Ancient Calendars Essays -- essays research papers

Time KeepersCelestial bodies - the sun, moon, planets, and stars - have provided us a reference for metre the passage of epoch throughout human existence. quaint civilizations like China, India, Babylon, and Greece relied upon the appargonnt motion of these bodies through the sky to record and plant seasons, months, and days. We survive undersize about the details of timekeeping in prehistoric eras. However, records and artifacts ordinarily uncoer that in every culture, people were preoccupied with measuring and save the passage of time. St nonpareilhenge, reinforced over 4000 age ago in England has no written records, nevertheless its alignments show its purposes unvarnishedly included the determination of seasonal or heavenly events, such as lunar eclipses, solstices and so on. As time has passed so has the evolution of the schedule, a device created to track our time and seasons from the earlier recordings in Babylonia to the Gregorian calendar the history of this transformation is and raise journey.The earliest know calendar to keep track of the cycles of the celestial bodies was an Egyptian calendar that was establish on the moons cycles and is thought to have been created in 4236 B.C.E. umteen cultures and societies have embraced the inclination of tracking time and seasons as they pass for a myriad of reasons, Sea distanters compulsory to navigate their vessels, and farmers had to know when to plant their crops. (Chaisson / McMillan p.30) The Chinese are credited with having invented the stand by oldest method of time keeping Emperor Huangdi use the Chinese falsehood in 2637 B.C.E. Babylonia (where modern day Iraq can be found) is attributed with having some of the earliest surviving records of astronomical observations. It is believed, Babylonian astronomical friendship spread far and wide to the East, to Persia, and to the Mediterranean. (Richards p. 38) However, the knowledge that was disbursed was not treasured by all that r eliable it, in the Mediterranean the Greeks improved upon the theories of the Babylonians. The Greeks theories were recorded however, when capital of Italy over-took most of Europe the records fell into the hands of the Christian church. When Constantine was Emperor of capital of Italy he declared Christianity to be the official righteousness of the empire thus, enceinte the church officials the power to decide the validity of the recordin... ...ius (1537-1612), he signed a papal bull and that was followed by, The actual change over to the new calendar took place the following year on 4 October. After 350 historic period or more the reform had at croak been accomplished. (Richards p.246) Furthermore the encounter for leap age (which said that years severable with 4 should be leap years) was changed so that years, at the end of the century, should be leap years only if they were divisible with 400 (e.g. 1600, 2000, 2400 etc.)In the Gregorian Calendar at that place is then 30 3 years with 365 days and 97 years with 366 days, which gives a look on year of 365.24250 days 365 days, 5 hours, 49 proceeding and 12 seconds. connect to the mean interval between vernal equinoxes this corresponds to a slippage of less than one hour in every 300 years for the foreseeable succeeding(a) - until circa 4000 AD.Chaisson, Eric and Steve McMillan. Astronomy Today. New Jersey PrenticeHall, 1999.Evenson, A.E. or so the History of the Calendar. Canada Regensteiner Publishing, 1972.Richards, E. G. function Time, The Calendar and its History. New York Oxford University Press, 1998. Ancient Calendars Essays -- essays research written document Time KeepersCelestial bodies - the sun, moon, planets, and stars - have provided us a reference for measuring the passage of time throughout human existence. Ancient civilizations like China, India, Babylon, and Greece relied upon the apparent motion of these bodies through the sky to record and determine seasons, mont hs, and years. We know little about the details of timekeeping in prehistoric eras. However, records and artifacts usually uncover that in every culture, people were preoccupied with measuring and recording the passage of time. Stonehenge, built over 4000 years ago in England has no written records, but its alignments show its purposes apparently included the determination of seasonal or celestial events, such as lunar eclipses, solstices and so on. As time has passed so has the evolution of the calendar, a device created to track our time and seasons from the earliest recordings in Babylonia to the Gregorian calendar the history of this transformation is and interesting journey.The earliest know calendar to keep track of the cycles of the celestial bodies was an Egyptian calendar that was based on the moons cycles and is thought to have been created in 4236 B.C.E. Many cultures and societies have embraced the idea of tracking time and seasons as they pass for a myriad of reasons, S eafarers needed to navigate their vessels, and farmers had to know when to plant their crops. (Chaisson / McMillan p.30) The Chinese are credited with having invented the second oldest method of time keeping Emperor Huangdi implemented the Chinese legend in 2637 B.C.E. Babylonia (where modern day Iraq can be found) is attributed with having some of the earliest surviving records of astronomical observations. It is believed, Babylonian astronomical knowledge spread far and wide to the East, to Persia, and to the Mediterranean. (Richards p. 38) However, the knowledge that was disbursed was not treasured by all that received it, in the Mediterranean the Greeks improved upon the theories of the Babylonians. The Greeks theories were recorded however, when Rome over-took most of Europe the records fell into the hands of the Christian church. When Constantine was Emperor of Rome he declared Christianity to be the official religion of the empire thus, giving the church officials the power to decide the validity of the recordin... ...ius (1537-1612), he signed a papal bull and that was followed by, The actual change over to the new calendar took place the following year on 4 October. After 350 years or more the reform had at last been accomplished. (Richards p.246) Furthermore the rule for leap years (which said that years divisible with 4 should be leap years) was changed so that years, at the end of the century, should be leap years only if they were divisible with 400 (e.g. 1600, 2000, 2400 etc.)In the Gregorian Calendar there is then 303 years with 365 days and 97 years with 366 days, which gives a mean year of 365.24250 days 365 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes and 12 seconds. Related to the mean interval between vernal equinoxes this corresponds to a slippage of less than one hour in every 300 years for the foreseeable future - until circa 4000 AD.Chaisson, Eric and Steve McMillan. Astronomy Today. New Jersey PrenticeHall, 1999.Evenson, A.E. About the History of the C alendar. Canada Regensteiner Publishing, 1972.Richards, E. G. Mapping Time, The Calendar and its History. New York Oxford University Press, 1998.