 364 days.
Author: Lance Latham Publisher: CRC Press ISBN: 9780879304966 Category : Technology & Engineering Languages : en Pages : 560
Book Description
Does the year 2000 have you sweating late-night code? Use our complete library of C programming functions to master Y2K, time on the Net, ISO 8601, time stamp compression, or any other time/date application you encounter. Using the astronomers Julian Day'
Author: John M. Steele
Author: John M. Steele
Author: Betsy Maestro
Author: Martin Jenkins
Author: Geoff Stray
Author: Liz Evers
Author: Denis Feeney
Author: Sacha Stern
Author: Duncan Steel
Author: Jonathan Ben-Dov
Author: Lance Latham