Twelve?

[Gaius Octavius]

Did the Romans have a fixation on the number Twelve? Twelve villages; twelve tribes; Twelve Tables; twelve months?

[caldrail]

The romans were superstitious and aware that certain numbers had some significance, but some of this is coincidence. Rome was founded with ten months, not twelve. The extra two were a later innovation.

[Pantagathus]

12 is one of the 'perfect numbers' along with 3, 7, & 10.

 

One can find significance in the number 12 across many cultures, not just Rome.

• 12 'Great Gods' of Hellenic Society
  
• 12 signs of the Zodiac... (Melqart's battles against them)
  
• Hercules' 12 labors
  
• 12 Desciples
  
• Shia Islam awaits the 12th Imam
  
• a dozen (12)
  
• a gross (12 x 12)
  
• the end of childhood and beginning stages of entry into adulthood (in many ancient cultures)
  

"In ancient India the symbolic significance of the number 12 is probably that of the restoration of dharma or the expiation of guilt." - John Spellman

[Gaius Octavius]

I guess that the Babylonian '6' fits into that, in re 'our' clock.

 

12 inches?

 

Pantagathus, would you expand on 3,7, and 10?

Edited June 18, 2007 by Gaius Octavius

[miguel]

One can find significance in the number 12 across many cultures, not just Rome.

 

And Shakespeare's Twelfth Night?

 

There are 12 animals symbolizing the Twelve Branches used to designate years according to Chinese lunar calendar. As far as I know the 12 disciples symbolize the 12 Israelite tribes, am I right?

[Pantagathus]

Pantagathus, would you expand on 3,7, and 10?

To clarify, not the real mathmatical Perfect Numbers (6, 28, 496 and 8128) but the so called spiritual/theological ones:

 

"The four perfect numbers, 3,7,10, and 12, have for their product the remarkable number 2,520. It is the Least Common Multiple of the ten digits governing all numeration; and can, therefore, be divided by each of nine digits, without a remainder. It is the number of chronological perfection (7 x 360)."