Grafton observes that “Teachers and theorists claimed, over and over again, that chronology and geography were the two eyes of history: sources of precise, unquestionable information, which introduced order to the apparent chaos of events”. Chronology of events is incredibly important in representing history. Chronology is defined as the arrangement of events or dates in the order of their occurrence. Chronological order is the most efficient and clear way to represent history. Timelines also show the progression of history in a very understandable way. Timelines are very helpful because they allow the viewer to compare past events with current ones. Because the progression of history is viewable in one setting, it is easy to also make predictions about possible future events. Timelines usually entail descriptions of past events, their dates, and include pictures to aid in visualization of the event. As mentioned in “Cartographies of Time”, chronology has serious implications outside of the academic study area. Chronology is a greater part of our lives than we may realize. For Christians, “getting chronology right was the key to many practical matters such as knowing when to celebrate Easter and weighty ones such as knowing when the Apocalypse was high” (Grafton 11). Through the ordeal of organizing media for the Moravian Lives timeline, I have realized how much it has clarified the historical events mentioned by Samuel Tippet. While dates and details are beneficial, having media to go along with it aids in further understanding. “Traditional chronograph forms performed both rote historical work and heavy conceptual lifting. They assembled, selected, and organized diverse bits of historical information in the form of dated list. And the chronologies of a given period may tell us as much about its visions of past and future as do its historical narratives.” (Grafton 11). Timelines allow us to view history in a way that goes beyond basic facts. A timeline’s concise and clear nature provides the viewer an opportunity to analyze and see history in an entertaining and fascinating way. My group’s timeline of Samuel Tippet’s life gives background knowledge of his upbringing, occupation, and various other facts. Samuel Tippet’s was born in the parish of Britton and lived from the early to mid 18th century. He was a very dark person and throughout his life turned to God and religion to aid him through challenges. We included pictures of the parishes as well as some geography of England on our timeline to help the reader understand what his life was like. The two modes of representation have clarified these historical events through conceptual analysis and visualization.
Allison Butler is a sophomore at Bucknell University. She is from New York. She likes fashion and tennis.
