Babylonian numerals

Babylonian cuneiform numerals The numeral system of the Babylonians, also used in Assyria and Chaldea, was written in cuneiform using a wedge-tipped reed stylus to print a mark on a soft clay tablet, which would be exposed in the sun to harden to create a permanent record.

The Babylonians were famous for their astronomical observations, as well as their calculations (aided by their invention of the abacus), and used a sexagesimal (base-60) number system inherited from either the Sumerian or the Akkadian civilizations. The Babylonian system, however, was positional (having a convention for which "end" of the numeral represented the units).