4.0479 Responses: Numerology (2/38)
Elaine Brennan & Allen Renear (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Wed, 12 Sep 90 23:52:22 EDT
Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 4, No. 0479. Wednesday, 12 Sep 1990.
(1) Date: Wed, 12 Sep 90 01:33 EDT (28 lines)
From: Michel LENOBLE <LENOBLEM@umtlvr.bitnet>
Subject: Re: 4.0472 Queries
(2) Date: Wed, 12 Sep 90 08:42:56 MDT (10 lines)
From: koontz@alpha.bldr.nist.gov (John E. Koontz)
Subject: Re: 4.0472 Queries
(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 12 Sep 90 01:33 EDT
From: Michel LENOBLE <LENOBLEM@umtlvr.bitnet>
Subject: Re: 4.0472 Queries
Twenty and its meaning.
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It sounds interesting to me to hear that twenty was already
some kind of base for the numerical system. It might be some kind
of equivalent of the nowadays used "scores". Just to add more confusion
twenty used to be a base unit for counting in french. Twenty is still
found in quatre-vingt(s), a remnant of the vigesimal system. Zwitserland
uses also huitante et octante instead of quatre-vingt, which is more
in lign with the decimal system. Another remnant of the vigesimal system
is the name of the Parisian hospital which had 300 beds in it and which
was called "L'hospital des quinze vingt". Pounds in Britain used to be
devidable into twenty units, which in their turn used to be devidable
into 12 smaller units (or was it the other way round). They, since then
abandoned the imperial system and the last (retarded) country to keep
this medieval weight/distance system is the USA. I guess that programmers
in the US would be glad to be able to use the decimal system?
Michel Lenoble
Litterature Comparee
Universite de Montreal
C.P. 6128, Succ. "A"
MONTREAL (Quebec)
Canada - H3C 3J7
E-MAIL: lenoblem@cc.umontreal.ca
(2) --------------------------------------------------------------22----
Date: Wed, 12 Sep 90 08:42:56 MDT
From: koontz@alpha.bldr.nist.gov (John E. Koontz)
Subject: Re: 4.0472 Queries
In regard to the query on the significance of 20 in the Odyssey, while I
cannot say anthing particularly relevant to the Greek context, in
general 20 is the number of digits on the human body. It is sometimes
used as a base in counting systems, probably based on this. Perhaps it
symbolizes completeness or totality.