Babylon
Base 60
Unlike the base ten system we use today, the Babylonians used a Base 60 system. Base 60 meant that Babylonians used 60 symbols to express the base ten numbers 0-59. They used this system for all kinds of algebraic equations. Fun fact: Babylonians set a precedent for the measure of degrees, as they arbitrarily decided that the angle of an equilateral triangle would be 60 degrees – equivalent to their base system.
Plimpton 322
The Plimpton 322 clay tablet (1800 BCE) is the first documented evidence of using tables to make calculations. Specifically, this clay tablet is the first known record of Pythagorean triplets (a^2 + b^2 = c^2). The tables allowed the Babylonians to solve real-world problems, such as dividing up and allocating plots of land. However, Babylonians would express algebra verbally without using symbols (aka rhetorical algebra).
Rise of Rhetorical Algebra
To solve problems and determine unknown quantities, Babylonians would first write these equations verbally without using symbols (the modern-day equivalent of a word problem). They would then express the methods of solving these equations with even more descriptions; thus, they set the trend for what is now known as rhetorical/verbal algebra.