Sexagesimal Calculations in Ancient Sumer
History and Overview
2023-06-12 v4
Abstract
This article discusses the reasons for the choice of the sexagesimal system by ancient Sumerians. It is shown that Sumerians chose this specific numeral system based on logical and practical reasons which enabled them to deal with big numbers easily and even perform the multiplications and divisions in this system. I shall also discuss how the Sumerians calculated the area of a large field and measured a large quantity of barley according to their seemingly complicated but really systematic methods.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2207.12102,
title = {Sexagesimal Calculations in Ancient Sumer},
author = {Kazuo Muroi},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2207.12102},
year = {2023}
}
Comments
15 pages, 8 figures