Everything Everywhere Daily: "The Ancient World Isn’t Done With Us (Live)" Summary
Release Date: April 11, 2025
Host: Gary Arndt | Glassbox Media
Podcast: Everything Everywhere Daily
In the live episode titled "The Ancient World Isn’t Done With Us," host Gary Arndt delves into the profound and often unnoticed influences of the ancient world on our modern daily lives. Through an engaging and extemporaneous discussion, Gary unpacks how historical civilizations have shaped various aspects of contemporary society, from our calendar systems to the very way we measure time.
1. The Legacy of the Roman Calendar
Gary begins by exploring the origins of our current calendar system, tracing it back to Julius Caesar and the Julian calendar. He critiques the Roman calendar as "the dumbest thing that has ever been invented in history," highlighting its initial structure of ten months with "mystery time" during the winter months. This antiquated system named months like December ("dec" for ten) and November ("nov" for nine) accordingly.
“The Roman calendar was the dumbest thing that has ever been invented in history.” [05:15]
To rectify these inaccuracies, Caesar adopted a solar calendar developed by Cytogenes of Alexandria, introducing a more familiar structure of 365 days a year with a leap year every four years. This reform laid the foundation for what we now know as the Julian calendar. However, over 1,500 years later, discrepancies led Pope Gregory XIII to introduce the Gregorian calendar in 1582, which refined leap year rules to better align with the solar year. Today, the Gregorian calendar remains predominant, although the Julian calendar is still used by the Orthodox Church.
2. Understanding Our Year Numbering
The episode further examines why the current year is designated as 2025. Gary attributes this system to Dionysus Exiguus, a 6th-century monk from the Byzantine Empire who established the Anno Domini (AD) dating system based on the birth of Jesus. This system, although not universally recognized initially, eventually gained widespread acceptance and became the standard global format.
“This is why we have the year dating system that we do today. And it's caught on pretty much everywhere in the world at this point.” [09:20]
3. The Origins of the Days of the Week
Gary unpacks the etymology behind the names of the days of the week, revealing their roots in ancient Babylonian and Egyptian traditions. The seven-day week corresponds to the seven classical planets—Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn—which were significant in ancient astronomy and mythology.
For example, Thursday is named after Thor, the Norse god of thunder, which is a transformation from the original Roman association with Jupiter (Jovis in Latin). This transition illustrates the blend of Roman, Greek, and Germanic influences in our current nomenclature.
“Thursday, if you are speaking a romance language like French or Spanish, would be the day of Jupiter Juvenus. He was the God of thunder. And so the Norse people... named after their God of thunder, who was Thor.” [12:45]
4. The Meaning Behind Month Names
Gary explains that the name "April" derives from the Latin word "Aprilis," meaning "to open," symbolizing the month when flowers bloom. This etymology underscores the direct connection between Latin nomenclature and the characteristics of the time of year.
“April simply means. It comes from the Latin word to open, because April was the month where flowers opened.” [13:30]
5. The Hindu-Arabic Numeral System
A significant portion of the discussion is dedicated to the Hindu-Arabic numeral system, emphasizing its superiority and enduring legacy. Unlike the Greeks and Romans, who struggled with the concept of zero due to their philosophical beliefs that nothingness was impossible, the Indian mathematicians embraced zero, facilitating the development of a robust and versatile numerical system.
“The Greeks, who in many ways developed mathematics, could not accept the fact that there was a zero.” [15:00]
This numeral system, transmitted through Arab traders during the Islamic Caliphate, eventually became the foundation of modern mathematics and is the reason behind our efficient base-10 system.
6. The Division of Time: Hours, Minutes, and Seconds
Gary delves into the division of our day into 24 hours, each hour into 60 minutes, and each minute into 60 seconds. He attributes the 60-minute hour and 60-second minute to the Babylonians’ sexagesimal (base-60) system, chosen for its mathematical convenience due to 60's multiple divisors.
“The Babylonian sexagesimal numbering system... made math really easy.” [14:50]
He contrasts this with the Egyptian system, which initially divided the night into 12 units based on star observations, eventually merging into the 24-hour day through Greek and Roman adaptations. While 60 is an unconventional base compared to the prevalent base-10 system, its divisibility renders it practical for mathematical computations and timekeeping.
7. The Impact of Ancient Systems on Modern Life
Concluding, Gary emphasizes the enduring relevance of ancient innovations, illustrating that "every second of every day you are influenced by people from the ancient world who lived thousands of miles away and thousands of years ago."
“But the point I'm trying to make with all of this is every second of every day you are influenced by people from the ancient world.” [15:30]
Final Thoughts
"The Ancient World Isn’t Done With Us" serves as a compelling reminder of how deeply intertwined our modern existence is with ancient civilizations. From the foundational structures of our calendar and timekeeping systems to the very numbers we use, Gary Arndt highlights that the legacies of the past continue to shape our present in myriad, often unrecognized ways.
Notable Quotes:
- “The Roman calendar was the dumbest thing that has ever been invented in history.” [05:15] – David
- “This is why we have the year dating system that we do today. And it's caught on pretty much everywhere in the world at this point.” [09:20] – David
- “Thursday, if you are speaking a romance language like French or Spanish, would be the day of Jupiter Juvenus. He was the God of thunder. And so the Norse people... named after their God of thunder, who was Thor.” [12:45] – David
- “April simply means. It comes from the Latin word to open, because April was the month where flowers opened.” [13:30] – David
- “The Greeks, who in many ways developed mathematics, could not accept the fact that there was a zero.” [15:00] – David
- “The Babylonian sexagesimal numbering system... made math really easy.” [14:50] – David
- “But the point I'm trying to make with all of this is every second of every day you are influenced by people from the ancient world.” [15:30] – David
Credits:
Executive Producer: Charles Daniel
Associate Producers: Austin Oakton and Cameron Kiefer
Special thanks to Patreon supporters and the Everything Everywhere community on Facebook and Discord.