𒀭 Numerals Mesopotamia

Babylonian Cuneiform Numerals

Convert numbers to ancient Babylonian cuneiform symbols in the sexagesimal (base-60) positional system - the ancestor of today's time and angle measurements.

Babylonian numerals had no symbol for zero until very late (c.300 BC), which could cause ambiguity in some numbers. Context determined the magnitude in ancient texts.

Babylonian Wedge Symbols

SymbolValueShape
𒁹1Vertical wedge (𒁹)
𒌋10Corner wedge (𒌋)

Each group uses 1-59 expressed with these two symbols. Groups are positional (×1, ×60, ×3600…)

𒀭

Enter a number above

Cuneiform symbols appear for each base-60 group.

Why Base 60?

The Babylonians likely chose 60 because it has many divisors (1,2,3,4,5,6,10,12,15,20,30,60) - making fractions much easier than base 10. This system was so practical that we still use it today: 60 seconds per minute, 60 minutes per hour, 360° in a circle.

Base
60 (sexagesimal)
Era
c.3000 BC
Region
Mesopotamia
Legacy
Time, angles

Babylonian Mathematical Achievement

Babylonian scribes were highly sophisticated mathematicians. The Plimpton 322 tablet (c.1800 BC) lists Pythagorean triples, showing knowledge of the theorem over 1,000 years before Pythagoras. They could calculate square roots, solve quadratic equations and model astronomical cycles - all using base-60 cuneiform numerals.