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1、AChronicleofTimekeepingOurconceptionoftimedependsonthewaywemeasureitA.Accordingtoarchaeologicalevidence,atleast5,000yearsago,andlongbeforetheadventoftheRomanEmpire,theBabyloniansbegantomeasuretime,introducingcalendarstoco-ordinatecommunalactivities,toplantheshipmentofgoodsand,inparticular,to
2、regulateplantingandharvesting.Theybasedtheircalendarsonthreenaturalcycles:thesolarday,markedbythesuccessiveperiodsoflightanddarknessastheearthrotatesonitsaxis;thelunarmonth,followingthephasesofthemoonasitorbitstheearth;andthesolaryear,definedbythechangingseasonsthataccompanyourplanet'srevolu
3、tionaroundthesun.B.Beforetheinventionofartificiallight,themoonhadgreatersocialimpact.And,forthoselivingneartheequatorinparticular,itswaxingandwaningwasmoreconspicuousthanthepassingoftheseasons.Hence,thecalendarsthatweredevelopedatthelowerlatitudeswereinfluencedmorebythelunarcyclethanbythesol
4、aryear.Inmorenorthernclimes,however,whereseasonalagriculturewaspractised,thesolaryearbecamemorecrucial.AstheRomanEmpireexpandednorthward,itorganiseditsactivitychartforthemostpartaroundthesolaryear.C.CenturiesbeforetheRomanEmpire,theEgyptianshadformulatedamunicipalcalendarhaving12monthsof30da
5、ys,withfivedaysaddedtoapproximatethesolaryear.Eachperiodoftendayswasmarkedbytheappearanceofspecialgroupsofstarscalleddecans.AttheriseofthestarSiriusjustbeforesunrise,whichoccurredaroundtheall-importantannualfloodingoftheNile,12decanscouldbeseenspanningtheheavens.ThecosmicsignificancetheEgypt
6、iansplacedinthe12decansledthemtodevelopasysteminwhicheachintervalofdarkness(andlater,eachintervalofdaylight)wasdividedintoadozenequalparts.Theseperiodsbecameknownastemporalhoursbecausetheirdurationvariedaccordingtothechanginglengthofdaysandnightswiththepassingoftheseasons.Summerhourswerelong
7、,winteronesshort;onlyatthespringandautumnequinoxeswerethehoursofdaylightanddarknessequal.Temporalhours,whichwerefirstadoptedbytheGreeksandthentheRomans,whodisseminatedthemthroughEurope,remainedinuseformorethan2,500years.D.Inordertotracktemporalhour
