Chronology

the science of dates. The Chinese reckon their dates from the accession of the reigning emperor. The Greeks reckoned from the alleged beginning of the Olympic games, which, according to their traditions, was about the year 776 B.C. The Romans reckoned from the traditional founding of their city (753 B.C. by our reckoning). After the establishment of the empire, they dated by the reigns of the emperors. This remained the fashion of the Christian world until nearly the year 800 of our present reckoning. At that time the popes of Rome had been waging a century of struggle against the emperors at Constantinople for virtual independence, and Pope Hadrian signalized the papal victory by ceasing to date events by years of the reigning emperor. Instead, he called a certain day "December 1, of the year 781, under the reign of the Lord Jesus Christ, our God, and Redeemer." The Christian world, except for the Greek Church, has dated time ever since from the birth of Christ, as figured by Hadrian, shortening the expression to "year of our Lord" (in Latin, Anno Domini, or A.D.). It is worth noting that Hadrian erred four years in his computation. He should have made his year 785. Because of this error we are obliged to say that Christ was born in 4 B.C. The Greek Church reckons from the creation of the world, which makes its dates 5,508 years greater than ours.

In nearly all systems the year is the unit. Among the Greeks, however, the period was one of four years, or an olympiad, the interval from one Olympic game to another. The end of the tenth Olympiad was ten times four years later than 776 B.C. To find the second year of the eleventh olympiad in our reckoning, we should add two years to four times ten years, and subtract the result, or forty-two years, from 776 B.C. The Mohammedans reckon from the Hegira, or flight of Mohammed, which occurred in the year of 622 A. D. To change a Mohammedan date, therefore, into our reckoning, it is necessary to add 622 years. Without doubt a time will come when all commercial people will use the same system of chronology,--possibly that now in use among English-speaking people.

See Calendar; Year; Day; Month; Time