Math Pioneers

A lot of people don't think that being brilliant at geometry, trigonometry, and algebra is all that fun. However, these are some of the civilization-advancing accomplishments that the Babylonian Empire is most notable for. This is unquestionably proven by the fact that they were courteous enough to write down their mathematical tables on cuneiform clay tablets, which were utilized as teaching tools for the most accomplished students.

Furthermore, First Dynasty Babylonians were able to identify applications for complex mathematics that the bulk of pupils today have never been able to. They were able to create and target modern siege weapons for their time, which was crucial for subduing foes like the Akkadian Empire. Additionally, it was useful for maximizing agricultural yields and dividing up scarce arable land.

They were so lauded for their mathematical prowess that speculation in 2017 that a particular cuneiform known as Plimpton 322 might provide a better trigonometry model than those currently in use was aggressively refuted by Scientific American in August of that same year, warning everyone not to "fall for [the] hype."