Why Twenty-four hours in a day
How to count higher than ten on on hand
Most people today count to ten, because they have ten fingers. Lots of our modern world is divided into tens, but not the day. To find out why you must look back in history to ancient Egypt. A thing from a past so long ago that it’s origins are obscured by the passage of centuries of humanity dominates todays life. Have the definitions of time been in use so long because they are somewhat complicated to understand, but so convenient to use.
The ancients used the joints in the fingers of one hand to count to twelve. They used their thumbs use to count to twenty - four, on one hand. To the ancients twenty - four of some thing was a lot. It was a lot of goats to a lot of loaves of bread. Rarely did they need more than two dozen to worry about the number of anything.
First, the Egyptian Tee sundial was divided into twelve parts. The common man then naturally understood twelve. Twelve for the joints in the fingers of one hand. They therefor preferred twelve not ten.
Are we making a mistake by not teaching the natural counting the twelve joints of the fingers in one hand. Twelve and twenty-four always seemed so odd to my mind. I had to just accpect them and move on to the next subject hurled at me in school. I really feel to understand time you must be shown to count the joints in your fingers.
Moreover, twenty - four stars in the night sky were used throughout the year to document the night. The motion of twelve of these stars marked the passage of a night.
Your day has twelve hours and your night has twelve hours because the ancients counted not ten fingers, but twelve joints in the fingers of one hand. On one hand they used the thumb to count to twenty - four. If you use your ten fingers and ten toes you cannot count that high.
About the Creator
Mark Stigers
One year after my birth sputnik was launched, making me a space child. I did a hitch in the Navy as a electronics tech. I worked for Hughes Aircraft Company for quite a while. I currently live in the Saguaro forest in Tucson Arizona
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More stories from Mark Stigers and writers in Fiction and other communities.
Bad AI
“It had a 9 mm strapped to it,” Nancy, the secretary to the bank branch manager, said, “Then it said it had a bomb, if anyone ran it would blow up and kill us all. I was very scared. I had dreaded this day for a long time and now it was finally here, remote controlled robot robbery. It was after one thing.”
By Mark Stigers 3 years ago in Fiction
The Message I Received at 3:17 AM That Changed Everything
It was 3:17 AM when my phone buzzed. I wasn’t expecting any messages at this hour, and yet, there it was—a notification that made my heart skip a beat. The sender’s number was unfamiliar, a string of digits that didn’t seem to exist. At first, I thought it was a prank or a wrong number. But as I stared at the screen, a shiver ran down my spine. The night was silent except for the faint hum of my air conditioner. I had been reading on the couch, a cup of coffee growing cold beside me, when the message arrived. The glow from the phone screen illuminated my face in the otherwise dark room, and the words on it were simple, yet terrifying: “I know what you did.” My first reaction was disbelief. Who could know? And what exactly did they mean? I quickly checked my call log, my messages, even my social media—but nothing seemed out of place. My mind raced through every memory, every small secret I thought I had buried safely. Nothing made sense. I tried to brush it off. Maybe it was just a spam message, or someone trying to scare me. But deep down, I couldn’t shake the unease. Another buzz. Another message. “Check the drawer under your desk.” I froze. My desk. The one place I kept my old journals, letters, and random keepsakes. Hesitation gripped me, but curiosity got the better of fear. I walked over to the desk, my steps slow and deliberate, trying to avoid making a sound. The drawers were ordinary, the top one containing my stationery. But the second drawer… it was slightly open. I hadn’t left it that way. My hands trembled as I pulled it fully open. Inside was an envelope, yellowed with age, no name on it, no stamp. Just my initials written in hurried handwriting. I picked it up, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might burst from my chest. The envelope contained a single sheet of paper. The handwriting was familiar—it was my own. I had no memory of writing this letter, yet reading it sent chills through me. The message inside described events from a week ago, tiny choices I had made, conversations I had forgotten… and ended with a warning: “If you ignore this, everything will be revealed.” Panic set in. I checked the room again. Every light, every corner, every shadow seemed alive. The air felt heavier, as if something unseen was watching me. My phone buzzed again, this time with a single word: “Now.” I didn’t know what to do. Should I call the police? Should I delete everything? My instincts screamed to run, but I couldn’t leave the envelope behind. Something about it demanded attention, a silent command that I couldn’t ignore. Slowly, I unfolded the paper again. The words seemed to shift, almost as if the letter itself were alive. Memories I had blocked came rushing back—the lie I told my best friend, the small theft at a local store I thought no one noticed, the message I sent to someone I shouldn’t have. All of it documented here, perfectly detailed. How was this possible? How could anyone know so much? Suddenly, the room’s temperature dropped. My breath became visible in the faint light of the phone. I thought I saw a shadow move in the corner of my eye, but when I turned, nothing was there. My phone buzzed once more. Another message: “You can’t hide anymore.” Fear turned into a strange clarity. I realized that this was more than a threat—it was a reflection. The envelope, the messages, the unknown sender… it wasn’t about someone else. It was about me. About the parts of myself I had ignored, the secrets I thought I could bury, and the truth I had avoided facing. I spent the rest of the night going through everything I had ever hidden, every journal, every memory, every tiny choice that made me who I was. By morning, I felt exhausted but different. The fear hadn’t disappeared, but it had shifted into understanding. I couldn’t change the past, but I could face it—and maybe, just maybe, write a better future. To this day, I don’t know who sent the first message at 3:17 AM. Some nights, I still feel the chill when my phone buzzes, a reminder that the past never truly leaves us. But I also know this: sometimes, the scariest messages lead to the most important revelations. And every time I think I’ve escaped my past, I check my phone… just in case.
By Baseer Shaheen 5 days ago in Fiction
Comments (2)
"Why Twenty-four hours in a day" by Mark Stigers is an interesting exploration of the historical roots of our timekeeping system and the influence of ancient counting methods on the division of the day into twenty-four hours. The Mark begins by highlighting the prevalent use of counting to ten in the modern world due to the number of fingers we have. The essay then takes a historical perspective, tracing the origin of the twenty-four-hour day back to ancient Egypt. Mark posits that the use of twelve joints in the fingers of one hand for counting led to the preference for twelve as a natural unit. The connection between the Egyptian Tee sundial, divided into twelve parts, and the natural counting method of the ancients is well presented. The essay suggests that the choice of twelve as a unit was influenced by the practicality of counting joints on one hand, with the thumb used to count up to twenty-four. The idea that twenty-four was considered a substantial quantity in ancient times is a fascinating insight. Mark questions the current approach of teaching counting based on ten fingers and proposes that understanding the twelve joints on one hand is crucial for grasping the origins of our timekeeping system. The personal reflection on finding twelve and twenty-four somewhat odd but accepting them as part of the learning process adds a relatable touch to the narrative. The inclusion of the twenty-four stars in the night sky as another example of the ancients' reliance on the number twelve reinforces the essay's argument about the historical significance of this counting method. The explanation of how the motion of twelve stars marked the passage of a night further strengthens the connection between ancient practices and our contemporary time divisions. The essay concludes with a thought-provoking statement suggesting that counting to twenty-four may not be possible using only fingers and toes. This assertion invites readers to consider the limitations of our current counting system. In summary, "Why Twenty-four hours in a day" provides a thought-provoking and well-researched exploration of the historical roots of our timekeeping system, challenging readers to reconsider the natural counting method of the ancients and its influence on our modern concept of time. ChatGPT
That was some fantastic writing! I enjoyed it immensely