ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Coligny calendar

The Coligny Calendar is a really old calendar that was used by people who lived in ancient Gaul, which is the area that is now France. A calendar is like a big chart that helps people keep track of time throughout the year. Think of it like a big schedule where instead of writing down things like "soccer practice at 3 PM" you write down things like "Summer Solstice" or "Full Moon".

The Coligny Calendar was carved onto a big piece of bronze, which was a type of metal that was used for making things like tools and weapons. It was discovered in the 1800s by some people who were digging in a place called Coligny, which is in France.

The calendar had lots of symbols that represented the different months of the year. They used symbols like lines, circles, and triangles to represent things like the full moon or the changing of seasons. It helped people know when it was a good time to plant crops, or when it was time to celebrate festivals and holidays.

But why is this calendar so special? Well, the Coligny Calendar is important because it tells us a lot about how people in ancient Gaul lived and how they kept track of time. It also shows us that they had a complex understanding of astronomy – which is the study of stars and planets in the sky.

The Coligny Calendar is also unique because it is the only surviving example of its kind. This means that it is the only calendar from ancient Gaul that we have today. So, scientists and historians have studied it carefully to learn as much as they can about the people who made it and used it.

In summary, the Coligny Calendar is a really old calendar that was used by people in ancient Gaul to keep track of time throughout the year. It was carved on a big piece of bronze and had lots of symbols that represented the different months and seasons. It helped people know when to plant crops and when to celebrate festivals, and it is important because it tells us a lot about how people lived a long time ago.