Why Do the Days of the Week Have These Names ?

Why do we call the first day of the week Monday and the last Sunday ? Behind these familiar names lies a rich tapestry of Babylonian astronomy, Greco Roman mythology and medieval politics. In this concise volume from Collection : SAVOIR EN BREF published by Publisher : Five Minutes, you will discover how the number seven came to shape our week, why Constantine enshrined a planetary cycle in law and how Germanic tribes replaced Mars, Mercury, Jupiter and Venus with Tiw, Woden, Thor and Frigg. The book traces the migration of ideas from Mesopotamia to Europe and compares the Latin heritage of French, Spanish and Italian with the numerical systems of Portuguese, Chinese and Arabic. It also recounts revolutionary attempts to change the seven day cycle and explains why they failed. Packed with concrete examples and surprising anecdotes, this mini book invites you to see your diary in a new light. Join us on a journey through time and language where every day has a story to tell and where understanding the names of the week means understanding the intertwined history of civilizations.