If Sumerian were older than Akkadian than Akkadian words should describe older Sumerian words but actually it is the opposite. Sumerian gibberish metaphors describe Akkadian. It means that the scribe wrote Sumerian and Akkadian simultaneously.

mašālu

1) to be alike , to resemble , to equal , to match ; 2) to be(come) smooth ; D : to copy , to make similar , , to imitate , to equalize , to make equal , to compare , to equate , to try to equal , to match , to reflect , to replicate , to reproduce ; Š : to do likewise , to imitate , to do similarly , to emulate , to mime , to mimic , to simulate , to make equal , to use a simile + , to utter parables + ; mašālu ana : to look like , to take after ;

Cf. tamšīlu, tamšīl

See also : akī, kî, kīma, libbû °, mašālu (D), mašālu (Š), mišlu

Comparison with other Semitic languages :

• Hebrew : mašal "example"

mašālu

to match , to make similar , to proportionate , to equalize

See also : mašālu

mišlu  [BAR : 
 ]  (st. abs. mišil ; pl. m. & f.)

[Numbers]

half ; middle, center ; ina mešlāti ša Nisannu 
 in mid-Nissan, in the middle of the month of Nissan

Cf. mašālu

Variants : mešlu

See also : muttutu, bāʾu, mišla, mišlānū

mišlānū  [ŠU.RI.A : 
 , IGI.2.GÁL.LA.ÀM : 
 ]  (n. pl., 
)

[Trade]

half share (of profit, wages) ; 
 a drainage tile

Cf. mišlu

mišla  (adv., 
)

[Science → Mathematics]

in half

Cf. mišlu

Variants : mišlā

See also : bāʾu

tamšīl

equalling , corresponding to / matching () , quasi ;

Cf. tamšīlu, mašālu, tamšiltu

tamšiltu

[Art]

1) a mold , a matrix , a template; 2) an equation ; 3) a parable , a simile ;

Cf. tamšīlu, tamšil

tamšīlu  [SAG.ḪU : 
 ]  (n.)

1) 
 : image, resemblance , likeness , like / as ; 2) 
 : equivalent , equal , peer ; tamšīlu abūbu : "like a flood" , high watre / high tide () ; 3) 
 : a drinking vessel /a glass () / a cup () ; 4) 
 : the name of a bird ;

Cf. mašālu, tamšīl, tamšiltu

mišlu  [BAR : 
 ]  (st. abs. mišil ; pl. m. & f.)

[Numbers]

half ; middle, center ; ina mešlāti ša Nisannu 
 in mid-Nissan, in the middle of the month of Nissan

Cf. mašālu

Variants : mešlu

See also : muttutu, bāʾu, mišla, mišlānū

Sumerian

geštu [60] wr. ge-eš-tu "60"

[1]

ge-eš-tu

Akkadian:

šūšu  [GÍŠ : 
 ]  (st. abs. šūš(i))

[Numbers]

sixty

šešša , šūši : [Measures]  sixty

šeššā* : [Numbers]  sixty

šūšu : [Numbers]  sixty

šeššā*  [GÍŠ : 
 ]

[Numbers]

sixty

Cf. šeššet

šeššet  [ÀŠ : 
 ]  (adj. ; fem. šediš)

[Numbers]

six

Comparison with other Semitic languages :

Proto-Semitic : ^*šidθ

Arabic : sittat  سِتَّة

Syriac : štā  ܫܬ݁ܳܐ

Hebrew : šiššā  שִשָּה

Ugaritic : θθ  

Ge'ez : sǝddǝstū

Sumerian:

aš [SIX] wr. aš₃ "six"

[1]

aš3

1. six

aš Homophones

aš = AŠ

aš₂ = AŠ₂

aš₃ = 6(DIŠ)

aš₄ = TAB.TAB.TAB

aš₉ =AŠ&AŠ&AŠ.AŠ&AŠ&AŠ

aš₉ = 6(AŠ~a)

aš₁₀ = DIŠ

AŠ

aš (aša az₃ as₃)

aš [BOIL].

aš [FLOUR].

aš [ONE].

dili [SINGLE] (227x: ED IIIa, Lagash II, Ur III, Old Babylonian) wr. dili; di-il₅ "(to be) single, unique, sole; (to be) alone" Akk. dēlu; ēdu

[1]		dili
[2]		di-il5

41 distinct forms attested; click to view forms table.

1. (to be) single, unique, sole (227x/100%)

~ LEX/Old Babylonian/Nippur [[dili]] = de-e-li = AŠ = we-e-du-[um] OB Aa 100:1; [[dili]] = mi-it-ha-ri-iš OB Aa 100:2; [[dili]] = = = de-e-lu-um OB Aa 100:3. LEX/Old Babylonian/Sippar [[dili]] = =AŠ = we-du-[u₂-um] MSL 14, 122-127 09 480; [[dili]] = gi-it-ma^#-[lum] MSL 14, 122-127 09 481; [[dili]] = = = iš-ti-en MSL 14, 122-127 09 482. ELA/Ur III/Girsu zi-ga dil-a ITT 5, 06770 2.ELA/Old Babylonian/Nippur dil-dil-bi OB Contracts, pl. C1 no. 14 21. unknown/Old Babylonian/unknown [[dili]] = AŠ = we-e-du MSL 09, 124-137 vii 441. unknown/Ur III/Drehem dil-še₃ sag^!-bi tibir-a bi₂-ra-a MVN 15, 100 7. unknown/Old Babylonian/Nippur u₃ a₂-da-am dil-dil a-name-a-bi SAOC 44, 01 37. unknown/Old Babylonian/unknown KI.LUGAL.DU hur-sag i₇-da dili-diliSAOC 44, 42 35.

See: ĝuruš dili; ĝuruš saĝ dili; illar X dili; kud sila dili; lu dili dam geme; šinig dili; šir dili; šu dili;šum šir dili; uzu sila dili.

2. (to be) alone

Akk. dēlu "unique, single"; ēdu "single, sole; alone".

aš [ONE] ašša, aş₃, deš₂, diš₂, dili, eš₁₈, eš₂₀,

6(DIŠ)

aš₃ (aša₃)

aš [SIX].

Full listing.

Also: 6(diš), ašša₃, deša_x(6(DIŠ)).

aš [SIX] wr. aš₃ "six"

[1]

aš3

1. six

entries written with 6(DIŠ)

aš₃ (aša₃)

aš₃ aš [SIX]

TAB.TAB.TAB

Also: aš₄.

tab [DOUBLE] (740x: ED IIIa, ED IIIb, Old Akkadian, Lagash II, Ur III, Early Old Babylonian, Old Babylonian, unknown) wr. tab; tab₄ "to double; to repeat; companion, partner" Akk. eşēpu; tappû

See igi tab[look at].

[1]		tab
[2]		tab4 (niš)

52 distinct forms attested; click to view forms table.

1. to double (740x/100%)

~ LEX/Old Babylonian/Nippur niĝ₂-BAD tab-ba Nigga 148. LEX/Old Babylonian/Sippar [[tab]] = = TAB= e-şe-pu-um MSL 14, 122-127 09 489; [[tab]] = šu-ta-aš-nu-um MSL 14, 122-127 09 490.ELA/ED IIIb/Girsu 4(iku@c) GAN₂ tab-ba VS 14, 170 o ii 8; 1(eše₃@c) 1(iku@c) GAN₂ tab-ba VS 14, 170 o ii 12; 1(iku@c) GAN₂ 3(diš) tab-[ba] VS 14, 170 o v 1; 2(eše₃@c) 2(iku@c) 1/4(iku@c)GAN₂ tab-ba VS 14, 170 o i 7. ELA/Old Akkadian/Girsu 1(u) 5(diš) pisan tab-ba RTC 229 r i 3.ELA/Ur III/Adab 1(diš) tug₂ ba-duh-hu-um tab-ba du MVN 03, 188 2. ELA/Ur III/Drehem še [...]GA₂ tab-ba sa₂-du₁₁ didli AUCT 3, 312 4; 4(diš) tug₂ zi-li-hu-um tab-ba MVN 03, 152 2; zar₃tab-ba šu ur₃-ra OrSP 47-49, 183 3; zar tab-ba šu-ur₃-ra Princeton 2, 187 2. ELA/Ur III/Girsu [a-ša₃] 7(bur₃) 1(eše₃) 2(iku) 1/2(iku) 1/4(iku) GAN₂ tab-ba AnOr 45, 308 53 6; [...] GAN₂^# tab-baAnOr 45, 308 53 7; a-ša₃ 7(bur₃) 4(iku) 1/2(iku) 1/4(iku) GAN₂ tab-ba ASJ 04, 125 22 o i 4.ELA/Ur III/Nippur [x] pisan tab-ba sag₁₀ BE 03/1, 165 o i 12; dumu gaba-na a-ab-tab NATN 761 4. ELA/Ur III/Umma zar₃ tab-ba a-ša₃ gi-apin-ku₅-ra₂ AAS 028 o i 12; zar₃ tab-ba a-ša₃ ^dšara₂AAS 028 o i 14; še gur_x(ŠE.KIN)-a zar₃ tab-ba a-ša₃ apin-ku₅-ra₂ AAS 028 o ii 10. ELA/Ur III/Ur3(diš) guruš tab-ba 4(aš)-ta MVN 10, 120 r i 8; tab^!-ba^! bi₂-in-ge-en UET 3, 0050 r ii 9; 1(diš)dur₁₀ tab-ba 5(diš) TUL₂ UET 3, 0521 1. ELA/Ur III/unclear 6(diš) ^tug₂nig₂-lam₂ tab-ba us₂ BRM 3, 153 1; 4(diš) sila₃ 2(diš) gin₂ šeš tab-ba Princeton 2, 263 4. unknown/Ur III/Umma 1(u) šeš tab-ba SNAT 536 o i 14. unknown/Old Babylonian/unknown [[tab]] = = TAB = šu-ta-aš-nu-u₂ MSL 09, 124-137 vii 452; [[tab]] = tap-pu-u₂ MSL 09, 124-137 vii 459; [[tab]] = = = e-şe₂-pu MSL 09, 124-137 vii 460. unknown/ED IIIb/Girsu 1(iku@c) GAN₂ tab-ba IM-SU-kam DP 590 r iii 6;1/2(aš@c) eš₂ kin tab-ba lugal-pa-e₃ DP 625 o ii 3; 4(iku@c) 1/4(iku@c) tab-ba 1/8(iku@c) i₃-šub lugal-ušur₃-ra RTC 075 o i 4. unknown/Old Akkadian/Adab 1(aš@c) tug₂ bar-dul₅ tab-ba OIP 014, 181 5. unknown/Ur III/Drehem zar₃ tab-ba šu ur₃-ra Aleppo 207 6; zar₃ tab-ba šu ur₃-raAleppo 221 5; zar₃ tab-ba šu ur₃-ra Aleppo 245 2; zar₃ tab-ba šu ur₃-ra Aleppo 246 3; zar₃ tab-ba a-da gub-ba Aleppo 247 2; zar₃ tab-ba Aleppo 248 2; zar₃ tab-ba a-ša₃ e₂-gir-gi₄ Aleppo 249 2. unknown/Ur III/Girsu 5(bur₃) 2(eše₃) 1(iku) 1/2(iku) GAN₂ tab-ba ASJ 17, 217 110 o ii 4; 5(bur₃)1(eše₃) 1/2(iku) 1/4(iku) GAN₂ tab-ba ASJ 17, 217 110 o iii 15; zar₃ tab-ba u₃ ki-be₂ ib₂-hu-huMVN 15, 292 4. unknown/Ur III/Umma zar₃ tab-ba šu ur₃-ra ASJ 19, 213 37 4; a₂ dumu-gi₇ šeštab-ba bala-a gub-ba^# CDLJ 2003/1, no. 1 o ii 26; gur_x(ŠE.KIN)-a zar₃ tab-ba a-ša₃ a-u₂-da-gu-laa-ša₃ a-u₂-da-tur u₃ a-ša₃ ensi₂-ka CDLJ 2003/1, no. 1 o iii 5. unknown/Ur III/unclear 7(diš) šeš^#[tab-ba] OMRO 66, 50 17 r i 13; 7(diš) šeš tab-ba OMRO 66, 50 17 r iii 8; 3(diš) šeš tab-baOMRO 66, 50 17 r i 7.

2. to repeat

3. companion, partner

Akk. eşēpu "to double"; tappû "to join in partnership with".

min [TWO] (959x: ED IIIb, Old Akkadian, Ur III, Early Old Babylonian, Old Babylonian) wr. min; min₃; min₆ "two; ditto" Akk. šina

[1]		min
[2]		min3 (man) (niš)
[3]		min6 (tab)

niš [TWENTY] wr. niš "twenty"

[1]

niš

1. twenty

TAB

dab₂

(see full listing)

min₆

min [TWO].

tab (dapa₂ taba dab₂ tap tapa dap₂)

tab [BEGIN].

tab [BURN].

tab [COMPANION].

tab [DOUBLE].

tab [FLATTEN].

tab [GRASP].

tab [ILLNESS].

Full listing.

Also: ţab, ţap.

šinā  [MIN : 
 ]  (adj. ; fem. šittā)

[Numbers]

two ; (issēn) ana šinīsu : in two ; šinā šunāia guggalīpi / šinā šunāia karrūni / šinā šunāia ṣēri- : two-humped ; šinip / šittān : two-thirds ; šunu ' īu : two-year old ; šunāia : each year , every year ; šaluššeni : two years ago ; ta ' ' umu : twofold ; ana šinīšu : de deux sortes ; šinā šalāš : a few , some ;

See also : šinīšu

Comparison with other Semitic languages :

Proto-Semitic : ^*θnā

Arabic : iθnāni  اِثْنان

Syriac : treyn  ܬ݁ܪܶܝܢ

Hebrew : šnayim  שְנָיִם

Ugaritic : θn  

4(U)

limmu₃

limmu [FOUR].

nimin (nimina)

nimin [FORTY].

Full listing.

Also: limu₃, nin₅, nina₄, šanabaku₂, šanabi₂, 4(u).

šanabi [TWO-THIRDS] wr. šanabi "two-thirds" Akk. šinipu

[1]

šanabi

1. two-thirds

Akk. šinipu "two-thirds".

šanabaku₂, šanabi₂, 4(u) > triangle

ŠANABI

šanabi

šanabi [TWO-THIRDS].

Full listing.

Also: šanaba, šanapi, šudamin_x?(ŠANABI), 2/3(diš).

tab Homophones

tab = TAB

tab₄ = U.U

U.U

man (men₅ mim₃ min₃ mina₃mam mana)

man [COMPANION].

min₃

min [TWO].

niš (neš nis)

niš [TWENTY].

puzur₂ (buzur₂)

puzur [SECRET].

tab₄

tab [COMPANION].

tab [DOUBLE].

Full listing.

Also: amna₂, geš_x(|U.U|), giš_x(|U.U|), meš_x(|U.U|), naš, nes, šamaš₂, šar₄, šarru₂, šušana₂, šušanaku, utu₃, wan.

Number three does not exist in Sumerian. Actually its phonetic value is a reduced number one. A word out of thin air.

DIŠ [one] > aš [one] > EŠ [three]

aš [ONE] (191x: ED IIIb, Old Akkadian, Ur III, Old Babylonian) wr. aš "one" Akk. išten

eš₅ = DIŠ.DIŠ.DIŠ

eš₆ = AŠ.AŠ.AŠ

AŠ.AŠ.AŠ

Also: eš₆.

DIŠ.DIŠ.DIŠ

eš₅ (eša₅)

eš [THREE].

eš [THREE]

eš [THREE] (16x: ED IIIb, Old Akkadian, Ur III, Old Babylonian) wr. eš₅; eš-a-bi; eš₁₀; am₃-mu-uš"three; triplets" Akk. takšû; šalāš

[1]		eš5
[2]		eš-a-bi
[3]		eš10
[4]		am3-mu-uš (ES)

6 distinct forms attested; click to view forms table.

1. three (16x/100%)

~ LEX/Old Babylonian/Nippur [[eš]] = eš = EŠ = šu-ul-lu-šum OB Aa 168:1. ELA/Ur III/Girsu e₂ ^dba-ba₆ eš-a-bi TCTI 2, 03691 4. ELA/Ur III/Umma 3(diš) sila₃ eša₅ 3(diš) sila₃ zu₂-lum Nik 2, 322 9;2(aš) gur ur-^gešgigir eš₅ Princeton 2, 379 6. unknown/ED IIIb/Lagash 1(aš@c) lagaš LA eš₅-am₆BiMes 03, 27 o ii 2. unknown/Ur III/Umma [...] eš₅ [...] UTI 4, 2886 o i 1; u₃ zubi eš₅-am₃ a balaUTI 4, 2926 6.

See: ab eš; am eš; amar eš; gag si eš; gud eš; ĝušur eš; maš eš.

2. triplets

Akk. takšû "triplets"; šalāš "three".

šalāšat  [EŠ₅ : 
 ]  (adj. ; fem. šalāš)

[Numbers]

three

Comparison with other Semitic languages :

Proto-Semitic : ^*śalāθ

Arabic : θalāθat  ثَلَاثَة

Syriac : tlātā  ܬ݁ܠܳܬ݂

Hebrew : šlōšā  שְלׂשָה

Ugaritic : θlθ  

Ge'ez : šalāštū

šalāšā  [UŠU₃ : 
 ]

[Numbers]

thirty

Cf. šalāšat

Akkadian:

ešer : [Numbers]  ten

ešrāyya : [Numbers]  ten each

ešret : [Numbers]  ten

ešrīšu : ten times

ešru : the tenth

ešrūtu : [Numbers]  1/10 : one tenth

ešer  (adj. fem. ; masc. ešret)

[Numbers]

ten

Cf. ešret

ešret  [U : 
 ]  (adj. ; fem. ešer)

[Numbers]

ten

Comparison with other Semitic languages :

Proto-Semitic : ^*ʿaśr

Arabic : ʿašarat  عَشَرَة

Syriac : ʿisrā

Hebrew : ʿśārā  עֲשָׂרָה

Ugaritic : ʿšr  

Ge'ez : ʿaššartū

U

bur₃

bur [UNIT].

buru₃

(see full listing)

burud_x(U)

burud [PERFORATE].

ge₁₄

ge [BLOW].

giguru

giguru [EDGE].

puzur (buzur bur₃ buru₃)

puzur [SECRET].

šil₃

šil [EQUIPMENT].

šu₄

su [RED].

šu [BASKET] (^ĝeššu₄).

šu [TOTALITY].

šuš (šu₄)

šuš [COVER].

šuš [SIXTH].

u (un₂)

u [ABUSE].

u [EARTH].

u [FINGER].

u [GIFT].

u [HOLE].

u [TEN].

u [TOTALITY].

umun

en [LORD].

umun [BLOOD].

Full listing.

Also: a₆, bar_x(U), bu₁₂, gešbur_x(U), gibiru, giburu, guru₁₂, ha₃, hu₃, ušur₅, utah_x(U), utu_x(U), 1(u).

šuš [SIXTH] wr. šuš "one sixth" Akk. šuššu

[1]

šuš

1. one sixth

Akk. šuššu "one-sixth".

u [TEN] (6x: ED IIIb) wr. u₉; u "ten"

[1]		u9
[2]		u

4 distinct forms attested; click to view forms table.

1. ten (6x/100%)

~ ELA/ED IIIb/Girsu sag u₉ VS 14, 170 r i 6; GAN₂ gaba sag u₉ VS 14, 170 r ii 8; GAN₂ da tir sag u₉ VS 14, 170 r iv 5. unknown/Old Babylonian/unknown [[u]] = U = e-še-ri-it MSL 09, 124-137 vi 399.unknown/ED IIIb/Girsu sag u₉-ba-kam DP 528 o ii 1; 1(aš@c) ^gešu₃ u₉-u₉-da RTC 029 r iii 1.

[1982] M. Civil, OA 21 6.

[1972] M. Powell, ZA 62 208-209.

EZEN×BAD

bad₃ (bada₃ bat₃)

bad [WALL].

u₉

u [TEN].

ug₅

ug [DIE].

uĝ₅ (ug₅ uga₅ uk₅)

(see full listing)

un₃

un [HIGH].

Full listing.

Also: an_x(|EZEN×BAD|), ba₈, dur₈, durum, ub_x(|EZEN×BAD|), uq₅.

niš = U.U

niš₂ = GIŠ

ĝeš [SIXTY] (92x: Ur III) wr. geš₂; mu-uš "sixty"

[1]		geš2
[2]		mu-uš

Three = am₃-mu-uš

saĝtak [TRIANGLE] (5x: Old Babylonian) wr. saĝ-KAK; saĝtak; santak₃; saĝtak₄; santak₂ "triangle (math.); wedge" Akk. santakku

[1]		saĝ-KAK (sag-KAK)
[2]		saĝtak (santak) (aš)
[3]		santak3
[4]		saĝtak4 (santak4) (diš)
[5]		santak2

ĝeš [PENIS] (47x: Old Babylonian) wr. ĝeš₃; mu "penis; male" Akk. išaru; zikaru

See ĝeš du[copulate], ĝeš dug[copulate], ĝeš sur[urinate], ĝeš zig[have an erection].

[1]		ĝeš3 (geš3)
[2]		mu (ES)

giš Homophones

giš = GIŠ [tree]

giš₂ = DIŠ [one, sixty]

giš₃ = UŠ [penis]

giš_x = U.U [twenty, two, double]

U = [sixth, ten finger]

4(U)

limmu₃

limmu [FOUR].

nimin (nimina)

nimin [FORTY].

Full listing.

Also: limu₃, nin₅, nina₄, šanabaku₂, šanabi₂, 4(u).

5(U)

Also: 5(u).

6(U)

Also: 6(u).

7(U)

Also: 7(u).

8(U)

Also: 8(u).

9(U)

Also: 9(u).

udiliya [FIFTEEN] wr. u₂-di-li-ia "fifteen"

[1]

u2-di-li-ia

u [TEN] (6x: ED IIIb) wr. u₉; u "ten"

[1]		u9
[2]		u

Sumerian and Akkadian Numbers

Numbers are of course rarely spelled out, especially in economic or educational texts and the pronuniciation of certain numbers is still subject to debate.  Some are not yet attested.  The two main languages in Mesopotamia during the period of our concern were Sumerian and Akkadian.  Both of these languages had dialects and regional variations, and also varied over time.  Additionally, words for numbers conformed to various grammatical rules.  The varying forms they could take, and so how they might be written in a particular text, are beyond the scope of this page.  Here, we attempt only to give a basic guide. 
  
 

Number	Sumerian	Akkadian
1	diš, aš	išten
2	min	šina
3	eš	šalaš
4	limmu	erbe
5	ia	hamiš
6	aš	šediš
7	imin	sebe
8	ussu	samane
9	ilimmu	tiše
10	u	ešer
11	u-diš	ištenšeret
13		šalaššer
17		sebešer
20	niš	ešra
30	ušu	šalaša
40	nimin	erba
50	ninnu	hamša
60	giš, geš	šuši
100		me'at
600	gešu	nerum
1000	lim	limum
3600	šar	šarum

 

Larger cuneiform numbers

For computation, the Mesopotamians used what is usually referred to as a 'sexagesimal' (i.e., base-60) system.  Technically, this is a slightly inaccurate designation as they used only combinations of two symbols bundled together for writing numbers up to 60.  For writing numbers greater than 60, they just repeated the symbols in different columns, just as we do, except that where for us a '1' in the 'tens' column means 10, for the Babylonians a 
 in the 'sixties' column meant 60. Each column increased the value of the number by a factor of 60, and the Babylonians wrote their numbers with the largest values to the left, just as we do. Here are some examples of cuneiform numbers, their transliterations and values in our notation. 
  
 

Cuneiform	Transliteration	Decimal value
	1,15	75
	1,40	100
	16,43	1003
	44,26,40	160000
	1,24,51,10	305470

There are a few differences between the way we write our numbers and the way the Babylonians did.  First, they had no special way to mark an empty column.  We would write a zero to mark the place, they would often leave a space, but not always.  For example, it is not always clear if 

 should mean '2' or '61', or even '3601'.  In practice, empty columns don't arise that often in a base-60 system and so this was not such a problem as you may think.  Later on, in the Neo-Babylonian and Seleucid times, when astronomers needed to do lots of many-place sexagesimal computations, they did introduce an empty-column marker.

One of the great advantages of a place-value system is that you can use the same symbols to make ever larger numbers.  There is no limit to how large a number you can write down.  Another advantage is that you can continue writing numbers in places to the right of the units column in order to denote fractions.  All that distinguishes the number 1234 from the number 1.234 is the use of a decimal point (or comma in Europe) to mark where the units come.  Computations with fractions are just the same as computations with whole numbers.  The Babylonians used the same idea, except that they did not bother with a decimal point - that absolute size of a number was 'determined by inspection.'   For example, the number 




 could mean 160000, as noted above, but it could also be 1/81, the reciprocal of 81, which is why it was widely used.  In the early days of deciphering Mesopotamian mathematics, people were puzzled as to why they would go to the trouble of writing a 160000-times multiplication table.  The last sexagesimal number given in the table above, 





, also has a more useful meaning than 305470.  I leave it to you to figure out what it is, but the answer is on another page in this site.

Cuneiform numbers

Cuneiform numbers were written using a combination of just two signs: a vertical wedge for '1' and a corner wedge for '10'. Handwriting varied as much in Old Babylonian times as it does now but the basic system of numbers is illustrated below. 
  
 

	1		2		3		4
	5		6		7		8
	9		10		11		12
	13		14		15		16
	17		18		19		20
	30		40		50		60

Some common variants are 
 

	for 4
	for 7
	for 8.

Occasionally, 19 was written as something like 
 , meaning 20 - 1, although there are a huge number of minor variations in the way this sign is written. 
 

Additionally, there were special signs for some common fractions.  These were used when the numbers stood for metrological quantities, such as 1/2 gin. 
 

	1/2
	1/3
	2/3
	5/6

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