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the Sumerians used both base-10 (counting on fingers) and base-6 (counting on parts of the hand). These systems laid the groundwork for the later Babylonian base-60 number system.
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The Babylonians combined base-10 and base-6 to invent the sexagesimal (base-60) system. Because 60 has so many divisors, fractions and calculations were easier for trade, astronomy, and engineering.
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Babylonians inscribed a clay tablet (Plimpton 322) showing advanced base-60 math with Pythagorean triples. It’s one of the earliest surviving mathematical documents. -
Greek mathematicians and astronomers, including Hipparchus and Ptolemy, adopted the Babylonian base-60 system for measuring angles and studying the stars. This helped advance early science.
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Greek astronomer Hipparchus divided the circle into 360 degrees using the Babylonian base-60 system. This is the origin of how we still measure angles today. -
Islamic scholars translated and preserved Babylonian and Greek texts, continuing the use of base-60 in astronomy and mathematics. Their work kept the knowledge alive for Europe.
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Islamic scholar Al-Biruni used base-60 in his astronomical tables, preserving and expanding Greek and Babylonian knowledge.
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European mechanical clocks divided hours into 60 minutes and minutes into 60 seconds, a lasting legacy of Babylonian mathematics. -
Today, we still use base-60 when dividing hours into 60 minutes, minutes into 60 seconds, and circles into 360 degrees. The Babylonian invention still shapes how we measure time and space.