Epoch (reference Date)
In the fields of chronology and periodization, an epoch is an instant in time chosen as the origin of a particular era. The "epoch" then serves as a reference point from which time is measured. Time measurement units are counted from the epoch so that the date and time of events can be specified unambiguously.
Events taking place before the epoch can be dated by counting negatively from the epoch, though in pragmatic periodization practice, epochs are defined for the past, and another epoch is used to start the next era, therefore serving as the ending of the older preceding era. The whole purpose and criteria of such definitions is to clarify and co-ordinate scholarship about a period, at times, across disciplines.
Epochs are generally chosen to be convenient or significant by a consensus of the time scale's initial users, or by authoritarian fiat. The epoch moment or date is usually defined by a specific clear event, condition, or criteria— the epoch event or epoch criteria —from which the period or era or age is usually characterized or described.
Examples:
- by events:
- The assassination of the Roman Emperor Alexander Severus triggering the Crisis of the Third Century
- The defenestration of Prague triggering the Thirty Years' War
- Queen Victoria ascending to the throne giving the start of the Victorian era
- by criteria:
- The spurt in exploration, mercantilism, and colonization in the Age of Discovery
- Particular ratios of animal fossils in a rock strata —various Geology epochs
Read more about Epoch (reference Date): Calendars, Astronomy, Computing
Famous quotes containing the word epoch:
“Old age cannot be cured. An epoch or a civilization cannot be prevented from breathing its last. A natural process that happens to all flesh and all human manifestations cannot be arrested. You can only wring your hands and utter a beautiful swan song.”
—Renee Winegarten (b. 1922)