For most of our time on earth we have been walkers so this day should seem familiar in a way. There was a time not so long ago when we were still wondering through the landscape in small family groups, constantly moving on to find better weather, new food and water and leaving our waste to rot behind. We had words for the animals that kept us alive and drew pictures too, and no doubt names for them and for the few things we carried on our backs from place to place and our family and friends who helped us carry them.

One, two, a few and a lot were just about enough numbers to work with, until we started herding animals, growing crops settling down and divvying up the harvest or herd. Then, around just sixty life-spans ago, we started having more stuff and things and more people around. A few and a lot were not precise enough especially when it came to how much we owed each other or how many needed to share. So we started notching sticks and keeping tally writing it down so we could agree on and trust that we would remember it right when the harvest or boat came in.

Some of these numbers seemed convenient because the could be split many ways. A dozen could be split between two, three or four or 6 or 12 depending on how many family and friends were around for dinner. Sixty more so, since it could go 2,3,4,5,6 as well as 10,12,15,20,30 and 60 for bigger gatherings.

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In the ancient cities that grew up between the two great rivers of mesopotamia 6 and 10 were put to work giving us 360 degrees of angle divided into 60 minutes and seconds.