Babylonian Civilization || History of Mathematics || Development of Mathematics

One of the first river valley civilizations is the civilization developed in Mesopotamia, the fertile land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers around 5,000 to 6,000 years ago. The earliest people of Mesopotamia were the Sumerians. The Babylonians also excelled in the field of science. The priests watched the sun, moon planet and star very carefully and forecast the future. Like the Sumerians, the Babylonians also adopted lunar calendar. They divided one year into 12 months and each month was divided into 30 days. Early systems of writing was developed and cuneiform was used for writing stories, myths, and hymns that told of their religious beliefs. The priests also predicted future. They had acquired knowledge in geography, life science and astrology. All these things prove the love of the Babylonians for science.

The Babylonians, one of the first civilizations, existed about 4000 to 2500 years ago. They were very skilled in the arts, science and mathematics. A very intelligent people and extremely advanced for their time, they valued both mathematics and literature. It has been estimated that Babylon was the largest city in the world from 1770 to 1670 BC, and again between 612 and 320 BC. It was perhaps the first city to reach a population above 200,000.

They used sun dial and water clock to know time and prepared the first map of the Babylonian world. They also knew the use of numbers from 1 to 9.

•      The main contribution of the Sumerians and Babylonians was the development of writing with their cuneiform script, an advance that allowed record keeping and knowledge to be preserved and passed down through the generations.

•      Many of these records, preserved on clay tablets, have been discovered by archaeologists and translated, revealing information about the daily life of these ancient people

•      The Babylonian king, Hammurabi, created the first written code of laws. The Code of Hammurabi contained laws pertaining to most things that happened in daily life, including marriage, religion, consumer products, and criminal law. However, Hammurabi’s Code treated nobles and commoners differently, and some of the laws punished criminals very harshly.

•      Economy: Agriculture was the basis of the Mesopotamian economy, since farming and herding supported most other economic activities. Sumerian artisans and craftsmen made items to support Mesopotamian cities, and  the peoples of Mesopotamia traded with other civilizations as far away as India.

•      Religion. The Mesopotamians believed in as many as 2,000 different gods, making them polytheistic. Many historians believe that Mesopotamian religious beliefs were the basis of the world’s oldest faiths. Since Mesopotamian rulers were often priests, a city-state was a theocracy (a society governed by religious leaders). Amazing temples (ziggurats) were built to honor and worship the gods.

•      Society: Men in Mesopotamia were responsible for farming, herding, building, and trade. Most boys worked with their fathers. A few wealthy boys attended school where they were trained to be priests or scribes.

•      Most girls stayed at home with their mothers and learned to do household chores. Women were responsible for helping to process grain and taking care of the children and homes. Wealthy women enjoyed much greater freedom than commoners. They could go to the market to buy goods, own property, take care of legal matters in the absence of their husbands, and even seek a divorce. A few noble women enjoyed even greater privileges.

•      Innovations and Technology: The Sumerians were the first builders of cities. They made buildings from mud bricks enforced with thick reeds, since they lacked stone and lumber for building. Mesopotamian cities were protected by high, thick walls.

•      Their ziggurats (temples) were stepped pyramids that featured arches. They were usually the largest and most notable buildings in the city.

In Babylon, the king built a great palace for his wife. Known as the “Hanging Gardens of Babylon, it was considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world because of its impressive architecture and engineering.

•      The Sumerians invented the wheel and the sailboat and created weapons and tools made of copper and bronze - a tin and copper alloy.

•      They devised a calendar by dividing the year into twelve months, as well as a number system based on 60.

•      Perhaps their greatest innovation was the development of the world’s first writing system, cuneiform. Cuneiform featured using a stylus to make marks in wet clay tablets. When the tablets dried, the writing was permanently etched into the tablets. Only priests and scribes were able to read and write.