Why are there 360 degrees in a circle?

Recently, on the Web, there have been a number of mathematical attempts to answer the question

Why are there 360 degrees in a circle?

The Answer may be as simple as God commanded it so

Imagine if we could go back 5000 years, and ask the Chief Priest in the Ancient City of Lagash

His answer might be something like this.

Dear Sir, this is an ancient standard which is over 2000 years old. (7000 today)

There are 360 degrees in a circle — Because the great God Sin commanded it be so.

He would have been emphatic.

I am Sin, God of the Moon, and father of the Sun God Utu

It is important that you Do NOT ABANDON that which I have taught you.

I command you to repeat this pledge every day.

You must teach your children to repeat it every day.

Your Chief Priest must repeat it in Public every day.

I am Sin, God of the Moon, and father of the Sun God Utu

The length of my orbit is 60 times the circumference of the Earth,

The radius of my orbit is 60 times the radius of the Earth.

The diameter of my orbit is 60 times the diameter of the Earth.

60 is my sacred number.

You must continue to count by 60,

You must continue to divide the perfect triangle into 60 degrees.

You must continue to divide the circle into 360 degrees.

The length of your step (yard) is determined by the time for the full moon to travel one diameter in the sky.

The length of your step (yard) is that of a pendulum which swings 60 times in that time interval.

Your cubit is one half this length, your foot is one third this length.

Your Sila of volume is 1/1000 of the cube of this step (yard).

Your Mina of weight is the weight of 1/2 this Sila of water.

These things I have given you.

THEY MUST NOT BE ABANDONED

Dear Sir: It is our duty to obey.

A lot can happen in 2000 years. At one time, a year was thought to be 360 days, thus a day equals a degree.

I wonder, did the great God Sin just jump on the bandwagon?

Roland A. Boucher