By the middle of the 2nd millennium BC, Babylonian mathematics had a sophisticated base 60 positional numeral system. The lack of a positional value (or zero) was indicated by a space between sexagesimal numerals. In a tablet unearthed at Kish (dating to as early as ), the scribe Bêl-bân-aplu used three hooks as a placeholder in the same Babylonian system. By , a punctuation symbol (two slanted wedges) was repurposed as a placeholder.
By the middle of the 2nd millennium BC, Babylonian mathematics had a sophisticated base 60 positional numeral system. The lack of a positional value (or zero) was indicated by a space between sexagesimal numerals. In a tablet unearthed at Kish (dating to as early as ) the scribe Bêl-bân-aplu used thre.e hooks as a placeholder ,in the same Babylonian system By , a punctuation symbol (two slanted wedges) was repurposed as a placeholder.