12 is a symbol of consummate creation
and symbol of perfection
At the dawn of civilization, the chaldeans watched as the movement of the planets. The moon and the sun gave rise to a twelve month calendar. 12 constellations, 12 signs of th e zodiac. The twelve equal parts of the Zodiac were in turn divided into twelve hours... And numbering was born... 12 periods with four seasons... (12 is a multiple of 4): spring, summer, autumn and winter. One day, 24 hours. 2 x 12, with midday marking the half way point of the day and midnight its end. 12 is therefore a symbol of consummate creation, of perfection... This is why Alexannder the Great had twelve pillars erected to mark the limits of his vast empire and the known world when he completed his many conquests. The number 12 became sacred in all cultures. With herkules performing 12 labors. The first of which was to slay the Nemean Lion. For Paul Claudel, 12, the root of the sphere, is the symbol of the future of humanity and the continuing development of the universe: "one hundred and forty-four is the product of twelve times twelve, which is made up of three times four: the square multiplied by the triangle. It is the root of the sphere. The perfect number. Twelve times twelve is perfection multiplied by itself; perfection cubed, a completeness which excludes everything but itself geometric heaven". Is it not true that in this arithmetic sequence everything leans towards 12 when 'n' tends towards infinity? 12 as a musical sensation... 12 musical notes... The dodecaphony of Pierre Boulez. Number twelve... Universal, mythological, mathematical, astronomical and central to a number of cuturally important milestones...
