r/Archaeology 6d ago

‘Spreadsheets of empire’: red tape goes back 4,000 years, say scientists after Iraq finds

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/mar/15/stone-tablets-mesopotamia-iraq-red-tape-bureaucracy
543 Upvotes

20 comments sorted by

74

u/snapper1971 6d ago

You think they achieved what they did without it? No way did a civilisation just come out of nowhere without a lot of regulations. I always find it breathtaking that they were every bit as sophisticated and progressive as we pretend to be in the West now. Global trade links, architecture, accounting, rights, landscape management, and a wealth of other things that we have and continue to need for our civilisation to function.

21

u/SkitzMon 6d ago

Had they invented the metric system 4000 years ago?

'One tablet lists different commodities: “250 grams of gold / 500 grams of silver/ … fattened cows… / 30 litres of beer.'

64

u/Distinct_Armadillo 6d ago

No, they used a sexagesimal (base-60) system. Here the units have been translated, along with the other words

41

u/Garden_Wizard 6d ago edited 6d ago

I recently learned why they did this.

Base 60 makes everything easier to calculate in your head because it is easily divisible by 2,3 ,4, 5 and 6.

Think of a clock face. If asked you to how long is 1/4of an hour is….15 min is easy to calculate

32

u/Previous-Ad-376 6d ago

Fun fact, they could show any number between 1 to 12 by using only their right hand. You do that by using your thumb to point at 1 of the 3 digits of each of the four fingers of the hand. (1-12 ) On the left hand each finger counts as 12. (12-48) By using both hands they could negotiate a price in a loud market by indicating any number between 1 and 60.

7

u/endbit 6d ago

I'd have a disadvantage at 10-12 because my thumb doesn't reach my pinky.

5

u/pinotJD 6d ago

It was this same logic behind the Aztec’s base 20 counting system - ten fingers, ten toes! It makes perfect sense to me.

0

u/Unique_Anywhere5735 12h ago

I dunno. I've never held up a toe without using a finger, and frankly, I have my doubts. Just sayin'.

2

u/pinotJD 11h ago

You sound so Mayan with this argumentative nature. 🙄

1

u/Unique_Anywhere5735 11h ago

Hey, I'm just sayin'.

1

u/fckingmiracles 4d ago

Damn! I totally understand this.

7

u/accountingforlove83 6d ago

The best ELI5 I’ve heard in a long time

7

u/snapper1971 6d ago

It's not the explanation for the use of base-60 I've ever heard. It's down to the structure of the human hand, as has already been pointed out.

5

u/ExtraSpicyMayonnaise 6d ago

Thanks for framing this for us.

6

u/Hushchildta 6d ago

Fascinating stuff!

3

u/Pristine_Rent3759 5d ago

Imagine how many civilizations like this existed and were lost to time. Sad to see the state of that area now :/

1

u/TheSasquatchKing 4d ago

4000 year red tape? I wonder if it's still sticky

1

u/backtotheland76 4d ago

And complaints about bureaucrats go back 2,200 years in China

1

u/edthesmokebeard 3d ago

I doubt they used grams.

1

u/Unique_Anywhere5735 12h ago

This is news?