Another BBC Hatchet Job?

[minestrone]

Sumerians were pretty much the first civilisation to count based on base 12. 12 sections on the left hand fingers which were pointed to by the thumb and the fingers on the right hand would count up the successions of left hand counts. The Romans may have dumped their numbers onto the clock but it was the precursors to the modern Arabs that gave us time in base 12.

[minestrone]

Of course any mention of the Sumerians leads to their 'alleged' involvement with aliens.

[sasguru]

no. the arabs had it nearly two thousand years before the Hindus

Arabic numerals - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

HTH

[Churchill]

The Arabs got that from the Hindus

You thick bastard. Wikipedia? Of course it's true.

[EternalOptimist]

Sumerians were pretty much the first civilisation to count based on base 12. 12 sections on the left hand fingers which were pointed to by the thumb and the fingers on the right hand would count up the successions of left hand counts. The Romans may have dumped their numbers onto the clock but it was the precursors to the modern Arabs that gave us time in base 12.

2.5k years ago, the Arabs in Babylonia counted in base 60. they had the zero, but didnt call it a zero, thery wernt even sure it was a number. they just left a space. I think it was the Hindus who said hang on a minute, lets give it a name and call it a number, but that was only a few hundred years ago.
I dont know much about the sumerians except they wrote in cuniform, which means 'wedge shaped'.
i learned that when i was 7, in my first ever history lesson. sheesh.

[sasguru]

Oh look its the tag team of thicko ex-squaddies.
Making themselves a laughing stock yet again

[EternalOptimist]

whoops, sg, our posts crossed. that link of yours is correct, but its not the full story.

the ancient arabs had the zero, they just didnt give it a name or say it was a number. It was something sort of different. a space, less than a one, a sort of 'theres something there, but its less than a one'


they had trouble explaining it to the greeks. so alexander killed them all for being confusing

[sasguru]

Wikipedia? Of course it's true.

Is it a characteristic of self-selected cannon fodder that they keep digging even when when they have reached rock-bottom?

[Churchill]

Oh look its the tag team of thicko ex-squaddies.
Making themselves a laughing stock yet again

Have you ever made a constructive or informative post on this or any other forum?

[RichardCranium]

It is the 10, 11 & 12 that is important.

Did you have to use your Honours Degree in Engineering to take your shoes and socks off to do that?

When are you going to admit you were wrong on your previous errors today, eh?