CLEP Western Civ I

Answer: E - Astronomy is the oldest natural science, and it was studied the most of any scientific field in the Ancient Near East to satisfy questions in a wide range of other subjects, including mathematics, religion, philosophy, divination, time-keeping and agriculture. The sexagesimal (base 60) system developed by the Sumerians endures today in time-keeping- there are 60 minutes in one hour. Not only was astronomy vital in the establishment of time-keeping, the celestial records that the Mesopotamians and Egyptians created while they charted time ultimately contributed to the study of astronomy for its own sake and provided the earliest documentation of key events, like the passing of certain comets (later understood to be on recurrent paths).