What is an era? This is a period of time determined by the goals of chronology or historiography. Comparable concepts are epoch, century, period, sakulum, aeon (Greek aion) and Sanskrit south.
What is an era?
The word era has been used since 1615 and translated from Latin "aera" means the era by which time is measured. The use of this term in chronology began around the fifth century, during the Visigoths in Spain, where it appears in the story of Isidore of Seville. Then in later texts. The Spanish era is calculated from 38 BC. Like an era, originally this concept signified the starting point of a century.
Use in chronology
What is an era in chronology? It is considered the highest level for organizing the measurement of time. The calendar era indicates the duration of a time period starting from a certain date, which often marks the beginning of a certain political state, dynasty, or government. This may be the birth of a leader or other significant historical or mythological event.
Geological era
In large-scale natural sciences, there is a need for a different perspective of time, independent of human activity, and indeed covering a much longer period (mainly prehistoric), where the geological era refers to well-defined time intervals. A further division of geological time is aeon. The Phanerozoic eon is divided into eras. There are currently three eras defined in the Phanerozoic. This is the Cenozoic, Mesozoic and Paleozoic era. Older Proterozoic and Archean eons are also divided into their own eras.
Cosmological and calendar era
For periods in the history of the universe, the term “era” is usually preferable to “era”, although these concepts are used interchangeably. The calendar era is calculated in years within certain dates. Often with religious significance. As for our era, the dominant is the reckoning from the birth of Jesus Christ. The Islamic calendar, which also has options, counts the years from the Hijrah or the relocation of the Islamic prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina, which occurred in 622 BC.
During the period - from 1872 to World War II - the Japanese used the system of the imperial year, counting from the period when the legendary emperor Jimmu founded Japan. It was in 660 BC. Many Buddhist calendars are counted from the death of the Buddha, which, according to the most commonly used calculations, took place in 545-543. BC e. Other calendar eras of the past have been counted from political events. Such are, for example, the Seleucid era and the Ancient Roman abbot, which originate from the date of foundation of the city.
Century and era
The word "era" also refers to units used in another, more arbitrary system, where time does not seem to be an endless continuum with one reporting year, but each new block starts with a new countdown, as if time starts again. Using different years is a rather impractical system, and for historians it is a difficult task. When there is no single historical chronology, the prevalence of absolute ruler in public life in many ancient cultures is often reflected. Such traditions sometimes survive the political power of the throne and may even be based on mythological events or rulers who may not even have existed.
What is a century and an era? Can these concepts also be used interchangeably? A century is not necessarily 100 years, in another sense, it can be several centuries, or even a couple of decades. For example, the reign of a ruler is considered to be the “golden age” in history, but this does not mean that he ruled for exactly 100 years. Therefore, the scope of the century can vary both in one and in the other. In East Asia, the kingdom of each emperor can be divided into several periods of rule, each of which is considered a new era.
Era in historiography
An era can be used to indicate clearly defined periods of historiography, for example, Roman, Victorian, and so on. Later periods of actual history include the Soviet era. The history of modern popular music also distinguishes its periods, for example, the disco era.
Different points of view
What is an era from different angles? Here are the most common:
- A system of counting time by numbering years from some important event or a given moment in time (Christian era).
- An event or date that marks the beginning of a new or important period in history (Renaissance).
- The period of time considered from the point of view of noteworthy and characteristic events, persons (era of progress).
- From a geological point of view, the era describes the time frame from the moment of the creation of the Earth to our time. This is the largest chronological division (Paleozoic era).
What is a new era?
Different peoples have their own chronology. The birth of Jesus Christ is considered the traditional beginning of our era, this period was once determined by the pope. Thus, our era is also considered Christian, in honor of the founder of a new religious teaching - Christianity. Prior to this, the calendar was conducted according to the calendar of Julius Caesar.
December 25 is considered an important holiday in many countries of the world. This is the day that the "son of God" was born. Since then, it is customary to say: "Such a year before (BC) or after the birth of Christ" (BC). The new starting date was adopted by Tsar Peter I, and after December 31, 7208 from the biblical creation of the world came January 1, 1700 after the birth of Christ. People still adhere to this chronology and call it the new, or our era.