Great point. I suspect that the utility of a 7-day period was introduced to the Greeks. Why else would they "suddenly" figure this out in Egypt, apparently? But the Greeks were big on finding patterns in nature, supporting their ideas about the harmony of the spheres. They believed that reality was out there, understandable, and beautiful in its simplicity. They were probably responsible for connecting the 7-day week with the 7 wanderers in the sky and immediately noticed its compelling synchronicity, even as they abandoned faith in actual gods in the sky.
The piece I was missing until now was the names of the first hour of the day, based on the sidereal period of those 7 wanderers. That beautiful Greek symmetry is probably why these days and in this order swept the globe. It's amazing. I'm slightly sad that this history is not taught in schools.
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Date: 2021-Jan-05, Tuesday 07:50 am (UTC)The piece I was missing until now was the names of the first hour of the day, based on the sidereal period of those 7 wanderers. That beautiful Greek symmetry is probably why these days and in this order swept the globe. It's amazing. I'm slightly sad that this history is not taught in schools.