The Babylonian positional system

Here in Europe, the decimal system has only been around for about 900 known for years. It was around the year 500 v. Chr. invented in India, and it took a long time, until it was brought to Europe by the Arabs via Spain. Even then, several centuries passed, until it finally prevailed. But they have the place value system 2500 Years before the Indians, the Babylonians discovered it and replaced their older number system with it.

The Babylonians developed a sixty system. To do this they would actually have to pay for the numbers 1 -59 have to use their own numerals. You have but in a simple way with only 2 Wedges helped: with a vertical wedge Y they called them 1, und mit einem Winkelhaken < they called the ten.

That's how they wrote the numbers 1-59 as follows:

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The 4000 Years old Babylonian number system, that from 60 runs out, we still use it every day. The division of our year into 12 Sweet, of the hours in 60 minutes and the minutes in 60 Seconds goes back to the Babylonians. The same applies to our division of the circle into 360°. We call this numbering system the sexagesimal system.

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