"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 Anthony Aveni is the Russell Colgate Distinguished University Professor of Astronomy, Anthropolgy, and Native Amerifan Studies at Colgate University. He has researched and written about Maya Astronomy for more than four decades. He was named a U.S. National Professor of the year and has been awarded the H.B. Nicholson Medal for Excellence in Research in Mesoamerican Studies by Harvard's Peabody Museum. EMPIRES OF TIME CALENDARS, CLOCKS, AND CULTURES By ANTHONY AVENI UNIVERSITY PRESS OF COLORADO Copyright © 2002 Anthony Aveni All right reserved. ISBN: 978-0-87081-672-7 Contents List of Illustrations................................................viiAcknowledgments......................................................ixPreface to the Revised Edition.......................................xiIntroduction: Our Time-And Theirs....................................1I-SENSING AND MARKING TIME1. The Basic Rhythms.................................................13Tracking Down the Sense of TimeA Multitude of Inner RhythmsMechanism as Metaphor2. Early Time Reckoning..............................................33The Oral ModeThe Written ModeII-OUR TIME: THE IMPOSITION OF ORDER3. The Western Calendar..............................................75The Day and Its HoursThe Smallest Units of TimeThe Week and Its DaysThe Month and Its MoonThe Months and Their Politics4. The Year and Its Accumulation in History..........................105The Western YearLong-Time Reckoning and Great YearsOur Creation StoriesToday's Empire of the ClockIII-THEIR TIME: FOLLOWING THE ORDER OF THE SKIES5. Tribal Societies and Lunar-Social Time............................147The Ecological CycleStructural Time6. The Interlocking Calendars of the Maya............................163Introduction: Three American EmpiresThe Maya and the Body CountThe Cycles of VenusThe Maya DeclineCharacteristics of Maya Timekeeping7. The Aztecs and the Sun............................................225A Cycle of CelebrationsThe World DiagramThe Creation StoryRestructuring Time to Legitimize Aztec Rule8. The Incas and Their Orientation Calendar..........................247Sun WatchingCounting the Days9. Eastern Standard: Time Reckoning in China.........................271The Chinese World View and Sense of HistoryThe Chinese CalendarIV-A WORLD OF TIME10. Building on the Basic Rhythms....................................289Recurring CyclesThe Linearization of TimeControlling the RhythmsEpilogue.............................................................303Notes................................................................305Index................................................................321 Chapter One THE BASIC RHYTHMS First the tide rushes in, plants a kiss on the shore, Then rolls out to sea and the sea is very still once more. -"Ebb Tide" Metaphor is a figure of speech by which the meaning