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The numbers on your screen won a 3,000-year war.

Six number systems, one winner — the place-value system with zero you're reading right now.

Cover — the numbers on your screen won a 3,000-year war.
Babylon's base-60 number system
Egypt's number system
Rome's numeral system
The Maya number system — a true zero centuries early
China's number system
India's place-value system with zero — the winner
Follow CivDecoded for more history, decoded through data.

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Babylon counted in 60 — that's why an hour has 60 minutes and a circle 360 degrees. The Maya had a true zero centuries before Europe accepted one. Rome built an empire on numbers it couldn't even multiply. Then India's place-value system, with zero as a real number, conquered them all.