From an early age, we have heard a complex, but at the same time very recognizable word - chronology. Most people know roughly what it means, others understand it precisely and literally, and few will not be able to explain what it is and what it is eaten with. Therefore, now once and for all we will understand what is a chronological order. Is it just a turn of speech or something concrete, is it an important element of history or a separate science?
Translation and interpretation
First, you should find out the origin of this term. The word "chronology" has Greek roots, where the first part (χρόνος) is translated as "time", and the second (λόγος) is translated as "doctrine, science, word." It turns out that this is a doctrine of time or a discipline that tells us what time is and how it goes. It is worth noting that in ancient Greek schools, chronology was a separate discipline on which other sciences were based. Later, the need for it as an autonomous subject was exhausted, it turned into an additional term, without which it is difficult to imagine modern science. Now we often use the phrase "chronological order" - this is something without which it is impossible to imagine a consistent course of history. Also, this extinct discipline is the basis of astronomy, geochronology, literature, and even filmography.
Story. What is she like?
Perhaps history is the most important science, which is simply impossible to imagine without a chronology. The correct sequence of events is the most important aspect in this discipline, which allows you to thoroughly learn it and remember it. Starting from the very first civilizations (Egypt and Sumer), we use chronology to establish the sequence of reign of the pharaohs and kings. Further, we will unite the rulers in the epochs, and we also build these epochs in sequence from ancient to more modern. Thus, the chronology allows us to clearly see the history from the inception of the first state to the present day. Using it, you can build tables by writing down the leaders of states and the years of their rule. For history, the chronological order is the basis without which this discipline would simply lose all its meaning.
Geology and Chronology
Those who have ever at least superficially studied history are well aware that this field of knowledge is inextricably linked with geology. The latter is a science about the origin and development of the Earth, about its structure, laws and features of evolution. All these factors directly influenced the course of historical events, on the life and behavior of people who lived in a particular region of the planet. Together, all these factors gave scientists the opportunity to collect geological layers that reflect the sequence of events not only at the political level (as in history), but also at the natural level. The most striking example of such a phenomenon is the division of periods-eras that took place in history until the moment a person appeared on the planet. This is the Jurassic period, Cretaceous, Paleozoic, Cenozoic, Mesozoic era and others.
Cosmology and Astronomy
Well, now let's understand how we arrange the dates in chronological order and what affects it. The main role here is played by astronomical chronology, which is formed due to the revolution of the Earth around its axis and its rotation around the Sun. In the first case, we are dealing with days, the average duration of which is 24 hours. The consistent and cyclical movement of the planet gives people the opportunity to "adjust" their time to certain standards that are relevant throughout the world.This is everyday chronology, when after the 8th day comes 9, after October - November, and after 2015 - 2016. But in cosmology, the chronological order is only a theoretical aspect. Of course, scientists carefully document all the events they see that occur in the universe, recording them in the right order. However, due to unrealistically large distances, it is very difficult to clearly establish the time of an incident.
Chronography
Having described all those branches of science based on chronology, we decided to find out where it came from. How did people even think of arranging and describing past events in this way? Firstly, the main idea was prompted by time itself, which is only going forward. A person remembers that he did action A earlier than action B, the same thing applied to public events, natural phenomena, etc.
Later, states began to form, a need arose to draw up documents, laws, to fix them not only on paper (that is, in space), but also in time. So the first calendars were invented, according to which important papers and scrolls were dated. In parallel, history as a science was born and flourished, where calendars were also incredibly useful. Later, people called this whole system chronography. This is not a science, but it accurately reflects in the future absolutely all the events of history in chronological order (natural, political, social, cultural) that took place on Earth.