THE MATHEMATICS OF ANCIENT EGYPT . BACK TO THE ANCIENTS

MATHEMATICS ORIGINS

ZERO

ARITHMETIC*
counting glyphs, addition & subtraction, multiplication & division, fractions

ALGEBRA*
simple algebra, simple equations, simultaneous equations,
arithmetic series, geometric series

GEOMETRY*
still under construction: computing
, the pythagorean theorem, formulae for area & volume

PAPYRI

EGYPT MATHEMATICS LINKS

SOURCES

* PLEASE NOTE: Netscape 3.0 is needed to see superscripts and subscripts.

WHAT ARE THE ORIGINS OF MATHEMATICS ?

 

 

The Egyptians had a calendar as early as 4800 BC, but in 4200 BC their mathematics and astronomy produced a 365 day calendar (12 months of 30 days + 5 feast days). By 3100 BC (the time of the Egyptian mace ) various agricultural communities along the banks of the Nile were united by a Nubian, Menes, who founded a dynasty of 32 Pharoahs and lasted 3000 years. For more than half that time, Egypt included parts of modern Israel and Syria as well as the Nile Valley. To rule effectively, an efficient and extensive administration was developed for taking taxes, census, and maintaining a large army. All of this required some mathematics. At first they used counting glyphs, but even by 2000 BC, the hieratic glyphs were in use. For information on sources, see Egyptian Mathematical Papyri.

 

Herodotus, the Greek (~500 BC), wrote: [Pharaoh Ramses II (~1300 BC)] divided the land into lots and gave a square piece of equal size, from the produce of which he exacted an annual tax. [If] any man's holding was damaged by the encroachment of the river ... [The Pharoah] ... would send inspectors [and surveyors] to measure the extent of the loss, in order that he pay in future a fair proportion of the tax at which his property had been assessed. Perhaps this was the way in which geometry was invented, and passed afterwards in to Greece.

 

Another judge of the Greek's high estimation of the Egyptians mathematics comes from a boast of Democritus (~410 BC), who wrote: No one surpasses me in the construction of lines with [the help of a ruler and compass], not even the so-called rope-stretchers  (surveyors) among the Egyptians.

 

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Time Line of Ancient Egyptian Civilization

Prehistoric Era

Lower Paleolithic Age

250,000 - 90,000 BC

 Middle Paleolithic Age

90,000 - 30,000 BC 

 Late Paleolithic Age

30,000 BC - 7000 BC 

 Neolithic Age

7000 - 4800 BC 

 Predynastic Period

4800 - 3050 BC 

Upper Egypt

Badarian Culture

4800 - 4200 BC

365 day calandar by 4200 BC

Amratian Culture

4200 - 3700 BC

Gerzean A Culture

3700 - 3250 BC

Gerzean B Culture

3250 - 3050 BC

mace from 3100 BC exhibited numbers in the millions

Lower Egypt

Fayum A Culture

4800 - 4250 BC

Merimde Culture

4500 - 3500 BC

Archaic Period

3050 - 2705 BC

Dynasties 1-2

 Old Kingdom

2705 - 2213 BC 

Dynasties 3-8

 First Intermediate Period

2213 - 1991 BC 

2900 B.C. The great pyramid at Giza is constructed.

Dynasties 9-11

 Middle Kingdom

1991 - 1668 BC 

1850 B.C. "Moscow" papyrus contains 25 mathematical problems.

Dynasties 12-13

 2nd Intermediate Period

1668 - 1570 BC 

1650 B.C. Ahmes papyrus contains 85 mathematical problems.

Dynasties 14-17

 New Kingdom

1570 - 1070 BC 

Dynasties 18-20

 Late Period 1070 - 656 BC 

Dynasties 21-24

Dynasty 25 (Kushite Domination)

Assyrian Domination

 Saite Period

685 - 525 BC 

Dynasty 26

 Persian Period

525 - 332 BC 

Dynasties 27-31

 Greek and Roman Period

332 BC - 395 AD

 

 

 

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*I am appreciative of many discussions on egyptian mathematics, and my suppositions, with colleagues Samuel D. Schack and Stephen Schanuel of my department. And Milo Gardner. Any errors are entirely due to my inadequacies.