Abstract
Analyzes ways of marking historical time, concentrating on the importance of historical topoi and analogies used in historical periodization worldwide, from ancient Egypt to the 20th century. Topoi analogies include the following types: rhythmic periodicity - that is, celestial cycles linked to rhythms of social life, such as the joining of the winter solstice and Christ's birth; anthropomorphism; rhythms of the human body; organic metaphors; rhythms of the seasons; and astrological rhythms.