Mathematics in Ancient Africa: Artifacts, Games, and Manuscripts

 

Counting and measuring this world is vital to human civilization. Already, early documentations prove that measurement and calculation can be stumbled upon in Africa. Measurement and calculation, simple or advanced, have their origin on this continent. African mathematics at its best: the evidence for the earliest known use of measurements and calculations is the Lebombo Bone.

 

This is proven by the Lebombo Bone found in Africa, which contains evidence for the use of measurement and calculation during the Upper Palaeolithic Period.

 

The baboon fibula has 29 notches over its length and is named after the Lebombo mountain range where it was discovered, its notches are considered by the majority of archeologists as tally-marks. These notches are considered to be tally-marks by the majority of archaelogists. Radiocarbon dating showed them to be between 44,200 to 43,000 years old. And some arguments concerning the Lebombo's use as to whether it was a data chart or an astronomical calendar or function.

 

Ishango Bone (ca. 20,000 B.C.) is much younger yet basically as spectacular. The Ishango Bone is the fibula of a baboon and just what its exact purpose is still remains a mystery, but experts are almost unanimous in stating that it shows evidence of arithmetic, as it is found in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1960 by a geologist of Belgium Jean de Heinzelin.

 

For instance, the Lebombo Bone is shared across the old continent of Africa along the length of that bone and looks like it were a very old counting chart. Czechoslovakia's oldest, non-African tally-stick, however, is only 30,000 years old.

Another fact about African mathematics is called Gebet'a or "Mancala" game (700 BC-present). It is easily taken as the oldest known evidence of the game Gebet'a, or "Mancala," coming from Ethiopia at Yeha (700 BC); nonetheless, it was possibly played far earlier in Central Africa. Gebet'a enables players to collect stones wisely to have a greater number than one’s opponent.

Counting and measuring this world is vital to human civilization. Already, early documentations prove that measurement and calculation can be stumbled upon in Africa. Measurement and calculation, simple or advanced, have their origin on this continent. African mathematics at its best: the evidence for the earliest known use of measurements and calculations is the Lebombo Bone.

 

This is proven by the Lebombo Bone found in Africa, which contains evidence for the use of measurement and calculation during the Upper Palaeolithic Period.

 

The baboon fibula has 29 notches over its length and is named after the Lebombo mountain range where it was discovered, its notches are considered by the majority of archeologists as tally-marks. These notches are considered to be tally-marks by the majority of archaelogists. Radiocarbon dating showed them to be between 44,200 to 43,000 years old. And some arguments concerning the Lebombo's use as to whether it was a data chart or an astronomical calendar or function.

 

Ishango Bone (ca. 20,000 B.C.) is much younger yet basically as spectacular. The Ishango Bone is the fibula of a baboon and just what its exact purpose is still remains a mystery, but experts are almost unanimous in stating that it shows evidence of arithmetic, as it is found in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1960 by a geologist of Belgium Jean de Heinzelin.

 

For instance, the Lebombo Bone is shared across the old continent of Africa along the length of that bone and looks like it were a very old counting chart. Czechoslovakia's oldest, non-African tally-stick, however, is only 30,000 years old.

 

Another fact about African mathematics is called Gebet'a or "Mancala" game (700 BC-present). It is easily taken as the oldest known evidence of the game Gebet'a, or "Mancala," coming from Ethiopia at Yeha (700 BC); nonetheless, it was possibly played far earlier in Central Africa. Gebet'a enables players to collect stones wisely to have a greater number than one’s opponent.

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