Babylonian mathematics
Ancient Mesopotamian numeracy
Babylonian mathematics refers to the mathematical practices developed in ancient Mesopotamia, particularly during the Old Babylonian period (roughly 2000–1600 BCE).
The Babylonians used a base-60 (sexagesimal) number system, traces of which survive in our 60-minute hours and 360-degree circles.
They worked with quadratic equations, Pythagorean relationships, and sophisticated astronomical calculations centuries before the Greeks.
Clay tablets preserve their work in cuneiform script.
- word problemsMath in narrative form
- number systemMethod for expressing quantities
- trapezoidsFour-sided, two sides parallel
- MesopotamiaTigris-Euphrates river region
- clay tabletsInscribed earthen slabs
measure · reciprocals · place value · circles · multiplication tables · linear equations · ancient astronomy · Sumerians · Assyrians · cuneiform script · algorithms · quadratic equations · right triangles · Akkadians · Tigris · clay · scribes · Hammurabi's code
Babylonian mathematicspure mathematics
Mathematics pursued abstractly