Empires of Time: Calendars, Clocks, and Cultures

by Anthony F. Aveni

Compares contemporary timekeeping methods and related cultural perspectives to those of seminomadic tribes and classical civilizations, tracing the influence of calendars, datebooks, clocks, and other means of measuring humankind's most valuable commodity.

"Aveni . . . explores the interplay of culture and time in this edifying and readable cross-cultural study of timekeeping through the ages."
—The Sciences

"A good book on time is a rare thing: it requires history; it requires anthropology; it requires astronomy; and it requires physics . . . . As an anthropologist and astronomer known for his detailed work on the archaeo-astronomy of south and central American cultures, [Aveni] speaks with special authority on the fascinating practices of the Mayan and Aztec cultures and their extraordinary fastidiousness with regard to the marking and meaning of time. But detailed knowledge and good judgement are not sufficient to produce a successful book. Aveni achieves that distinction by virtue of the fact that he also possesses a wonderfully eloquent and engaging prose style that carries the reader through fact after fact that could so easily have ossified into a list of deadly dullness. Empires of Time is one of the best books on a scientific theme for the serious general reader that I have read for some time."
—The Times Higher Education Supplement

"Empires of Time is a lively and readable account of humankind's attempts to understand and account for the rhythms of the cosmos. . . . [A]s Aveni ably demonstrates, the origin and cultural meaning of the world's calendars are a wonderfully complex and intriguing story, involving natural cycles, sacred meaning, and political intrigue. By focusing more than half his book on non-Western traditions, Aveni reminds us that other cultures have rich and varied concepts of the passage of time. Both laypersons and scholars will find this book rewarding."
—Ray A. Williamson, author of Living the Sky: The Cosmos of the American Indian

"If there is another book like this in the English language, I don't know about it. It is written by an expert who knows how to combine first-rate scholarship and good writing. This book should be of great scientific as well as popular interest."
—Michael D. Coe, Professor of Anthropology, Yale University

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Science, Anthropology, Popular Science, Archaeology, World History

332 pages, Paperback

First published October 25, 1989

About the author

Anthony F. Aveni is Russell Colgate Distinguished University Professor of Astronomy, Anthropology, and Native American Studies at Colgate University.

Reviews

[Karen Christino · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title tells it all! Really not astrology at all, but everything but, since time is essentially based on our experience of astronomical cycles. The first Aveni book I read; it left me wanting more.

[Guy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting transect through human sensing and marking of time. Starting at an almost primordial biological level; then a bit on marking of time in oral and written traditions, the lunar-social time of tribal societies; the Western Calendar and clock; the Mayan calendar, Aztecs and the Sun; Incas and their Orientation calendar; and the Chinese Calendar. Not sure how the theories and assumptions presented have fared since my 1995 edition, but a good romp.

I am making a place on my personal five-foot shelf for this book.

[Tomasz · Rating 4 out of 5]

For quite some time, I wanted to understand how our Western/Gregorian calendar was shaped and which main forces across centuries made it look like it is now. This book covers the topic extremely well. Additionally, it describes various approaches to measure time by different civilizations (China, Aztecs, Mayan, etc.) so my urge to learn a bit about other calendars was also satisfied.

[Dan Bozung · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but a bit textbook-y. Skipped over some of the minutiae. Parts dealing with how various cultures came to conceive of and measure time very insightful. Generally enjoyed it.

[Jennifer Sigman]

DNF - just can't get into it

[Bold Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

... Aveni gives solid information with some good examples and covers a decent range of cultures. He does foist a bit of filler and speculation when discussing the development of, for example, the Mayan, Aztec and Incan calendars. In all three instances, the caramel nugget of their calendar-astronomy-social engineering system was inherited and Aveni doesn’t dwell too much on the clearly quite sophisticated predecessors of these cultures. Nonetheless, he gives a strong technical analysis of the systems he explores and leaves the reader hungry for more of his empathetic and oftentimes poetic descriptions of the cultures and creations of the ancient skywatchers. Good, because he has other books on the topic.

Read my full review here: http://boldbookworm.com/eot121610.html

~ BB

http://boldbookworm.com

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aveni compares and contrasts the way that ancient Mayan, Aztec, and Inca societies thought of, and related to, time. So different! He also compares these to our current society's view of time and makes the case that we have become separated from natural systems in our view of ourselves and our place in time.

[Steve]

Great overview of calendars and time concepts, especially among the Maya, Aztec, Inca, and Chinese. Enjoyable for anyone with an interest in this subject, whether or not they are hardcore science or archaeology people.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great comparison of ancient and modern cultures, attitudes toward time, their calendars and the natural origins of their longest views on time. More poetic than most books on this topic, it still has enough math to satisfy the academics who want to see a thorough testing of his hypotheses.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

tracking cycles of sun, star, human: biological constant, cultural variables