chronological

Chronological refers to the arrangement of events in the order they occurred in time. The term comes from the Greek kronos, time, and logia, study or discourse. In practice, chronological ordering places events from earliest to latest, and is the default framework for many records and analyses.

In history and historiography, chronology is used to reconstruct sequences of events, create timelines, and compare developments across regions. In archaeology and paleontology, dating methods such as radiocarbon dating and stratigraphy help establish a chronology for material remains. In biography and journalism, presenting information chronologically helps readers understand cause-and-effect and progression.

Chronology vs chronological: Chronology is the science or study of time, the ordering of events; a chronologist is a person who constructs such orders. The adjective chronological describes the method or arrangement, while chronological order means events arranged from oldest to newest.

Common pitfalls: anachronisms occur when items are placed in the wrong period. Maintaining accuracy requires reliable sources and corroborating dates. Chronological narratives are often contrasted with thematic or topical organizations, which group information by subject rather than by time.