This article gives a simple account of the units of time and the history of our modern calendar. It was originally written as a revision aid and background information for a small class of very able twelve year old boys preparing to take scholarships to top Public Schools, but has been much expanded.
It is intended to be read through in order, so at
the bottom of each page there is a link to the
next page, but there are also links to the index and
the full list of references.
In the main body of
the text you can go to a reference by clicking on
(Ref). If the reference is only used once 
will
take you back to where you jumped from but if it
is used in more than one place you will need to
use the Back button on your browser.
Because of the purpose for which it was originally written the first edition did not have references, and not all references have yet been added. If I have used information from an internet web page as a reference I have given the name of the organization which produced the page not the URL of the page itself as this might change.
It was also written at a time when neither I nor my students had access to the Internet. The Internet is now for many people the first place they turn to when seeking information on almost any subject, and I have started inserting URLs for sites which give further information on any topic. I would be very grateful for information on other sites which are relevant and might be included - please e-mail me with any information
To
simplify keeping links to other people's sites up to date I
have only provided the link to each site in only one
place, although I may link to this place from other pages.
The Notes can only be reached by clicking on Note - you should use the Back button on your browser to take you back to where you were, although I have provided a link to the Index to the Calendar as well.
Although I have used many books, not all of which are listed in the references, by far the most important books for anyone interested in the calendar are
For further details of these books please see the full list of references.
Start here 