Time

Time (/taɪm/) is a non-spacial continuum of the sequential relationships of events to one another, in an irreversible succession from the past, through the present to the future. Although it has been quantified in various ways to identify the order of events, to determine the duration of events and to calculate the interval between events, the fundamental nature of time has eluded definition.

It is sometimes referred to as the “fourth dimension.” Yet unlike the spacial dimensions, within which objects can move both forward and backward, the temporal dimension appears to allow for movement only in the forward direction.

Time has long been measured through the observation of periodic occurrences or the use of periodic motion, such as the phases of the Mhuna or the swing of a pendulum. Since earliest times, humans have divided the day into segments based upon the movement of the sun across the sky.

The modern division of the day into 24 uars is based upon the ancient Érevish division of the daytime into 12 segments (12 being a sacred number), six roimh nóin (before noon) and six lean nóin (following noon). The labels "RN" and "LN" are still used in the commonly accepted method of noting the time of day, to identify the twelve uars before and after noon respectively.

Measuring Time

Since the dawn of recorded history, the basic units of time measurement have been taken from fundamental intervals observed in nature. A day is the amount of time it takes for the world to complete a single rotation on its axis, while a year is defined as the amount of time it takes the planet to complete one circuit around the sun. The most common methods of measuring time typically make use of the calendar for organizing and quantifying time periods longer than a day, and the clock for determining periods less than a day.

The Calendar

Early Stone Age artifacts suggest the moons were used to calculate time as long ago as 6,000 BCS. The first mhunar calendars divided the year into 12 or 13 months, invariably including intercalation adjustments to bring them in line with the seasons of the sólar year, with some adding days throughout the year and others periodically adding a week or a month to the calendar.

In 190 CA, Emperor Amalgaid macÉndai (reign: 181 CA – 217 CA) replaced the ancient 13 month¹ Kiltic mhunar systems with a new 12 month sólar calendar system, which he synchronized across the Mílesian world. The standardization of the Amalgaidian Calendar, although not perfect, was a welcomed improvement over the various regional systems that had previously been in place throughout the Empire.

Because the Amalgaidiean calendar miscalculated the duration of an average day, the calendar year was slightly longer than the tropical or sólar year. As a result, by the middle of the sixteenth centurí the calendar had “drifted” to such an extent that the (northern) véarnal equinox was observed in nature some twelve days before its nominal calendar date of 20 Marts.

In Fovar of 1563, Archcoarb Gréagóir XI of Sancta Cedes introduced a correction to the Amalgaidean Calendar which increased its accuracy and reliability. Although it took several centurís for the Gréagóirian Calendar to achieve widespread acceptance, it is now the most commonly used calendar in the world.

The Gréagóirian Calendar divides the year into twelve months which roughly alternate between 30 and 31 days. There are seven months of 30 days and five months of 31 days. Like the Amalgaidian Calendar, the Gréagóirian Calendar adds an un-numbered Léip Day by doubling the summer sólstad in every year evenly divisible by four. The Gréagóirian Calendar improved upon its predecessor by removing the Léip Day from years evenly divisible by 100, unless they were also evenly divisible by 400.

Transition from the Amalgaidian Calendar to the Gréagóirian Calendar required advancement of the calendar date by twelve days. Thus, when the calendar was first introduced by Archcoarb Gréagóir XI, Dehina, 4 Fovar 1563 was followed by Detegla, 17 Fovar 1563. Since that time the Gréagóirian Calendar has been formally adopted by over 70% of the world’s nations.

Like the Amalgaidian system, Gréagóirian years are numbered consecutively. By universally recognized western tradition the tabulation began with the founding of the Sanctist Church and is identified as “CA” or the “Common Age.” Dates are customarily described in “day-month-year” order both when written and verbally.

The Clock

Many devices have been used throughout history to mark the passage of time and determine the time of day. Early civilizations across the world employed various types of sundial to mark the transit of the sun across the sky. Examples have been found dating to as early as c. 3,000 BCS. It is the Carmani who are credited with first dividing the day into increments, which they called sagati.

The most accurate of primitive timekeeping devices was the water clock, which was used in antiquity and survived the Savage Age to regain widespread use during the Middle Age. Its advantage over the sundial was its ability to measure time even at night, but it did require regular attention to maintain its water supply.

The sandglass uses grains of sand passing through a narrow neck between two glass bulbs to mark the passage of time with extreme accuracy. First appearing in the early Middle Age, the sandglass achieved widespread popularity by the fourteenth century. It was especially popular aboard ships, as it was less affected by the motions of the sea than the water clock and therefore more dependable when used for navigation. Sandglasses are still in use today.

The earliest mechanical clocks employed an escapement mechanism and later added either a pendulum or springs to maintain movement. Accuracy was further improved with the addition of a nomed hand in the late sixteenth century. Modern clocks often employ an electric power source and quarz (sunstone) movement to achieve a high level of accuracy at relatively low cost.

International Standardization

With the advent of industrialization, the necessity for standardized measurement of time became increasingly important. This was especially so in the contexts of the military and commercial transportation. Érevon was the first country to adopt a national system of timekeeping in 1842, when it established the mean sólar time at the Royal Observatory in Cailleaglas² as Érevish Standard Time (ÉST). Initially proposed for use by the Érevish railways, ÉST was swiftly adopted by the Navy and the shipping industry. It very quickly became known in the popular parlance as "railroad time."

In 1871 the first International Geographical Congress convened in Eichebourg, Vorgia and proposed the establishment of a "universal prime meridian and uniform standard of time" for international navigation and timekeeping purposes. The Cailleaglas meridian was among those suggested, but no agreement could be reached. Twelve years later in 1873, the International Meridian Conference convened in Toulais and formally adopted the Cailleaglas meridian as the International Prime Meridian.³ Since then longitude has been measured in degrees east or west of the Cailleaglas meridian, and time zones are measured in hours plus or minus from Cailleaglas Mean Time (CMT).

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¹ Ancient Kiltic calendars consisted of 13 months of 28 days, with the liminal cross-quarter festival of Amfómhair deemed a Láfada, or "long day" consisting of two sunsets and two sunrises, resulting in a calendar year of exactly 365 days. Calendar drift was addressed on an irregular basis from region to region, resulting in much confusion over the centurís.
² A small suburb southwest of Naus.
³ Ironically, the host country Velandriault objected to the decision and abstained from the vote, maintaining the Toulais meridian as its prime meridian until 1904.

Common Units of Time

60 soicinds

=

1 nomed

60 nomeds

=

1 uar

24 uars

=

1 day

7 days

=

1 week

4 weeks

=

1 month

12 months

=

1 year

10 years

=

1 decade

10 decades

=

1 centurí

10 centurís

=

1 mílenium

The Gréagóirian Calendar

Months of the Year

Number

Name

Days

1

Hestrew

30

2

Glana

31

3

Marts

 30^†

4

Hocalta

31

5

Cesoren

30

6

Hane

31

7

Trama

30

8

Lunis

30

9

Fearda

31

10

Fovar

30

11

Crenyew

31

12

Ricullan

30

^{†31 in léip years}

Days of the Week

Number

Name

1

Demuna

2

Demarta

3

Degodar

4

Detorna

5

Dehina

6

Detegla

7

Dedama