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[a] The seven-day week is a universal concept that organizes our lives. We all know the feeling of Monday morning and the joy of Friday evening. But have you ever wondered where this system came from? The idea of a seven-day cycle is very ancient . Many historians believe it started with civilizations like the Babylonians over 4,000 years ago. They may have based it on the seven celestial bodies they could see: the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn. Other ancient cultures, like the Jews, had a seven-day week for religious reasons. The Romans used an eight-day week for a long time! At the end of the day , the seven-day week slowly became the global standard. It is a social construct , not a natural cycle like a day or a year. Today, it structures work, school, and our personal time. Understanding its history helps us see our routines in a new way. π [b] The idea of a "weekend" is m...