Ancient Calendar Research Paper

Pope Gregory invented an amazing invention during the middle ages. I would not know what day it is if Pope gregory did not make this outstanding invention. When Pope Gregory was making the calendar he had to change it because it was out of sync with the seasons. Julius Caesar was also trying to make a calendar called the Julian calendar. Pope Gregory just changed the Julian calendar a little and then he had the Gregorian calendar. That is how our daily calendar that we check everyday was

The Mayan calendars were also very significant and even have a lasting impact today. The haab, “... had eighteen months of twenty days each, adding up to 360 days in all. To this were added [five days] to make a total of 365 days…” (Document D). Our current calendar might not be divided the same day the Mayans was but the total number of days is the same which shows the impact their calendar has on the present

The calendar was based on the sun it tracked the 365 day year and would tell when seasonal events would likely occur. The mayans also created a ritual calendar which was a calendar that was a cycle of 260 days, and it marked the ceremonial life of the people.This two

Most agree though, that it offers a graphic representation of the Mexica cosmos’ (Palfrey). In The Aztecs, Smith sums up what is to be believed the thought of the Aztecs when they carved the calendar stone “The Aztec calendar stone conveyed the message that the Aztec empire covered the whole earth (territory in all four directions), and that it was founded upon the sacred principles of time, directionality, divine warfare, and the sanction of the gods” (Smith 270). Keeping the Aztec calendar is proof of ancient cultures mathematical and scientific achievements without the aid of modern technology. The study of the sun stone could lead to further advances in mathematics and acts as a road map to our celestial bodies from that era of our history.

These complicated calendars showed off the Mayans strength in mathematics and astronomy. Pyramids were very important in Mayan history. The Mayans are most likely known for their magnificent

The Tzolk'in calendar is a ritual calendar and only could be read by Mayan priests, the priests would use the calendar to figure out the best days to plant crops, hunt, cure, battle

Although the Maya had many great achievements, the Maya calendar was the most remarkable. It is the most remarkable because they used a common writing system and organized their lives around the calendar. The calendar also tracked religious ceremonies honoring the many Mayan gods. The Mayans really appreciate it when you are tracking their religion and when you honor the many Mayan gods.

The Aztec people also made two different types of calendars. One was the agricultural calendar, and the other was the calendar of the gods. The agricultural calendar was a lot like the calendar we use today. It had 365 days and recorded the seasons. Every year had 18 months, and each month had 20 days. The 5 extra days were the unlucky days of the Aztecs. The second calendar had 260 days. There were 20 signs and 13 numbers. Each god should have specific weeks and days. They thought that this would make it fair for all of their

We still use the solar calendar today and it helps us know what day it is and helps us keep track of time. The calendar was a very important invention that majorly impacts our lives today.

     They developed their writing system, mathematics, astronomy, and calendars. Their study of astronomy allowed them to predict when there would be a solar or lunar eclipse. They also developed their calendar that is called the Long Count Calendar. The Long Count Calendar was not completely a Mayan creation because they inherited the basic form from the Toltec.

Celestial 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, months, 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

Next is the Tzolk’in. The Tzolk’in calendar is also known as the sacred calendar. It was primarily used for scheduling religious ceremonies. The word Tzolk’in translates into “distribution of the days”. The Tzolk’in calendar lasted 260 days, using 20 periods of 13 days which were numbered 1-13, then repeated. The Tzolk’in contains two seperate lengths of weeks. The first of which is a numbered week containing 13 days, numbering the days from 1 to 13. The second is a named week of 20 days. The names of the days were as follows: 0. Ahau, 1. Imix, 2. Ik, 3. Akbal, 4. Kan, 5.Chicchan, 6.Cimi, 7. Manik, 8. Lamat, 9. Muluc, 10. Oc, 11. Chuen,

The ten heavenly stems and twelve earthly branches are like any other calendar. It is used to count hours, the time of years, and months. “When counting years, people use them with the 12 Chinese Zodiac [signs] . . .” (Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches). The Yellow Emperor also known as Huangdi summand Da Rao Shi to make a calendar. Da Rao Shi created the calendar system. He studied the four seasons and the differences between earth and sky.

The Mayans were also were technologically advanced. They used their own math system. One dot stood for one, a bar symbolized five, and a shell figure was zero. The numbers were expressed vertically with the highest on top. The also created a very precise calendars. Two different calendars were calculated 260-day and a 365-day. They were able to calculate the dates because at noon time there was no shadow. This was important for them to use in predicting eclipses, scheduling religious ceremonies, and when to plant and harvest.

That need for structure is probably the reason that the Mayans developed such an amazingly accurate calendar. They also developed a complex style of hieroglyphic writing that we have not fully deciphered. Through their knowledge of astronomy and mathematics they calculated the lunar cycle, predicted eclipses, and formulated a unique calendar system was very accurate. Their calendar was only one day off every 6000 years. That makes it more accurate than our calendar today (Hooker 6). Two fundamental