Eli5 why is time measured in base 12 and 60 when we generally use base 10 for everything else?

Question

Eli5 why is time measured in base 12 and 60 when we generally use base 10 for everything else?

In: Other

Answer 1

Our timekeeping and calendar practtices appear to have originated in Sumer about 5,000 to 6,000 years ago. The Sumerians used a base 60 number system (ours is base 10) so their timekeeping and calendar practices stuck.