Early African Mathematics
From notched bones in Central Africa to Egyptian papyri and Timbuktu manuscripts, Africa holds some of the oldest records of mathematical thinking.
- Region
- Central Africa, Nile Valley, Sahel
- Span
- c. 20,000 years ago to the early modern era
The Ishango bone
Found in 1950 near Lake Edward in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, this notched bone is roughly 20,000 years old. Scholars debate whether its groups of marks are tallies, a lunar count or simple arithmetic.
Egyptian mathematics
The Rhind Mathematical Papyrus, copied around 1550 BCE, works through problems in fractions, areas, volumes and the slope of pyramids, showing a practical mathematics used for building and administration.
Manuscripts of the Sahel
The libraries of Timbuktu preserved texts on astronomy, arithmetic and timekeeping alongside law and theology.