The Time Division

Achievements of Iraqs Civilizations November 25, 2023

Time Division in Mesopotamia old iraq

Mesopotamia iraq was one of the first civilizations to develop a system of timekeeping. The Mesopotamians divided their days into segments, and they used various methods to measure time. Here is a detailed account of the time division of Mesopotamia.

The Day :

The Mesopotamians used a system of 12-hour days. These were divided into two parts: daylight and nighttime. The daylight hours were called “ush” or “ushu,” while the nighttime hours were called “ash” or “ashu.” The length of the day and night varied depending on the season.

The Month :

The Mesopotamians used a lunar calendar, which was based on the phases of the moon. Each month began with the new moon and lasted for 29 or 30 days. The months were named after the major agricultural activities that took place during that time of the year.

The Year :

The Mesopotamians had two calendars: the lunar calendar and the solar calendar. The lunar calendar was used for religious purposes, while the solar calendar was used for agricultural purposes. The solar calendar was based on the movement of the sun and was divided into 12 months of 30 days each, with an additional five or six days at the end of the year. The Mesopotamians used a system of intercalation to synchronize the lunar and solar calendars.

The Hour :

The Mesopotamians divided the day into 24 hours, with each hour being divided into 60 minutes and each minute being divided into 60 seconds. They used a sundial to measure the passage of time during the day and an astrolabe to measure the position of the stars at night

The Week ;

The Mesopotamians had a seven-day week, which was based on the seven celestial bodies that they believed were the planets. Each day of the week was named after one of the planets: Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn. In conclusion, the Mesopotamians were pioneers in timekeeping, and their system of time division was the basis for many other ancient and modern calendars

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Selected Writings of Samuel Noah Kramer, in 570 bookmarked and searchable pdf pages.

Green، M.W. (1981). “The Construction and Implementation of the Cuneiform Writing System

Samuel Noah Kramer University of Pennsylvania Press, 1972 – History – 130 pages

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