According to the relevant Wikipedia aritcle
> _The roots of algebra can be traced to the ancient Babylonians_
whereas the word "Algebra" that is used today to describe this branch of mathematics originates from the arabic language
> _Algebra (from Arabic al-jebr meaning "reunion of broken parts")_
As it stated in the article, other civilizations of the time (like Greeks, Egyptians and Chinese), used geometric method to solve equations, in contrast to the arithmetic methods ob the Babylonians that led to the subsequent development of this branch.