Article

2026-03-24 -Short Attention Span Theater-

~~The~~ A ancient reason there are 60 minutes in an hour

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by Skidmark 2026-03-24 00:00|| E-Mail|| Front Page|| [1795 views ] Top

1 tr>

Ancient astronaut theorists propose that the Sumerians learned it from the Annunaki.

Posted by Abu Uluque 2026-03-24 12:54|| 2026-03-24 12:54|| Front Page Top

2 And ...

[AI]
Babylonians Base 60

**Babylonian base 60**, also known as **sexagesimal**, was a positional numeral system that used **60 as its base**. It originated with the ancient Sumerians around 3100 BCE and was adopted and refined by the Babylonians, who used it for mathematics, astronomy, and timekeeping.

- The system was **highly advantageous** because **60 is divisible by 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 15, 20, 30, and 60**, making it ideal for fractions and calculations.
- Babylonians used only **two symbols**—one for units and one for tens—to represent the 59 non-zero digits, combining them in a way similar to Roman numerals.
- It was a **positional system**, meaning the value of a digit depended on its position—just like our decimal system, but with powers of 60 instead of 10.
- They **lacked a true zero symbol**, though they later used a placeholder in the middle of numbers.
- The legacy of base 60 persists today in:
- **60 seconds in a minute**, **60 minutes in an hour**
- **360 degrees in a circle**, with degrees subdivided into **arcminutes and arcseconds**
- **Geographic coordinates** (latitude and longitude)

This ancient system was so effective that it enabled precise astronomical predictions and remains in use today in modified form.

Posted by Skidmark 2026-03-24 16:25|| 2026-03-24 16:25|| Front Page Top

23:24 DarthVader
23:10 DarthVader
22:49 illeagle
21:28 Super Hose
19:35 Griter+Slash1619
18:56 Grom the Affective
18:48 Frank G
18:30 Woodrow
17:40 Chantry
16:42 DarthVader
16:37 Skidmark
16:36 Skidmark
16:25 Skidmark
16:24 Mullah Richard
16:19 Chantry
16:15 Skidmark
16:14 Skidmark
16:08 Chantry
16:06 Lord Garth
16:04 MikeKozlowski
16:02 Chantry
16:00 Chantry
15:59 Chantry
15:53 Secret Master
Merry-Go-Blog