Empires of Time: Calendars, Clocks and Cultures

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. In this wide-ranging, intriguing journey across centuries, Aveni, As an anthropologist and astronomer known for his detailed work on the archaeo-astronomy of south and central American cultures, traces the modern calendar's roots back to Greek pastoral poetry and prehistoric African bone markings, then compares Western, Chinese, Maya, Inca and tribal time systems. He also fathoms our division of time into days, weeks, months, seasons and years for clues to our psychology and worldview. He notes that scientists who believe that previous universes existed before the Big Bang echo the Maya and Aztec view of time as cyclical.