Math & science · c. 1,800 BCE

Babylonian mathematics

Base-60 place-value numerals let scribes solve quadratics and list Pythagorean triples.

Old Babylonian tablets such as Plimpton 322 and YBC 7289, which gives the square root of 2 to about six decimal places, show a positional sexagesimal system. Our 60-minute hour and 360-degree circle descend from it.

See it in the living tree Wikipedia

Arcs above join it to what it stood on, arcs below to what it led to. The bar places this stretch on the tree's whole timeline.

What it built on 2

Numerals and arithmetic 3000 BCE
Writing (cuneiform) 3200 BCE

What it led to 4

Babylonian astronomy 700 BCE
Pythagorean mathematics 530 BCE
Decimal place value 458
Algebra 820

Related measurements

The dashed line marks when it first worked.

Share of people living in cities Latest: 57.5 % (2025) Source: Our World in Data

World GDP over a million years Latest: 41k billion 1990 international $ (2000) Source: DeLong 1998, Estimating World GDP, One Million B.C. - Present; Wikipedia: Gross world product (DeLong table, cross-check)