Sumerians

By Victor M Fontane

Around 5,000 years ago, the Sumerians of Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) laid the foundation for how we measure time today. They developed the sexagesimal system, a base-60 numerical system that led to the division of an hour into 60 minutes and a minute into 60 seconds—a structure that still governs our clocks and timekeeping methods.

The Sumerians’ agricultural society required precise timekeeping for planting, harvesting, and religious ceremonies. Their keen astronomical observations enabled them to develop a 12-month lunar calendar, which helped them track the seasons accurately.

The division of time into 24 hours, 60 minutes, and 60 seconds was a mathematical breakthrough that made calculations and subdivisions more efficient. Later civilizations, including the Babylonians, Greeks, and Romans, adopted and refined this system, ensuring its survival through millennia.

From ancient sundials to modern digital clocks, the Sumerians’ innovation in timekeeping continues to shape our daily lives in ways we often take for granted. Their brilliant numerical system remains one of the most enduring legacies of the ancient world.