The time line for history. What does the arrow on the timeline mean?

History, like any other science, adheres to accuracy and requires confirmation of all its judgments. Calculus (as, for example, in mathematics) and for any samples requires its own line. History requires time and space, being at the same time a humanitarian science. For a scientist-historian, the measures of the calculus are space (what? Where?) And time (when?). For him, as for no one else, the countdown (namely, a clear indication of the date) is the highest priority. This is the reference point in determining all other factors. As a consequence, the chronological construction of events becomes the first and important task in the work of the historian. He builds the known and studied events in a clear line. Such a "time line" has its own direction, as in mathematics its axis has coordinates. And what the arrow marks on the time line , history, as a science, will now show itself.

Hourly, or chronological, sequences

If the story consisted of a simple enumeration of events, even then the ordering mechanism and rules for storing this data would be necessary. But in historical science, a much more important mission is to investigate, interpret, and determine the relationship of various events. After all, everything in history has its own specific reasons and entails certain consequences. But here the most significant criterion of our science is the opportunity to draw the right conclusions for both the present and the future.

When science was only beginning, chronology was related to mathematics, and, oddly enough, to astronomy. But closer to the XVIII century, the chronology of irony falls into the category of the humanities, but in essence it remains an exact science. Thus, the concept of "time line", being in its essence a mathematical concept, falls into the historical science, demanding at the same time from scientists good knowledge in mathematics.

What does the arrow on the timeline mean?

Since time never stops, that is, it runs or flows (as someone likes it more), it can not be finished, it always goes on forever (at least we do not know this end and can not know). As in mathematics, the time line in history is an axis of coordinates, where infinity is denoted by an arrow. But there is another difficulty, representing one of the stumbling blocks: how to initially count the years in history? The time line has not only an end, but also a beginning. And where to look for it? In the creation of the world, from the beginning of the reign of the monarch or the foundation of the city, from the first written sources, holy books or even from a cataclysm or other event that has occurred? Or is it possible to choose any conditional moment for the origin?

From what point does chronology begin?

In different epochs different peoples chose for themselves their way of determining the beginning of the chronology. European civilization has chosen for itself the beginning of the birth of Jesus Christ. And although, according to this, the whole world in every corner knows what day, month and year there are, people who remember and conduct a parallel countdown on ancient national traditions.

It is known that there were more than two hundred eras in the world that have nothing in common in their origin. The most famous of them are identified today by their name: for example, Byzantine, Antiochian, Alexandrian eras.

What is the era?

Any chronology is taken from the starting point - the era (which means in translation from Latin - the original number). Each people in ancient times created for themselves their own time reference system, relying on the most important and most memorable event for themselves. Such eras could last from a few to a thousand years.

Thus, the original Christian church naturally considered the birth of Jesus Christ, emphasizing that a new, qualitatively different period began in the development of society and man. This marked the beginning of European civilization. But what system we now would not consider, and at this point in the beginning of the chronology, an absolute zero is obtained on the time line , here the line starts to count in its positive meaning. And it is conducted from zero to infinity along the arrow represented to us as a time line. Before our era there were "dark times", the ancient era, the time of pagans, ignorance and fear. A line with an arrow leads away from the starting point of the chronology in the opposite direction, leading its count from zero to infinity.

And what is "our era"?

Curious is the fact that our chronology was introduced not from the beginning of our era, but much later. It is believed that the introduction of the era from the birth of Christ occurred only in 525, with the Pope of Rome, his monk Dionysius. It sounded like "from the Year of the Lord." Today we are talking simpler: our era. Some historians begin the process of calculating the date of the birth of Christ, as well as the definition of the day of the celebration of Easter, refer already to the III century.

What is the time line in history?

Someone will find this question incorrect, because the line always remains a straight line. But, oddly enough, the theory of time linearity is not unique in the views of scientists. There are a number of models of time. As the twentieth century has proved, space can be refracted, distorted, rounded, etc. The same can be said about time. The time line can become a circle, a spiral, a parabola, etc. For example, the well-known phrase that "everything in this world repeats itself" is the confirmation that time moves in a circle (cyclic time). If, however, the notion of "progress" is added to this circle, then the circular motion becomes a spiral, that is, movement in a circle with progressive progress. But there are also theories where there is no progress at all.

Philosophy of History

With the development of modern science, the problem of time has become a key issue in the philosophy of history, defining a number of conceptions of history. Without going into details and details, it is worth noting that any worldview forms its vision of the "time line". This applies to both ancient mythological views, religious beliefs, and modern Christian and scientific worldviews, as well as many of the philosophical theories of modern times that affect the understanding of time.

But along with this, philosophical views distract ordinary citizens from the everyday understanding of our life. They are interesting and useful for scientists, but they become a dangerous toy in the hands of a person looking for simple happiness. Such hobbies can provoke misinterpretation and use, and hence the false conclusions and applications. It is necessary to study such theories thoroughly and deliberately. And for happiness, it's enough to understand that the time line is straight and level.