So, it's Monday morning again, and back to work. Wouldn't it be nicer if it was Sunday morning instead and you could stay in bed? In fact you're only going to work because today is Monday and not Sunday. And whose fault is that?
The seven-day week is one of the oldest surviving human inventions, with a history of continuous observation dating back at least 3000 years. Since time began there have been more than 150,000 Monday mornings (or whatever they used to be called back then), each precisely seven days after the last one. The Jewish, Christian and Islamic weeks all contain seven days, each with a different holy day, and religion has preserved these cycles through until the present day. There is no record of the seven-day week cycle ever having been broken.
It's not clear exactly which civilisation first invented the seven day week, but it may well have been those keen astrologers the Babylonians. There were seven major heavenly bodies visible to their naked eyes (Sun, Moon and five planets), so an astrological week grew up with each day guided by a planet. Today is named after the Moon (Monday, dies lunae, lundi, Montag), and has always followed the day named after the Sun (Sunday, dies solis, dimanche, Sonntag). It's also possible that the seven-day week was first established to follow the phases of the Moon. That's because it's approximately 28 days between consecutive full moons, so each 'moon-th' would divide up nicely into four lunar phases of seven days each. And then there's the book of Genesis which tells how God created the world in seven days, although it may be that the seven-day cycle was well-established before that particular book was written. Whatever the reason though, all weeks contain seven days and pretty much always have.
Any civilisation requires regular repeating cycles in order to be able to function properly. Thousands of years ago it was essential that market days recurred at regular agreed intervals so that all the traders knew when next to return with their livestock. A seven-day week fitted this function perfectly. The seven-day cycle also told people when to worship and when to work. And so it is today. You knew when you woke up yesterday that it was Sunday and that you could lie in and do whatever you do in bed on a Sunday morning. Likewise you knew when you woke up today that it was Monday and that you'd better get up sharpish because you were expected back at work this morning. A seven-day week establishes a manageable routine in all our lives.
So, whose fault is it that it's Monday morning again? Nobody knows for sure. But whoever first initiated the seven-day week is responsible for one of the most powerful inventions of all time, affecting absolutely everything that everyone on the planet has ever done. And if they'd invented it one day later you could have had this morning in bed...
