Mathic Societyedit
From Anathem Wiki
A math is a monastic congregation of avout- people who have sworn a vow to have limited contact with the outer world, and to abide by the Discipline. Avout are generally areligious, and comprise most of the 'theors' (scientists and philosophers) of Arbre. Male avout are called Fraas and female avout are called Suurs.
Mathic life is quiet and cloistered, where avout devote their lives to the pursuit of knowledge behind stone walls. This in direct contrast to the extramuros (Saecular) world, which is generally aliterate and driven by praxis (technology).
Avout observe a doctrine of limited technology, and for the most part use only Bronze Age tools. There are a few notable exceptions, including the sphere, the bolt, and the chord. These are the only possessions afforded avout, and are made of 'new matter.' 'New Matter' is loosely defined in the text as materials created through the use of ancient technology which have modified atomic properties providing capabilities exceeding normal matter.
There are several different types of maths, with varying degrees of seclusion from the outside (Saecular) world. Multiple maths grouped together are called a Concent. Unarian maths are open to the Saecular world once a year, at a 10 day celebration known as Apert. Avout in Unarian maths are often referred to as 'one-offs', which Stephenson tells us is derogatory usage. [ Decenarian]] maths open once every 10 years. Avout of Decenarian maths are commonly referred to as 'tenners'. Centenarian maths open once every 100 years. Avout of centenarian maths are commonly referred to as 'Hundreders'. Millenarian maths open once every 1000 years. Avout of millenarian maths are commonly referred to as 'Thousanders'.
A member of any math may 'pass through the labyrinth' to join the order with the next longest temporal seclusion. This helps to explain how the Centenarian and Millenarian maths retain membership over their great lengths of time. Arbran time scales are apparently different from Earth time scales, as narrator Erasmus notes early on that it is not impossible to live to 130 years (and hence live through > 1 Centenarian Apert).
All the largest concents are centred around a Great Clock, all of which have different aesthetics and operate on different principles, but all of which measure time in the long term, keeping track of time accurately for a duration outside the scope of a single human lifespan.
