kronologia

Kronologia is the study and organization of events in the order in which they occur in time. The term derives from the Greek chronos, meaning time, and logos, meaning study or discourse. In many languages the word kronologia (or cronología, cronologia) denotes the discipline of dating events and establishing temporal sequences. A chronology can be absolute, assigning specific calendar dates, or a relative chronology, indicating only the order of events without fixed dates. Chronologies are often presented as timelines that place people, objects, and phenomena along a time axis.

Methods used in kronologia combine textual sources, inscriptions, calendars, and regnal lists to anchor events, with scientific dating methods providing absolute ages. These include radiocarbon dating, dendrochronology (tree-ring dating), luminescence dating, uranium-series dating, and thermoluminescence. Relative dating relies on stratigraphy, typology, and cross-dating with known sequences. Calibrating dating techniques and integrating multiple lines of evidence improves accuracy and coherence across different domains and eras.

Applications of kronologia span multiple fields. In history and archaeology, chronology reconstructs past cultures and events. In geology and paleontology, it underpins the geological time scale and fossil records. In astronomy and cosmology, it orders celestial events; in literature and media studies, it analyzes narrative sequence. Digital contexts also use timelines to organize data and events for analysis and presentation.

Limitations include uncertainties, gaps in sources, dating errors, and biases. Chronologies are provisional frameworks that evolve with new discoveries and methods.