Mathematicians of the African Diaspora presents THE ANCIENTS

THE ANCIENTS

to enlarge, click picture

Most histories of mathematics devote only a few pages to Ancient Egypt and to northern Africa during the 'Middle Ages´. Generally they ignore the history of mathematics in Africa south of the Sahara and give the impression that this history either did not exist or, at least, is not knowable, traceable, or, stronger still, that there was no mathematics at all south of the Sahara. In history, to Europeans, even the Africanity of Egyptian mathematics is often denied or suffers eurocentric views of conceptions of both 'history' and of 'mathematics' form the basis of such views. Contrary to the popular view, one can neither racially or geographically separate Egyptian civilization from its black African roots.

Myths and Lies

Truths

Lebombo bone
in Swaziland, the oldest mathematical object

Ishango bone
Zaire-Uganda 8000 years ago

Zimbabwe

Egypt
before the Greeks who borrowed the numbers

pre-Colonial Nigeria

Angola-Zambia
Tanzania

AMUCHMA - African Mathematical Union Comission on the History of Mathematics in Africa,
an important resource for the topics below

North Africa (since the 9th century)

Below the Sahara (an overview)

The Canary Islands

Number systems and Calendars of the Berber
references

don't forget MODERN AFRICAN MATH and AFRICAN AMERICAN MATH

Since opening 5/25/97, visitors

MATHEMATICIANS OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA

These web pages are brought to you by

The Mathematics Department of
The State University of New York at Buffalo.

created and maintained by
Dr. Scott W. Williams
Professor of Mathematics
CONTACT Dr. Williams

to enlarge, click picture	Most histories of mathematics devote only a few pages to Ancient Egypt and to northern Africa during the 'Middle Ages´. Generally they ignore the history of mathematics in Africa south of the Sahara and give the impression that this history either did not exist or, at least, is not knowable, traceable, or, stronger still, that there was no mathematics at all south of the Sahara. In history, to Europeans, even the Africanity of Egyptian mathematics is often denied or suffers eurocentric views of conceptions of both 'history' and of 'mathematics' form the basis of such views. Contrary to the popular view, one can neither racially or geographically separate Egyptian civilization from its black African roots.
Myths and Lies	Truths	Lebombo bone in Swaziland, the oldest mathematical object		Ishango bone Zaire-Uganda 8000 years ago
Zimbabwe	Egypt before the Greeks who borrowed the numbers	pre-Colonial Nigeria	Angola-Zambia	Tanzania
AMUCHMA - African Mathematical Union Comission on the History of Mathematics in Africa, an important resource for the topics below
North Africa (since the 9th century)	Below the Sahara (an overview)	The Canary Islands	Number systems and Calendars of the Berber		references