![]() ![]() 162 (from CT 33 11) in the British Museum The city of Umma had months that translate as “Harvest,” “Barley is at the quay” and “Firstfruit (offerings).” Each of the cities had a month called, “Extra,” that allowed them to reset the calendar in the same way as a leap year.ĭrawing by Theophilus Pinches (1856 -1934) of Sm. Nippur, for example, had months called “du 6-ku3 3,” or “Shiny Mound,” and “kin- dinanna,” or “Work of Inanna.” Changes to the landscape now place it more than 200 kilometers from the sea but at one point the Ur III empire would have stretched up through much of modern Iraq, incorporating a number of smaller cities.Ĭlay tablets marked by cuneiform writing indicate that before Ur incorporated them, those cities would have had their own calendars with their own names for the months of the year. Ur, which was founded around 3,800 BC, would once have been a coastal city. The headwaters diverge and run south through Syria and Iraq, and several tributaries are added from Iran before flowing into the Persian Gulf. The first cities were formed between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers that originated in the Taurus mountains of southeastern Turkey. Some sights indicate an ability to measure the passing of weeks or months. The sights show that Neolithic peoples had a concrete concept of time passing and knew that cycles were predictable over time. While early man might have used both sights used to mark time, some people say it’s unlikely that they used them to keep track of time permanently. Evidence for some abilities needed to wait for the start of civilization and the first written calendars. Hunters might have used the Warren Field (Scotland) not only to give them “times of the year to plant or harvest,” but possibly to tell hunters when they could expect to start looking for particular kinds of migrating animals. ![]() Recent findings show the Stonehenge sight was believed to hold curative, healing powers. Stonehenge is more likely to have been a location for performing rituals at specific moments of the year than a way to keep track of time - although the structure is capable of being a calendar, also revealing times of the equinoxes and solstices - (which are not precisely the same thing). Archeologists have looked at the shape and alignment of the stones and the contents of nearby burial sights to figure out what other practices were conducted here, and what other secrets the sights may hold. The challenge with interpreting these sights, though, is that Neolithic people created and built the sights at a time when there were no written records. People are more familiar with Stonehenge sight, an ancient stone circle in the south of England, which also aligns with the solstices. ![]() The calendar in Scotland is about 10,000 years old, which makes the Warren Field in Scotland about twice as old as Stonehenge (discovered in 1978). This image shows how the monument at Warren Field would have worked (V. In this guide, we’re going to look at how the calendar has developed and how we use it today. Our history depends entirely on the use of a calendar to organize our days, now, in our time. Today, our history tells us to count those days to plan meetings, book vacations, plan events and a host of other things on our Calendars. They would know when to plant crops when to look for particular animals when their own animals were likely to give birth, and when to give thanks to the gods. These ancient people could tell when winter was approaching by when the days would grow longer or shorter. By counting days and the passage of the moon, they could predict changes in the weather. And they’ve tried to predict and measure those movements too, and for good reason. Humans have noticed the night patterns for as long as they’ve had backs straight enough to stand and look to the sky. The stars, too, will move across the sky, returning to their original positions after about 365 of those sunrises and sunsets. It will start as a crescent that fills the night sky, then shrinks a process that takes about thirty sunsets and sunrises. Its cycle is trustworthy year after year - making its emulation by all people through ages understandable.Īt the same time each month, the shape of the moon will change. Very few things in this world can be depended on - but the sun is loyal, steady, and true. The Nature of the Sun Brought with it Enough Calendar History to Produce a Calendar. Here are some interesting facts about the history of the Calendar. We can set our watches by the sun - but a millennia ago, the sun bore a child - the calendar. The sun tends to be quite predictable and follows a regular anticipated cycle. The sun will rise in the morning and set in the evening. Wherever you live, whatever language you speak, and however you fill your day - that day will be the same as everyone else’s, in one significant way.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |