Everyone feels the passage of time. Stars and planets move in the Universe, clock hands monotonously beat their rhythm, each of us slowly moves forward along the corridor of time. Realizing their dependence on him, people came up with many ways and number systems that help to organize and count it. Various sciences, such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and history, would hardly have done without such an exact science as chronology. Perhaps this can be said of dozens of other areas of research, in which scientists have advanced far. So, what is chronology and why was it invented? The definition of this word can be found below. In addition, by reading this article, you will be able to better know what chronology is studying, and to understand which time calculus is best trusted, given the latest scientific discoveries.
What is a chronology? Definition
Chronology (literally “the science of time”) is a direction of research, which is defined as a sequence of events in history. What does the chronology of centuries study as a science? She explains how time is measured. There is the concept of "mathematical (astronomical) chronology". Such a chronology focuses primarily on changes in the positions of celestial bodies. The astronomical chronology of the world studies the laws of celestial phenomena, systematizes them and arranges them. However, most often, by chronology is meant a sequence of historical events. The main object that chronology studies is time. However, what is it?
What is time?
As we said at the beginning, time inevitably affects all people, but can anyone fully understand what it is? Apparently not. Like infinite space in the universe, time is hard to grasp by the mind. If time is compared to a river, then where does it start? Where does this stream go? One thing we know for sure: he always strives only forward. Time is difficult to understand, but it is possible to measure and systematize events in the flow of time. Science chronology studies these properties. The flow of time can be compared with the movement of cars in a one-way flow. The speed of buses and cars can vary, but there is something that cannot be influenced - this is the direction of movement. The past and the future have always captivated the minds of people, but the only thing in our power is the present. True, if you do not use it, then it is a thing of the past, and we can do nothing ...
What is the past and future?
To understand what chronology is (the definition of which we gave above), it is necessary to understand what the past and future are. The past is something that cannot be influenced; it is already history. Just as water, which is glass down from sharp rocks and crashed on the ground, cannot be turned back, so time cannot be turned back and made to flow in only one direction. The past is the main object that our science explores. She sets out in a certain order the events that happened, which, like a print of a seal, will never change their shape. The future is very different from the past. It does not seek from us, but flies towards us, and this time parameter is not available for chronology until it becomes real.
How time was measured and measured
Historical chronology is not possible without starting points that help measure time. Nowadays, the most common device for measuring time segments is the clock. But you must admit that from time immemorial there are huge time indicators set by those who laid the foundation for everything. Our planet with a certain frequency revolves around its axis and around the star of our system - the Sun. Around each of the planets, their satellites rotate, around ours - the Moon. All of these celestial objects move with amazing accuracy. The same can be said about the atoms of some elements. It turns out that the entire Universe is a huge clock in which billions of galaxies with billions of stars, which, like huge gears, measure the passage of time. Before people came up with the science of time, a huge number of stars and planets invisibly measured its course.
Which chronology is correct?
Keeping track of time and systematizing past events, people make many mistakes. We cannot return to the past and question those who lived thousands or hundreds of years ago, so to draw the right conclusions, you need to conduct a lot of research and archaeological excavations. Thanks to the scientific approach, one can learn a lot of interesting things, but among historians and archaeologists there are often disputes about the sequence in which these or those events occurred and where the count should be taken from. Consider the two main points of view that exist among scientific researchers in this regard.
Timeline: Evolutionary Opinion
Scientists who adhere to the theory of evolution, suggest that life on the planet has existed for more than 4.5 billion years, and man has been on Earth for hundreds of thousands and even millions of years. The following is a list that clearly demonstrates the views of scientists that evolution is a science, not a theory.
- Prokaryotes (4 billion years ago).
- Organisms that could produce photosynthesis (3 billion years ago).
- Eukaryotes (2 billion years ago).
- Multicellular life forms (1 billion years ago).
- Arthropods (570 million years ago).
- The first fish (approx. 490 million years ago).
- The first plants (more than 470 million years ago).
- The first insects (more than 400 million years ago).
- Amphibians (more than 350 million years ago).
- Reptiles (more than 300 million years ago).
- Mammals (over 200 million years ago).
- Flying creatures (more than 150 million years ago).
- The extinction of terrestrial dinosaurs (more than 65 million years ago).
- The complete evolution of man (more than 200 thousand years ago).
- The death of the last Neanderthal man (more than 25 thousand years ago). The name comes from a valley located in Germany, where the alleged remains of these monkey people were found. Less and less, this theory is recognized by scientists due to the lack of significant archaeological finds, and astronomer Fred Hoyle says that there is no evidence that the Neanderthal was below us in terms of development.
Determining the age of matter using radioactive analysis
However, the chronology of life is not recognized by many scientists due to the fact that the use of the method of radioactive decay has a huge error. The whole problem is that the speed with which radioactive carbon was formed in the past was not the same. Using this method, it is possible to determine exactly what period of time a particular object found by archaeologists belongs to, up to two or three thousand years BC. e. The conclusions that come from studies of the lower layers of the soil should not be trusted.
New Chronology (Biblical Chronology)
Recently, many scientists have appeared who agree with the view that humanity is only a few thousand years old. The Fate of the Earth says that just six or seven thousand years ago a civilization arose that evolved into humanity over time. But the English researcher Malcolm Maggeridge says that, compared with the views of evolutionists, what is written in Genesis (the first book of the Bible) sounds quite reasonable. After he added that the ancient book tells of real historical figures and events that really happened. In his opinion, such a pursuit of a theory that is in no way based on facts is due to the usual recklessness of people and will undoubtedly surprise subsequent generations. The fossil record proves that all species did not appear for a long time, but suddenly, over a short period of time. In addition, all historical records made by people date back to the last few thousand years. In other words, not a single written document was found, rock engraving or anything else that would prove that people have lived on Earth for millions of years. Interestingly, biblical archeology fully confirms these scientific conclusions.
The basis for maintaining such a chronology
What is the time chronology based on, which is calculated in accordance with the above conclusions? In favor of the fact that the history of mankind is only a few thousand years old, and that the biblical events did occur, a lot of evidence can be cited. For example, you can compare the chronology with another science, which also goes back deep into the past - with linguistics. Scientists who study the history of languages argue that all ancient languages were much more complex in structure than modern languages , and not vice versa. This refutes the theory of monkey people, who, supposedly, could not connect two words and gradually learned to speak. How could such a huge intellectual leap occur?
Founding Dates
The chronology of events is based on the main founding dates. What are important historical dates? These are starting points, calendar events, the accuracy and reliability of which is beyond doubt. If we possess such information, then we can easily set the time for other events that we read about on clay tablets, ostracons or in biblical scrolls. Consider an example of such a date. Take the destruction of Babylon by the mid-Persians led by Cyrus. Using the chronicle of Nabonid, historians have found that this event occurred on October 11, 539 BC. e. Or if you count according to the Gregorian calendar, then October 5 of that year. Using the scriptural reference to this event, you can easily compare facts with secular history and pinpoint when other important events mentioned in the Old Testament occurred. Thus, you can determine the date of the beginning of the Great Flood or the appearance of the first people. The following is a chronology of humanity according to the Bible.
Scripture Timeline
- 4026 BC e. - the creation of the first people.
- 3096 BC e. - the death of Adam.
- 2970 BC e. - the birth of Noah.
- 2370 BC e. - Global flood.
- 2269 BC e. - The construction of the Tower of Babel.
- 2018 BC e. - the birth of Abraham.
- 1600 BC e. - Egypt is gaining strength and becoming a world power.
- 1513 BC e. - the exit of the Israelites from Egypt.
- 1107 BC e. - the birth of David.
- 1037 BC e. - the beginning of the reign of Solomon.
- 632 BC e. - capture of the capital of Assyria Nineveh.
- 607 BC e. - The victorious campaign of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar against Israel and the destruction of Jerusalem.
- 539 BC e. - the capture of Babylon by the Medes and Persians.
- 2 year BC e. - the birth of Jesus Christ.
- 29 year old e. - The beginning of the ministry of Jesus Christ (lasted 3.5 years).
- 33 year n. e. - the death of Christ.
- 41 years old e. - the first Gospel of Matthew is written.
- 98 year n. e. - Completed the writing of the Bible.
- 1914 N e. - the beginning of the First World War, a change in the calendar system.
Many of these historical events are confirmed by modern history. Many archaeologists use the Bible as a good reference for excavations. Moreover, as we said earlier, comparison with fundamental dates helps to verify the accuracy of each of them. The study of this issue makes it clear what is chronology. Determining which chronology is correct lies with the researcher — the person who studies history.
The use of abbreviations - to R.H. or BC. e.
Based on the list that was given above, we can come to another interesting conclusion. If Jesus Christ was born in 2 BC e., then the use of abbreviations that were so often used before, such as "R.Kh." and "BC," wrong. In addition, Christ could not be born at 0, because such simply did not exist. After it ended 1 year BC. e., immediately began 1 year BC. e. The fact that the abbreviation for the expression “before the birth of Christ” does not correspond to the real date of the birth of Jesus was one of the reasons why it is no longer used. In addition, it is possible that the abbreviations for the phrases "BC" and "AD" have become considered more official and scientific.
The role of the Julian and Gregorian calendars in chronology
People have come up with a calendar for easy timing. On the basis of what did people come up with such number systems? Calendars were usually based on natural phenomena, such as planetary movements and changing seasons. It turns out that we only systematized the course of time, which nature has long counted out. For comparison, we give two calendars invented by people - this is the Julian calendar, established by Julius Caesar, and the Gregorian. The first was introduced in 46 BC. e. He was oriented to the Sun and replaced the lunar calendar. According to him, three years had 365 days, and every fourth - 366. The calendar was an achievement and has been used for many centuries. The new chronology of Russia, Europe and America was perfect. Why is it abandoned? Over time, it became clear that this number system was imperfect. According to the Julian calendar, the duration of his year was about 11 minutes longer than the sun. The Julian calendar was no longer perceived as a “new chronology": it fit Russia well, but by the sixteenth century there were a whole ten extra days that needed to be done. Instead of the Julian calendar, Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian calendar. According to this new number system, the account was moved ten days ahead. In addition, pundits decided that century-old years, the number of hundreds of which are not divided by the number four, will not be considered leap years.
Chronology as a science: how does it relate to us?
So, from this article we could see what chronology is. The definition and subject of the study of science were discussed at the very beginning of the article. We hope that our readers have a better understanding of the significance of the flow of time and the ways in which it is measured. Based on a sufficient amount of evidence, we were able to see that the chronology that the theory of evolution offers does not correspond to modern scientific discoveries. Reflecting on the statements of scientists, many now understand that our existence on this planet is not so long as previously thought. In addition, our article helps to trace the history of the development of chronology as a science, the features of the formation and modification of time counting, the desire of people to constantly improve the “flow of time”. In turn, the considered facts convince us that such a book as the Bible is trustworthy, and natural time counters - planets and stars - are more accurate than any invented by people. Does not chronology as a science prove that there is Someone who from the very beginning organized everything so that we have the opportunity to count time? And doesn’t we admire the device itself and the incomprehensibility of time? Indeed, historical chronology is an interesting science, the study of which not only broadens our horizons, but also allows us to look beyond the curtain of history.