new way of writing numbers was called cuneiform script,which is from the Latin
cuneus,meaning “a wedge” and formis,meaning “like.”Did any culturesuse more than one base numberin their numbering system?
Certain cultures may have used a particular base as their dominant numbering sys-
tem, such as the Sumerians’ base 60, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t use other base
numbers. For example, the Sumerians, Assyrians, and Babylonians used base 12,
mostly for use in their measurements. In addition, the Mesopotamian day was broken
into 12 equal parts; they also divided the circle, ecliptic, and zodiac into 12 sections of
30 degrees each.What was the Babylonian numbering system?
The Babylonians were one of the first to use a positional system within their number-
ing system—the value of a sign depends on the position it occupies in a string of
signs. Neither the Sumerians nor the Akkadians used this system. The Babylonians
also divided the day into 24 hours, an hour into 60 minutes, and a minute into 60 sec-
8 onds, a way of telling time that has existed for the past 4,000 years. For example, the
Who were the Akkadians?
T
he region of Mesopotamia was once the center of the Sumerian civilization, a
culture that flourished before 3500 BCE. Not only did the Sumerians have a
counting and writing system, but they were also a progressive culture, support-
ing irrigation systems, a legal system, and even a crude postal service. By about
2300 BCE, the Akkadians invaded the area, emerging as the dominant culture. As
most conquerors do, they imposed their own language on the area and even
used the Sumerians’ cuneiform system to spread their language and traditions
to the conquered culture.Although the Akkadians brought a more backward culture into the mix, they
were responsible for inventing the abacus, an ancient counting tool. By 2150
BCE, the Sumerians had had enough: They revolted against the Akkadian rule,
eventually taking over again.However, the Sumerians did not maintain their independence for long. By
2000 BCEtheir empire had collapsed, undermined by attacks from the west by
Amorites and from the east by Elamites. As the Sumerians disappeared, they
were replaced by the Assyro-Babylonians, who eventually established their capi-
tal at Babylon.