Numbers & science
Babylonian Numerals
Reference for base-60 cuneiform numbers, with a 1–59 wedge chart and decimal converter.
How to read it: Babylonian numerals use a base-60 (sexagesimal) place-value system. An upright wedge counts one and a sideways wedge counts ten. Values 1–59 combine these marks. The diagrams below are simplified wedge schematics, not exact clay-tablet signs.
Sexagesimal digits 1–59
Decimal to Babylonian place values
Authentic Unicode examples
𒁹 = 1 · 𒌋 = 10 · 𒌋𒌋𒁹𒁹𒁹 = 23
History note: Early Babylonian numerals did not have a zero like ours. Scribes left gaps; later texts used placeholder signs in some positions. Modern digit groupings and zeros on this page are for clarity, and ancient texts may be ambiguous without context.