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"Ancient numeration systems can be an interesting topic of study for elementary and middle school students. First they can learn more about the mathematics of our own system by comparing it to the systems of ancient civilizations. In addition they can learn more about those ancient civilizations from understanding better how they wrote numbers."

"Here is a little history: in 605 b.c.  the Babylonian army defeated the Egyptians in a battle."

"The Sumerians had developed an abstract form of writing based on cuneiform (i.e. wedge-shaped) symbols. Their symbols were written on wet clay tablets which were baked in the hot sun and many thousands of these tablets have survived to this day. It was the use of a stylus on a clay medium that led to the use of cuneiform symbols since curved lines could not be drawn. The later Babylonians adopted the same style of cuneiform writing on clay tablets."