Question on Time

[Heyo]

It would appear some ancient civilizations did have ten months while others had twelve. Those who had twelve months in all likelihood based this on the twelve constellations.

Or they had 12 constellations because they had 12 months. The constellations are constructs, and not all civilizations had the same. The lunar cycle, on the other hand, is pretty objective and there are 12 (and sometimes 13) in a year.
And that's why there are 13 constellations in the zodiac. 13 Zodiac Signs - Dates, Chart, Name, Meanings

 

[PureX]

It would appear some ancient civilizations did have ten months while others had twelve. Those who had twelve months in all likelihood based this on the twelve constellations.

But why did they pick out 12 constellations? There were many in the sky.

I realize we humans do not think sensibly, however, so there may not be a sensible answer.

 

[Elliott]

But why did they pick out 12 constellations? There were many in the sky.

I realize we humans do not think sensibly, however, so there may not be a sensible answer.

Your guess is as good as mine at this point.

 

[RestlessSoul]

In Indic cultures and religions, a new solar day, called a din or dina, begins at sunrise. That is how I reckon the beginning of a new day. (So, while the day might already be Sunday when the time is 12:22 am on the Gregorian Calendar, for many of us it is still Saturday because the sun has not yet risen.)

I favor the view that a solar day begins at sunrise because it symbolizes newness, kind of like the blooming of a flower or the birth of a baby. If something is new, it has just appeared. Additionally, the bonus is that you can see the rising of the sun on the horizon whereas you cannot see the sun at midnight.

Although the Gregorian Calendar is used worldwide, I do not associate it with my identity and view of time. It is just something for appointments and schedules in my case. Further, it is ultimately the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church, and I wish it would just remain that and that only. A more secular and universal calendar ought to be designed and implemented, in my opinion.

The Gregorian calendar has one great advantage with regards to recording solar years; it works. There’s no drift with regard to the equinoxes.

 

[RestlessSoul]

But why did they pick out 12 constellations? There were many in the sky.

I realize we humans do not think sensibly, however, so there may not be a sensible answer.

There are 12 complete lunar cycles in a solar year, so I think it may have something to do with that. Although a lunar year consisting of 12 lunar cycles would only be 354 days long.

Observable cosmic cycles tend not to co-ordinate with each other precisely, which might have something to do with a certain dis-equilibrium amidst the apparent order of the unfolding universe.

 

[PureX]

So ... 12 months because of the 12 phases of the moon throughout the course of one year. I can see that.

But why 12 hour days, and 12 hour nights? Why not 10? Or 9, or 8?

Numbers have implied meaning. 1 infers an indivisible singularity, for example. 2 infers equality via comparison. 3 implies a resolved set. 4 defines an area. 5 infers activity within that area. 6 turns the resolved set (3) against itself.
And 7 is the point at which the number of parts become too numerous for us to immediately recognize without counting. So each of these numbers have meaning relative to these perceptions. 8through 10 do not.

11 is considered a symbol of good fortune because it's viewed as an open circle (12 being the closed circle) and thus open to receive.

But why was 12 perceived as emblematic of a 'closed circle' ? I guess because the 12 phases of the moon complete the circle of the seasons of a year? That's my guess.

 

[mangalavara]

The Gregorian calendar has one great advantage with regards to recording solar years; it works. There’s no drift with regard to the equinoxes.

That is especially advantageous for farmers and for others who value their months not drifting with respect to the seasons.

The Gregorian calendar is not the only one like that though. The Indian national calendar, the Bengali calendar as used in Bangladesh, and the Nanakshahi calendar work as great if not better than the Gregorian calendar. In fact, the lengths of the months in those three calendars are more in alignment with the seasons (longer months from about the northern vernal equinox to about the northern autumnal equinox, then shorter months from about the northern autumnal equinox to about the northern vernal equinox). As a bonus, it is easier to remember how many days are in the months on those calendars.

With the Nanakshahi calendar, for instance, the first five months have 31 days each and the other months have 30 days each, but the 12th month has 31 days during leap years. The Indian national calendar, and the Bengali calendar as used in Bangladesh are very similar with respect to how many days are in the months. Although the Solar Hijri calendar used in Iran and the Kurdish calendar used by Kurds also contain month lengths like the aforementioned calendars, the new year day depends on the timing of the vernal equinox.

If there is ever to be a tropical solar calendar that is truly secular in that it does not belong to any church or some other religious institution and does not reckon years according to a religious figure, I would hope that it is similar to the calendars above with respect to the lengths of its months. The months would be more aligned with the seasons and the numbers of days would be easier for people to remember.

 

[wellwisher]

I was observing that there are two common measures by which we measure the start of a new day. One is at midnight when the new day literally begins, and the other is when we wake up in the morning to begin the new day. I was thinking that different religions or civilizations in history may have their own measure of the start of a new day and was wondering if anyone had any insight on the matter.

The clock and the day is geared around work and productivity, with the most productive time for the most people, from sunrise to sunset. Most of nature uses this daylight cycle. Although there are also nocturnal animals, that work better at night, to avoid day time predators and/or escape the daytime sun and heat.

I remember years ago reading about a study where they placed volunteers in a closed room, with no windows. The experiment space was lighted 24 hours a day. What happened was, as time went on, the volunteers appears to have a fairly close range of wake time, but this wake time was not always coordinated with the outside sunrise and sunset. The body appears to need so much sleep, but this does not have to occur at the same time, each day, for all.

Today, with most jobs inside, where there is artificial lighting, many place, like factories have three shifts. People in each shift learn to have their own version of the day; work day, with similar amounts of sleep. The human brain is adaptive that way.