Which ancient civilization is credited with the invention of the calendar?

The ancient civilization credited with the invention of the calendar is Egypt. The Egyptians developed a solar calendar that consisted of 365 days. This calendar was based on the cycles of the Sun and was aligned with the agricultural cycles essential for their society, particularly in relation to the annual flooding of the Nile River, which was critical for farming.

Egypt's calendar included three seasons of four months each, and it was used to organize harvests, religious events, and other important societal functions. This innovation in timekeeping significantly influenced later civilizations, as many aspects of their calendars were derived from Egyptian practices. The accuracy and practicality of the Egyptian calendar were essential for the development of more complex societies and helped lay the groundwork for subsequent calendar systems across various cultures.

Other civilizations, such as those in Rome, China, and Greece, developed their own calendars, but the Egyptian calendar is often recognized as one of the earliest and most systematic approaches to measuring time.