How did ancient Babylonians do mathematics?

Babylonian mathematics was developed and practiced in Mesopotamia from the Old Babylonian period to the Seleucid period. Knowledge of this mathematical system comes from hundreds of cuneiform clay tablets unearthed since the 1850s. The Babylonians utilized a positional sexagesimal, or base-60, number system and covered topics including fractions, algebra, and geometry.

What we know

• Babylonian mathematics remained largely constant in character and content for over a millennium across the Old Babylonian and Seleucid periods. [2]
• Information about Babylonian mathematics is preserved on hundreds of cuneiform clay tablets inscribed while moist and baked hard. [2]
• The Babylonians used a positional base-60 number system that was inherited from either the Sumerian or Akkadian civilizations. [3]
• Recovered clay tablets dating from 1800 to 1600 BC cover mathematical topics such as fractions, algebra, quadratic and cubic equations, and the Pythagorean theorem. [2]

Where to go next

• how we knowWhat was the role of clay tablets in preserving cuneiform records?
• how it workedHow did the base-60 numeral system function in daily calculations?
• the bigger pictureWhat developments occurred in ancient Mesopotamian civilization?
• a case in pointWhat information does the YBC 7289 clay tablet provide?
• compared withHow does Babylonian mathematics compare to Ancient Egyptian mathematics?
• an unexpected connectionHow is the number 54 linked to ancient Babylonian mathematics?The number 54 is a regular number whose even division of powers of 60 was practically useful to ancient mathematicians employing the Assyro-Babylonian system.

Sources

• [1]Babylonian mathematics (Wikidata Q787931) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Babylonian mathematics · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Babylonian cuneiform numerals · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Babylonia · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]54 (number) · CC BY-SA 4.0