from c. 3000 BCEReputable sourceWell documented
Counting in Base 60
On the timeline · around from c. 3000 BCE ·
What happened
Sumerian and later Babylonian mathematicians developed a sophisticated number system built on base 60 (sexagesimal), mastering fractions, algebra, geometry and the systematic observation of the heavens.
Why it matters
We still divide the hour into 60 minutes, the minute into 60 seconds and the circle into 360 degrees — a direct inheritance from Mesopotamian mathematics.