Regarded as being advanced for its time, the Mayan civilization possess a great knowledge of geometry, astronomy not forgetting ways to measure the time. Numerous experts in the fields of astronomy, mathematics along with other sciences discover the way the Maya accustomed to calculate periods of time unique.
The basics of their calendar system were much like some other calendar systems discovered in the same region of the world by some other Mesoamerican civilizations, dating as far back with time since the 5th century BC.
The Mayan calendar's earlier form is used to present the concept of time as future, present, and past. The Maya understood well that time is linear and that they needed a way to tell if one event had transpired previous to another. This very basic concept instantly become a whole lot more complicated, sophisticated as well as precise calendar system, which individuals find remarkable even now.
Short And Long Count
The Short and the Long Count are the 2 main parts in the Mayan calendar which are employed to measure and calculate the time. Both the Long Count and the Short Count have a particular date as a beginning point - August 11, 3114 BC in case we are using the present Gregorian calendar to define it, and September 6, 3114 BC if we are making use of the Julian calendar.
What is used to measure the short periods of time is the Short Count. It consisted of 260 days, divided into thirteen periods (twenty days each). This way of counting the time remains employed in several parts of Guatemala by ancestors and forefathers of the Mesoamerican civilizations.
For measuring longer periods of time as well as events which happened a very long time ago or will happen very far into the future the Long Count was mainly used. This calendar system has also been employed for the inscription of calendar dates.
The Long Count's cycle is separate from the solar year, because the Maya utilized the vigesimal (base 20) rather than the decimal (base 10) numeral system. One Long Count period adhering to the rule previously mentioned must have been equivalent to 400 days, however the Maya allowed an exception to the rule and also the actual Long Count period is 360 days. Despite the fact that this recently formed period is very near to the solar year, it's still 5 days shorter. It's not certain why the Maya chose to change their calendar a bit, however the fact that they did so displays how very well they recognized and also observed the sky and also the placement of the stars within it. In the calendar of the ancient Maya, the Moon and Venus likewise played a significant role, and they've separate Long Count inscriptions to signify the lunar cycles along with a Venus cycle.
One Venus cycle was 584 days long, and events just like warfare and conquests were timed to correspond to certain phases of this cycle. Scientists right now find appealing the fact that the Maya were able to measure the Venus cycle very precisely; showing great observation and astronomy skills plus understanding of the way the planets move in the sky.
According to historians, the lunar cycles also play an important role. The Mayan calendar has various lunar cycles which are related to animals, deities, food and weather. These cycles present how sophisticated the culture of the Mayan was and just how close the bond was between them and the environment.
A final thought, the Mayan calendar is a truly complex device in order to measure the time in long or short periods. It demonstrates that the Mayans understood the idea of time, and had a brilliant approach to place an event in a period of time - past, present or future. They designed an evolved not to mention complex calendar concept (the Long Count) by using additional supplementary forms to the 1st calendar (the Short Count). Accordingly, the Mayan calendar was most likely the most innovative and exceptional calendar for its time, as well as a lot of civilizations used it fully or partly through the following generations.
The basics of their calendar system were much like some other calendar systems discovered in the same region of the world by some other Mesoamerican civilizations, dating as far back with time since the 5th century BC.
The Mayan calendar's earlier form is used to present the concept of time as future, present, and past. The Maya understood well that time is linear and that they needed a way to tell if one event had transpired previous to another. This very basic concept instantly become a whole lot more complicated, sophisticated as well as precise calendar system, which individuals find remarkable even now.
Short And Long Count
The Short and the Long Count are the 2 main parts in the Mayan calendar which are employed to measure and calculate the time. Both the Long Count and the Short Count have a particular date as a beginning point - August 11, 3114 BC in case we are using the present Gregorian calendar to define it, and September 6, 3114 BC if we are making use of the Julian calendar.
What is used to measure the short periods of time is the Short Count. It consisted of 260 days, divided into thirteen periods (twenty days each). This way of counting the time remains employed in several parts of Guatemala by ancestors and forefathers of the Mesoamerican civilizations.
For measuring longer periods of time as well as events which happened a very long time ago or will happen very far into the future the Long Count was mainly used. This calendar system has also been employed for the inscription of calendar dates.
The Long Count's cycle is separate from the solar year, because the Maya utilized the vigesimal (base 20) rather than the decimal (base 10) numeral system. One Long Count period adhering to the rule previously mentioned must have been equivalent to 400 days, however the Maya allowed an exception to the rule and also the actual Long Count period is 360 days. Despite the fact that this recently formed period is very near to the solar year, it's still 5 days shorter. It's not certain why the Maya chose to change their calendar a bit, however the fact that they did so displays how very well they recognized and also observed the sky and also the placement of the stars within it. In the calendar of the ancient Maya, the Moon and Venus likewise played a significant role, and they've separate Long Count inscriptions to signify the lunar cycles along with a Venus cycle.
One Venus cycle was 584 days long, and events just like warfare and conquests were timed to correspond to certain phases of this cycle. Scientists right now find appealing the fact that the Maya were able to measure the Venus cycle very precisely; showing great observation and astronomy skills plus understanding of the way the planets move in the sky.
According to historians, the lunar cycles also play an important role. The Mayan calendar has various lunar cycles which are related to animals, deities, food and weather. These cycles present how sophisticated the culture of the Mayan was and just how close the bond was between them and the environment.
A final thought, the Mayan calendar is a truly complex device in order to measure the time in long or short periods. It demonstrates that the Mayans understood the idea of time, and had a brilliant approach to place an event in a period of time - past, present or future. They designed an evolved not to mention complex calendar concept (the Long Count) by using additional supplementary forms to the 1st calendar (the Short Count). Accordingly, the Mayan calendar was most likely the most innovative and exceptional calendar for its time, as well as a lot of civilizations used it fully or partly through the following generations.
About the Author:
The Onejungle Travel Community is a place where travel stories and adventure blogs are shared. For more information on the travel to the Mayans in Tikal see Guatemala Travel: Tikal National Park.
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