Time…

Our lives today revolve around time. We’re always looking at the clock, wondering if we’re late or early. Figuring out if we have time.

Our Neolithic ancestors must have had a very different concept of time. They would have had busy times in their calendar and quiet times. The spring would have been hard work, getting the land cultivated, possibly using wooden tools or picks made of deer antler. Once the grain is sown, though, there’s a lot less to do. Likewise, the harvest would have been a rush to get the ripe grain cut, stacked, and protected from the winter weather.

It would have been a busy time after they slaughtered an Ox, or the hunters brought in a big kill, perhaps a deer or an aurochs.

There would have been quieter times, too, but none of it would have been dictated by the clock.

They could push a stick into the ground and watch the shadow it cast slowly turn sun-wise, but it didn’t rule their day.

The Greeks’ first water clocks were still 2000 years in their future, and the first mechanical clocks another 1500 years after that. Their important markers of time were, the year, the moon (month), and the day. There was dawn, noon, sunset, and that was it.

We know they had time to spare, though.

A civilisation that worked non-stop would have no time for luxuries. Yet, they found time to decorate their pottery with beautiful patterns, time to weave cloth and cure leather. They had time to carve intricate stone balls, ornaments, for no practical purpose has been identified for them.

Most of all, they had time to get together and pool their labour to build immense circles of stone.

Stonehenge is, perhaps, one of the last of the megalithic structures to be built in Britain. Its huge dressed sarsen stones, placed in a circle, with the massive capstones set on the top, symbolises the most outstanding Neolithic achievement. Yet, its purpose was, in part, to mark time.

Photo by Ankit Sood on Unsplash

There are clear alignments that point directly to the midsummer sunrise and, in the opposite direction, to the midwinter sunset — important points in their calendar.

Now, It’s time for me to feed the poultry, then there’ll be time to read for a while before dinner.

I hope you’ve got time to do what you enjoy today.

Until next time,

D J Eastwood

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