Time granularity Behind everything simple is a huge tail of complicated
Iwona DUDEK , CNRS, France UMR 3495 CNRS/MCC MAP
[in] K Lippincott, The story of time , Larousse, 2000 . . re re , s. 13, s. , Time Larousse, 2000 Larousse, , K. Lippincott, Lippincott, K. , U. Eco, U. The storyof time [in] [in]
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but it doesn but it doesn Introduction UMR CNRS / MCC 3495 MAP - Marseille - F Larousse, 2000, Fig. 158 Fig. 2000, Larousse, [in] K Lippincott, KLippincott, [in] L’histoire du TempsduL’histoire , Complicated Complicated Simple Simple Final conclusionsFinal Examples conclusionsInitial calendars historical 25 of Comparison with multiple granularities (two case studies) (two multiple granularities with Final conclusionsFinal Examples conclusionsInitial calendars historical 25 of Comparison
with multiple granularities (two case studies) (two multiple granularities with
simple idea simplesolution> problemsimple objective simple simple idea simplesolution> problemsimple objective simple Behind everything huge a is tail simple of complica visualisation of data data of visualisation visualisation of data data of visualisation
Time granularity ted Time granularity Behind everything simple is a huge tail of complicated
Scientific background architect history of architecture and urbanism evolution of architectural artefacts
studying sources : artefact itself (states, transformations …) Simple UMR- MAP MCC / CNRS 3495 Marseille- F Time granularity Behind everything simple is a huge tail of complicated
My scientific background architect history of architecture and urbanism evolution of architectural artefacts
studying sources : artefact itself (states, transformations …) context ( urban, historical, geographical, …) Simple UMR- MAP MCC / CNRS 3495 Marseille- F Time granularity Behind everything simple is a huge tail of complicated
Nature of historical data sets
heterogeneity XIII th c incompleteness Mai 1450 imprecision lineage 15 th July 1346 etc.
summer night 1702
every second Saturday morning XV th c
temporal indications are often inconsistent in terms of granularity Simple UMR- MAP MCC / CNRS 3495 Marseille- F Time granularity Behind everything simple is a huge tail of complicated
Nature of historical data sets
summer night 1702 Objective : store and query without any additional approximations
Problem : define chronon (the smallest temporal unit) …, week, month season, … and granules (temporal aggregate, e.g. n chronons)
Idea : start from how time is handled in general (through calendars) Simple UMR- MAP MCC / CNRS 3495 Marseille- F Complicated UMR CNRS / MCC 3495 MAP - Marseille - F Continental Celtic Calendar ( Calendar Celtic Continental Attic stateAttic calendar Tibetan calendar Tibetancalendar Julian calendar Julian Japanese calendar ( calendar Japanese Coptic calendar Coptic calendar Soviet calendar Egyptian calendar Chinese calendar Burmese calendar Babylonian aí calendarBadí’ ( Muslimcalendar aieePwkncalendarPawukon Balinese (solar) Incascalendar ( calendar Pre-Islamic calendar Hebrew Roman calendar (republican) calendar Roman calendar Gregorian Incas calendar (lunar) Incascalendar calendar Symmetry454 Inuitcalendar calendar republican French Maya and Aztec calendars ( calendars Aztec and Maya Byzantinecalendar Hijri Taiintaiyoreki Dżahilijja ) Xiuhpohualli, Tonalpohualli) Xiuhpohualli, als oin calendar Coligny Gaulish ) ) ) ) Comparisonof 25 alternative calendars Comparisonof 25 alternative calendars cultures or civilisationsor cultures and periods historic of range a wide covering
eleven key aspects of calendars: of aspects key eleven Behind everything huge a is tail simple of complica
Time granularity ted Comparison of 25 alternative calendars UMR CNRS / MCC 3495 MAP - Marseille - F 60 ua oa uioa agricultural lunisolar solar lunar inyears 604 intercalation rhythm intercalation beginning of a year a of beginning number of seasonsof number beginning of a day a of beginning 002000 1000 14.IX cyclesnatureof midday 1872-73 midnight 0–1 – 10 j indays types of a month (duration) month a of types year leap a an common a in months of number number of days in a week ina days of number 5 days day 1 days 5 Comparisonof 25 alternative calendars Comparisonof 25 alternative calendars 23h cultures or civilisationsor cultures and periods historic of range a wide covering eleven key aspects of calendars: of aspects key eleven sunset
year discretisation of cyclestype and presence of usage zone and period
type Behind everything huge a is tail simple of complica sunrise ? nodata number of days in a common year common ina days of number 354 387 number of days in a leap year leap ina days of number
Time granularity ted Time granularity Behind everything simple is a huge tail of complicated
Gregorian calendar
3000 2000 1000 1 1000 2000
1582
01.I 365 366 x x + x 4 100 400
Pope Gregory XIII (Luigi Lilio), 24 February 1582 (a papal bull, Inter gravissimas )
spring equinox 11 March instead of 21 March (a drift of 10 days since Roman times) Time granularity Behind everything simple is a huge tail of complicated
The reformed calendar was adopted later that year by a handful of countries, with other countries adopting it over the following centuries.
3000 2000 1000 1 1000 2000
1582
01.I 365 366 x x + x 4 100 400 Anno Domini ab Urbe condita Anno Diocletiani
Julian calendar Nostri Iesu Christi
3000 2000 1000 754 1 284 1000 2000
46 +80 days
01.I ? 365
3000 2000? 1000 1000 2000
1800 500 new moon spring equinox
354 ~21.III
/ 383/384 (7 x 19)
19
Hebrew calendar
3761 3000 2000 1000 1000 2000
359
354/355/356 III-IV 383 / 384 385
19 Maya and Aztec calendars
3114 3000 2000 1000 1000 2000
650 1521
VII Xiuhpohualli (haab) 52/104/520 365 377/378/379 52
? 13
? Tonalpohualli (Tzolk'in) 72 260 272/273/274
Egyptian calendar
3000 2000? 1000 1000 2000
238
solicit of Sirius
365 [ 21.VI ] [ 19.VII ]
1460 French republican calendar
3000 2000 1000 10001792 2000
1793 1805 autumnal equinox
365 22-23.IX
Inuit calendar
3000 2000 1000 1000 2000
1800-1830 midnight sun 365 Japanese calendar (Taiintaiyoreki)
3000 2000 1000 1000? 2000
[645 ] [879 ] 1872-73 new moon winter solstice
354 ~20.II / 383/385
60
19
Chinese calendar (Taichu)
3000 2000 1000 1000 2000
~2637 1929
new moon winter solstice 354 (I,II,IV)
21.I -20.II 384 (III,V) / (7 x 19) 60
19 Pre Islamic calendar (Dżahilijja)
3000 2000? 1000 1000 2000
632 new moon autumnal equinox
354 22/23. IX 359/360
Muslim calendar (hijri)
3000 2000 1000 622 1000 2000
632
22-23.IX 354/355
19 30 Burmese calendar
3000 2000 1000 638 1000 2000
354
~17 IV / (7 x 19) 384/385
19 354 384/385
Attic state calendar
3000 2000 1000 ? 1000 2000
[508 ][407 ] 322 summer solstice
354 ~22.VI ± 15
384 Balinese Pawukon calendar
3000 2000 1000 1000 2000
~1500
? ? 210
10 – 1 j
Incas calendar 3000 2000 1000 1000 2000
1532 [] 700 [~ VI ] [~22.XII ] 365 ?
[ ] [ ]
? Pleiades rise 328
09/08.VI ~354 ~365 / Japanese calendar ( Taiintaiyoreki ) 19 60 60 / Tibetan calendar
/ Babylonian calendar 19 (7 x 19) / Burmese calendar 19 (7 x 19) Chinese calendar 19 60 /
/ Hebrew calendar 19 Pre-Islamic calendar ( Dżahilijja )
Symmetry454 calendar 1117 293 ? [ , ] [ , ] Incas calendar (solar) French republican calendar
Egyptian calendar 1460 Soviet calendar
Coptic calendar
Julian calendar 28 Gregorian calendar 400 100 /+400 Byzantine calendar 28 8 j Roman calendar (republican)
Inuit calendar [ , ] 5 30 Continental Celtic Calendar (Gaulish Coligny calendar) [ , ] ? 19 50 Muslim calendar ( Hijri ) 19 30 Attic state calendar
Xiuhpohualli 52 52/104/520 ? Maya and Aztec calendars ? Tonalpohualli 13 ? Badí’ calendar 19 361 ? Incas calendar (lunar) ? 10 – 1 j Balinese Pawukon calendar Time granularity Behind everything simple is a huge tail of complicated
Comparison of 25 alternative calendars
What we noticed : • each historical calendar has its own specific granularity • similar mechanisms of time discretisation year, month, week, day … • different quantification different number of days in month, week, year • historical calendars are subject to change over time including in terms of granularity • importance of cultural aspect and way of life • presence of cycles natural or calendar based Complicated UMR- MAP MCC / CNRS 3495 Marseille- F Time granularity Behind everything simple is a huge tail of complicated
Comparison of 25 alternative calendars
What we noticed : • each historical calendar has its own specific granularity • similar mechanisms of time discretisation year, month, week, day … • different quantification different number of days in month, week, year • historical calendars are subject to change over time including in terms of granularity • importance of cultural aspect and way of life • presence of cycles natural or calendar based • independence of cycles of nature
• recurrent phenomenon – discontinuity of time in calendars due to human manipulation Example: Complicated UMR- MAP MCC / CNRS 3495 Marseille- F 80 additional days in year 46 BC, 11 days less in 1582 AD (in Rome, Fréjus … but not Strasbourg or London …) Time granularity Behind everything simple is a huge tail of complicated
Case studies
• succession of calendars for a given place
• underline presence of cycles
• show temporal indications with their own, imperfect granularity Complicated UMR- MAP MCC / CNRS 3495 Marseille- F Case studies UMR CNRS / MCC 3495 MAP - Marseille - F withmultiple granularities Genericframework for visualisingtime withmultiple granularities Genericframework for visualisingtime two case studiestwo •
chapel of St Anne in Southern Alps (2400 m(2400 Alps in Southern Anne St of chapel Behind everything huge a is tail simple of complica Time granularity France France
AMSL ted ) Case studies UMR CNRS / MCC 3495 MAP - Marseille - F withmultiple granularities Genericframework for visualisingtime withmultiple granularities Genericframework for visualisingtime two case studiestwo •
belfry of an ancient town hall in Kraków, in Kraków, hall town ancient an of belfry Behind everything huge a is tail simple of complica Time granularity
Poland ted Case studies UMR CNRS / MCC 3495 MAP - Marseille - F chapelof St Anne in Southern Alps chapelof St Anne in Southern Alps • • • • colours types of events/processesof types colours visualisation timeline
Gregorian calendar period calendar Gregorian overall lifetime of the chapel chapel the of lifetime overall Behind everything huge a is tail simple of complica
Time granularity ted Time granularity Behind everything simple is a huge tail of complicated
chapel of St Anne in Southern Alps
• cyclic events are represented in a clock–like manner 26 VIII • meteorological seasons do not coincide with astronomical seasons winter is the longest season (average season length fuzzy cyclic behaviour)
• annual pilgrimage to the chapel Case studies Case UMR- MAP MCC / CNRS 3495 Marseille- F Case studies UMR CNRS / MCC 3495 MAP - Marseille - F 26 VIII 26 16 VII 1699 VII 16 aDu cause de la La Doux à procession au lac de "sommes allés en sècheresse ..." beginning of of beginning VII 1909 VII chapelof St Anne in Southern Alps chapelof St Anne in Southern Alps au commencement de
réparations juillet des Behind everything huge a is tail simple of complica 1751 lac et la chapelle sont fête de sainte Anne, le connus sous le nom de première fois de la mention pour la Time granularity
La Doux ted Time granularity Behind everything simple is a huge tail of complicated
chapel of St Anne in Southern Alps
16 VII 1699 07 VII 1729 18 VII 1743
16 VII 1699
07 VII 1729
18 VII 1743
1751 1751 24 XII 1753 1776 24 XII 1753
1776
beginning of VII 1831
beginning of VII 1909 beginning of VII 1831 beginning of VII 1909 winter 1918-1919 winter 1918-1919
summer 1920
26 VII 1921
summer 1920 26 VII 1921 Case studies UMR CNRS / MCC 3495 MAP - Marseille - F artefact's lifetime artefact's 26VIII
chapelof St Anne in Southern Alps chapelof St Anne in Southern Alps Behind everything huge a is tail simple of complica collecting money collecting avalanche
Time granularity ted Time granularity Behind everything simple is a huge tail of complicated
tower of an ancient town hall in Krak ów
• fires of Cracow’s town hall tower Case studies Case UMR- MAP MCC / CNRS 3495 Marseille- F Case studies UMR CNRS / MCC 3495 MAP - Marseille - F towerof anancient town hall in towerof anancient town hall in • • • • the astronomical seasons astronomical the meteorological seasons do not coincide with with coincide not do seasons meteorological this artefactfor cyclic event annual any lifetime of this artefact traverses two calendars two traversesartefact this of lifetime seasons moving moving seasons Visualising time with multiple granularities: (a rough approximation) a generica framework Krak Krak ó ó w w Case studies UMR CNRS / MCC 3495 MAP - Marseille - F towerof anancient town hall in towerof anancient town hall in • • any cyclic event for this artefact this for event cyclic any rhythm of transformations/reparationsof rhythm Visualising time with multiple granularities: a generica framework Krak Krak ó ó w w Case studies UMR CNRS / MCC 3495 MAP - Marseille - F oldest historical sources are less less are sources historical oldest a fire of an artefact is generally short event (in event (in short is generally artefact an a fire of towerof anancient town hall in towerof anancient town hall in precise Visualising time with multiple granularities: in terms terms of temporal granularityin a scale of year) of a scale a generica framework Krak Krak ó ó w w Visualising time with multiple granularities: a generic framework
buildings that furnished the Main Market Square in Cracow • fires at the Market Square Case studies Case UMR- MAP MCC / CNRS 3495 Marseille- F
oldest historical sources are less precise terms of temporal granularity Visualising time with multiple granularities: a generic framework
buildings that furnished the Main Market Square in Cracow
oldest historical sources are less precise terms of temporal granularity Visualising time with multiple granularities: a generic framework
Conclusions • each historical calendar has its own specific granularity – one model ? • depending on where changes over time occur, the analysis may require different visual instruments ‘tailored’ to the local conditions (in particular to the succession of calendars with various sometimes local time discontinuities, cycles of seasons, time granulation, etc.) • study of cyclic and fuzzy periodic behaviour may help in better understanding data sets we handle in the context of historical sciences • the day/night notion could appear as the smallest common time interval (‘universal chronon’) within reach when wanting to compare calendars – however exceptions here
Conclusions exist (e.g. in Inuit’s calendar) UMR- MAP MCC / CNRS 3495 Marseille- F
[dans] K Lippincott, L’histoire du Temps , Larousse, 2000 Visualising time with multiple granularities: a generic framework
If we deal with the notion of the time in our research
it is worth to take some time to think about ‘‘ time’’ . Conclusions UMR- MAP MCC / CNRS 3495 Marseille- F
[dans] K Lippincott, L’histoire du Temps , Larousse, 2000