Annals facts for kids
Annals are a special type of history writing. They record important events year by year, almost like a diary for a whole country or group of people. The word annals comes from the Latin word annus, which means 'year'.
History of Annals
Annals in Ancient Rome
Long ago in Ancient Rome, there was a very important priest called the pontifex maximus. This priest had a special job: to write down important events each year. They would write on a white tablet, called an album, and put it outside their house for everyone to read.
These records included the names of important leaders, like the consuls and other magistrates. They also listed the big events that happened that year. These yearly records were known as Annales Maximi.
Famous Roman writers like Cicero mentioned these records. Other writers, such as Cato, Pictor, and Piso, also wrote their own versions of annals.
Medieval Annals
During the Middle Ages, especially in the Western Church, monks started writing annals. They often used special tables that showed the date of Easter for many years. These tables had blank spaces next to each year.
Monks would use these spaces to write down important events that happened that year. This practice began around the end of the 7th century. Some famous examples from this time include:
- The Annals of the Four Masters
- The Annals of Ulster
- The Annals of Innisfallen
- The Annales Cambriae (Annals of Wales), which is an early source about King Arthur
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is another great example of a year-by-year historical record from this period.
In the 9th century, during a time of great learning called the Carolingian Renaissance, annals became a very common way to write history. Important annals from this time include the Annales Einhardi and the Annales Laureshamenses. These were often written officially to remember important actions of leaders like Charlemagne. Over time, these annals started to become more like detailed Chronicles, but the name annals was still used for many documents, like the Annals of Waverley.
See also
In Spanish: Anales para niños
