The Babylonians

The Babylonians are an old civilization that controlled much of modern day Iraq, Iran and Syria, from 1800BC. In order to expand and run their empire, they became masters of managing and manipulating numbers. The Babylonians appeared interested in solving practical problems to do with measuring and weighing. We found on tablets one of the first mathematical equation in history. They were also masters of tactical mathematics using numbers or doing mental arithmetic because they were avid game players. They are recognized as one of the first cultures to use symmetrical geometric shapes.
Their number system is a base 60. In fact, they have given us this base: there are 60 minutes in an hour, and 60 seconds in a minute. There are also 360 degrees in a circle (6x60), and a single degree be broken down still further. There are 60 minutes in a degree, and 60 seconds in one of these minutes. Babylonians were the first people to record the calendar, with the day divided into twenty four hours, as we do. Their measurement system was quite sophisticated as we still use it nowadays.