Where did we derive 360 degrees in a circle?

Answer 1

Actually, the Sumerians predated the Babylonians. The Sumerians used a sexigesimal number system. Sexigesimal is base 60. The Babylonians got it from the Sumerians. This is also why there are 60 seconds to a minute and 60 minutes to an hour.

Answer 2

I believe that this is from astronomy. Ancient sky watchers across the Northern Hemisphere (particularly in China, India, Arabia, Egypt and Greece) knew that stars would rotate around the "north star" every 360 days or so. That 360 corresponds to the number of days in a year.

As an aside, the Mesopotamians counted by 360's in the same sway we count by 10's and 100's. They may have also had influence as well.

Today, of course, we know that there are 365 days in a year, plus the occasional leap day, and the earth traces out slightly less than 1 degree every day in its orbit around the sun, but the round number 360 still persists to this day!

Answer 3

It is a convention, not a law. You could say there is twice pi in a circle, or one full turn--anything you want.

The 360 nprobably comes from Babylonian astronomer/priests. They counted in base-60, so this is like saying "6 60s around the circle". It probably helps that the year is about 360 days long, and this is also a fundamental cycle.