archeologia: Planets in astrology

Evidence: 100 • authority: 72

In astrology, planets have a meaning different from the astronomical understanding of what a planet is. Before the age of telescopes, the night sky was thought to consist of two similar components: fixed stars, which remained motionless in relation to each other, and moving objects/"wandering stars" (Ancient Greek: ἀστέρες πλανῆται, romanized: asteres planetai), which moved relative to the fixed stars over the course of the year(s). To the Ancient Greeks who learned from the Babylonians, the earliest astronomers/astrologers, this group consisted of the five planets visible to the naked eye and excluded Earth, plus the Sun and Moon. Although the Greek term planet applied mostly to the five '…

Evidence: 67 • authority: 72

In a vast number of languages, the names given to the seven days of the week are derived from the names of the seven classical planets which were in turn named after contemporary Hellenistic deities. This system was introduced by the Sumerians and later adopted by the Babylonians from whom the Roman Empire adopted the system during late antiquity. In some other languages, the days are named after corresponding deities of the regional culture. The seven-day week was adopted in early Christianity from the Hebrew calendar, and gradually replaced the Roman internundinum. Eight-day and seven-day weeks existed side-by-side until the Emperor Constantine made the seven-day week official in AD 321;…

Evidence: 61 • authority: 72

A week (in the Western and international context) is a unit of time equal to seven days. It is the standard calendrical period between a day and a month in most parts of the world. There are just over 52 weeks in a year, or on average 4+1⁄3 weeks in a month. The days of the week are often used to set work days, rest days, and holy days. The term "week" is also used to refer to a sub-section of the week, such as the workweek and weekend. Certain weeks within a year may be designated for a particular purpose, such as Golden Week in China and Japan. More informally, certain groups may advocate awareness weeks, such as National Family Week in Canada, which are designed to draw attention to a ce…