0:00 Introduction to History and the Importance of Measuring Time:
0:10 History covers a long period of time.
0:20 Accurate measurement of time is crucial when studying history.
0:30 Methods to Measure Time in History:
0:40 Two primary methods are mentioned:
0:50 a. Before Christ (B.C.): Time period before the birth of Jesus Christ.
1:00 b. Anno Domini (A.D.): Time period after the birth of Jesus Christ.
1:10 Example Illustration:
1:20 Arahat Mahinda Thero: Arrived 250 years before the birth of Jesus Christ, hence considered to have occurred in 250 B.C.
1:30 King Mahasen: Started reigning 274 years after the birth of Jesus Christ, so his rule is considered to have started in 274 A.D.
1:40 Other Methods of Measuring Time:
1:50 Buddhist Years: Start from the day of the demise (Maha Parinibbana) of Lord Buddha, believed to be 544 B.C.
2:00 Saka Years: A Hindu calendar starting in 78 A.D., initiated by King Gauthamiputhra Sathakarni.
2:10 Hijri Years: A chronological method used by Muslims, starting in 622 A.D. with the arrival of Prophet Mohammad in Madeena.
2:20 Archaeological Methods:
2:30 Time can be calculated using various laboratory methods.
2:40 Archaeological excavation involves digging the earth systematically to reveal soil layers with deposits of ancient artifacts.
Historically Important Events and their Timeline:
2:50 Notable events mentioned with their corresponding timeline in A.D. and Buddhist Era.
3:00 Sri Lanka became an independent country in 1948 A.D.
3:10 King Mahasen's rule began in 274 A.D.
3:20 King Vasabha's rule began in 67 A.D.
3:30 Birth of Jesus Christ is noted as 1 A.D.
3:40 Demise (Maha Parinibbana) of Lord Buddha is placed at 544 B.C.
Conclusion:
3:50 The text emphasizes that many historical artifacts are buried, and history can be learned by carefully excavating the earth.
This detailed explanation provides a comprehensive overview of how time is measured in history using various methods and includes examples to illustrate the concepts.
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1.4 How Does History Measure Time?
History means a long period of time. It is important to measure it (time) accurately,
when we study history. There are a few methods to measure the time of history
in which many events had happened. The two methods used most frequently are;
(a). Before Christ (B.C.)
(b). Anno Domini (A.D.
These two methods are based on the year of birth of Jesus Christ. Accordingly,
The time period before the birth of Jesus Christ is called ‘before Christ (B.C.)’,
The time period after the birth of Jesus Christ is known as ‘Anno Domini (A.D.).
Let’s get this clarified through an example; Arahat Mahinda Thero arrived
in our country 250 years before the birth of Jesus Christ. Hence, it is considered
that this event took place in 250 B.C.
King Mahasen who constructed Minneriya tank, started reigning Sri
Lanka, 274 years after the birth of Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is considered that his
rule started in 274 A.D.
In addition to what has been mentioned above, Buddhist years and Saka years are
sometimes used to show the time. These methods had been used in ancient India
and Sri Lanka. You may have seen that these two types of methods are mentioned
in almanacs in our houses. These two methods are used to calculate historical
time on some occasions even today. Buddhist years start since the day on
which the demise (Maha Parinibbana) of the Lord Buddha took place. Although
scholars hold different views of the year in which the demise of the Lord Buddha
took place, the general belief is that it happened five hundred and forty four
years before the birth of Jesus Christ, that was in 544 B.C
The system of Saka years is a calendar of Hindus. It started in 78 A.D. The king
Gauthamiputhra Sathakarni who ruled the Western India started Saka year system in
memory of the victory gained over the areas of the Saka people.
There is a chronological method used by Muslims to calculate time in celebrating their religious festivals. It is called Hijri years. It started in 622 A.D. It was the year in which Prophet Mohammad, the leader of the Islam religion, arrived in the city of Madeena from Mecca.
In addition to these methods, there are a number of methods used in laboratories
to calculate the ancient history of some hundred thousand years. Time
can be calculated by digging the earth systematically too. This process is known
as archaeological excavation. When the earth is excavated, soil layers under the
earth could be seen. Various things, which belonged to the past and did not decay
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Questions and Answers about History Measurement:
1. Q: What is history, according to the text? A: History is a long period of time.
2. Q: Why is it important to measure time accurately when studying history? A: Accurate time measurement is crucial for understanding historical events.
3. Q: What are the two most frequently used methods to measure historical time? A: (a) Before Christ (B.C.) and (b) Anno Domini (A.D.).
4. Q: On what is the Before Christ (B.C.) and Anno Domini (A.D.) methods based? A: These methods are based on the year of birth of Jesus Christ.
5. Q: How is the time period before the birth of Jesus Christ referred to? A: It is called ‘Before Christ (B.C.)’.
6. Q: What is the term used for the time period after the birth of Jesus Christ? A: It is known as ‘Anno Domini (A.D.)’.
7. Q: Provide an example of using the B.C. method from the text. A: Arahat Mahinda Thero arrived 250 years before the birth of Jesus Christ, considered to be in 250 B.C.
8. Q: When did King Mahasen start reigning Sri Lanka according to the text? A: King Mahasen started ruling Sri Lanka 274 years after the birth of Jesus Christ, in 274 A.D.
9. Q: Besides B.C. and A.D., what are the other methods mentioned in the text for measuring time? A: Buddhist years and Saka years.
10. Q: What event marks the starting point of Buddhist years? A: The demise (Maha Parinibbana) of the Lord Buddha.
11. Q: In which year is the demise of the Lord Buddha generally believed to have occurred? A: It is believed to have happened in 544 B.C.
12. Q: What is the Saka year system, and when did it start? A: The Saka year system is a Hindu calendar that started in 78 A.D.
13. Q: Why did Gauthamiputhra Sathakarni start the Saka year system? A: He started it in memory of the victory gained over the areas of the Saka people.
14. Q: What is the chronological method used by Muslims to calculate time? A: It is called Hijri years, starting in 622 A.D.
15. Q: What significant event marks the start of the Hijri years? A: The arrival of Prophet Mohammad in the city of Madeena from Mecca.
16. Q: Besides historical calendars, what other methods are mentioned for calculating ancient history? A: Methods used in laboratories and archaeological excavation.
17. Q: What is archaeological excavation, as mentioned in the text? A: It is the systematic digging of the earth to uncover soil layers and various artifacts from the past.
18. Q: How is time calculated in laboratories for ancient history? A: Through various scientific methods used in laboratories.
19. Q: What process is known as archaeological excavation? A: Archaeological excavation is the systematic digging of the earth to uncover historical artifacts.
20. Q: What can be seen when the earth is excavated during archaeological excavation? A: Soil layers under the earth and various things from the past that did not decay.