I don't agree. It's easy to backseat drive the chariot now, but at the time? A mile as one thousand paces? That seems sensible when you're measuring distance for men marching and horses or oxen pulling wagons. I can't really speak to their monetary system, I'd have to read up on it more. And for numbers, well, you can hardly fault them for not using something that didn't exist yet.
For units in general, though, there are definite benefits to a base 12 system over base 10: You can easily deal with halves, thirds, and quarters without introducing decimals.
Oh, and I did chuckle a bit at your Lego remark. I'm glad you phrased it that way :D