Babylonian Math
Long before Pythagoras, Babylonian scribes inscribed number series on a clay tablet now known as Plimpton 322, kept at Columbia University. Dating to around 1800 BCE, the tablet lists sets of numbers that match Pythagorean triples, integer solutions to the equation a² + b² = c². Written in base-60 cuneiform, its columns and rows show a systematic understanding of right-angled triangles, suggesting the Babylonians mastered geometric reasoning over a millennium before Greek mathematics. Whether used as a teaching aid, surveyor’s guide, or trigonometric table, Plimpton 322 remains one of the most extraordinary windows into the birth of mathematical thought.
Plimpton 322, ca. 1800 BCE. Columbia Univ. Public domain.
