Greeks ‘borrowed Egyptian numbers’
By Paul Rincon
BBC Science
The astronomers, physicists and mathematicians of ancient Greece were true innovators.
But one thing it seems the ancient Greeks did not invent was the counting system on which many of their greatest thinkers based their pioneering calculations. New research suggests the Greeks borrowed their system known as alphabetic numerals from the Egyptians, and did not develop it themselves as was long believed.
Greek alphabetic numerals were favoured by the mathematician and physicist Archimedes, the scientific philosopher Aristotle and the mathematician Euclid, amongst others.
Trade explosion
An analysis by Dr Stephen Chrisomalis of McGill University in Montreal, Canada, showed striking similarities between Greek alphabetic numerals and Egyptian demotic numerals, used in Egypt from the late 8th Century BC until around AD 450.
Both systems use nine signs in each “base” so that individual units are counted 1-9, tens are counted 10-90 and so on. Both systems also lack a symbol for zero.
Dr Chrisomalis proposes that an explosion in trade between Greece and Egypt after 600 BC led to the system being adopted by the Greeks.
Greek merchants may have seen the demotic system in use in Egypt and adapted it for their own purposes.
BBC Science: Greeks ‘borrowed Egyptian numbers’
“How Europe is in Denial”, huh? The very existence of this article should have discouraged that conclusion, but I suppose such a lack of intellectual sophistication is predictable from you people. As you would know if you weren’t biased, the Egyptians have never been black. So an “African” influence, yes; but a black influence, no. So don’t get so excited. Westerners have risen far beyond simple computations anyway. The Egyptians never approached rocket science or nanotechnology, or computer and internet technology, or satellite and radio technology. So where does math count more?
what??? you got to come better than that>>>> SK\\
@ Skeptic: Everyone in the Bible and ancient Egypt were black. Christ himself was as black as black can be. You are an edomite the very people God hates and will deal with upon the Messiah’s return.
Hello Skeptic,
1. Egpytians were not whites. They were Negros with all the negroid features. I suggest you do more reading. Do not look at the present Egyptian complexion to draw a conclusion of the Ancient Egyptians. Yes ancient Egypt was surrounded and threatened by white invaders such as Lybia but ancient Egyptians and their civilization were purely BLACK.
2. I would agree that modern civilisation has been dominated by the westerner, but as every scientists or thinker will attest to that, that technology, invention and science to be precise are built on previous work. It should be well accepted that Black Africans have contributed immersely to Philosophy, Science, Medicine, Art and Music intetectually via Ancient Egyptian (black) civilsation since what we know as western adavncement is basically building on what was borrowed.
3. Although colonization on Africa in my mind did more harm for Africa than good, I would also not excuse the present dire situation/conditions Africans or blacks find themselves in. I think Blacks should reclaim the stolen legacy, which will give them more confidence to take their own destiny in their hands and minds.
Mr Skeptic, if you want more facts and evidence reagrding what I have written, pls contact me on nhyirah20@yahoo.com. I think we can have sensible debate with the intention of coming to the facts and truth about Black civilization.
KOD
Zero is an Indian concept. It filtered through Arabia and was transmitted to Europe that way. It’s common knowledge. No one denies knowledge is portable.
It’s wierd how there’s an attempt to pretend the Greeks didn’t have a moment where they were breaking new ground. I do not understand it.
Huge numbers of them had to have been black. However, probably not many more or less than are in Modern Egypt. It’s hard to imagine they are very different from the current Egpytians. Sadat was black. So I imagine there were black pharoes. America is majority white but it has a black president and a politically active black population.
However, ideas originate in the minds of innovative individuals. It’s why we have patent and copy laws today.
Sceptic
You sound angry and confused. That one article must have surely deflated your ignorant hubris.
And ignorantly you have asked, what has Maths got to do with it. Like a complete innumerate goy that you are.
Maths is the key to it all. He who founded Maths, founded it all.
Jahdey
Africa is certainly in crisis today. But it is racist to assume that since the creation of the world Africa has not contributed to science nor influenced Europe. Aristotle, Plato, and Cicero thought of the rest of Europeans as barbarians. Chauvinism aside, Europe or the West is leading the world today because since the renaissance they borrowed from China, and the rest of the world. In ancient times, Greeks borrowed from Egypt, Mesopotamia, etc. What is Japan without China or Western influence. NOUS SOMMES TOUS DES METIS CULTURELS. By the Way China and India are rising up. Good luck Europe!
As for the blackness of Egyptians, this debate is over. Egyptians were clearly not British, German or French.
Well, thank you Mutombo for a breath of sanity between those bursts of jingoism. Egypt certainly WAS black, as archaeologists now recognize: Egyptian civilization formed from a mixture of Saharan (African Aquatic, the ancestors of modern W Africans) and Nubian-derived Neolithic Nile Valley farmers. And Greek was unique, not an imitation of Egypt, not a theft.
Métis sommes nous! Indeed that is true. All peoples have contributed. I continue to learn from peoples of many varied ancestries and cultural traditions. I don’t see why all these traditions and peoples have to be set against each other in an endless racialist competition. This is madness! Stop it!
Wow I think you guys got horribly side tracked by turning this discovery into a race war. Some of you are using big words to sound smart and others are just contradicting theselves. Just relax and learn something
My two cents.
The Egyptians of antiquity were with out a doubt Black/Negroid. 3 words Cheik Anta Diop, look this name up and read.
Here is a question that Dr. Cheik Anta Diop Left me with. Why do we know whites come from Europe and Yellows comes from Asia, yet Blacks don’t have a home land? Hmmm
Everyone agrees that the birth place of mankind is in western Africa so why do we not continue this obvious linear track?
If B.S were currency,Skeptic could bail out the entire economy.
Bigotry is the triumph of the imagination over both fact and common sense.
The truth hurts!
I have heard a lot this is a comment! since the earth have ever been created people was united and shared all their possessions in communion. Africa, Europe and Asia were the only continents existed at that period. People had good intetions towards each other the only things which cause us today to be arguing about Africans, Europeans and Asians were brought up by some extremists people who din’t care about others and most of this world we live in today have the same mentality of segregation and lying instead. We know clearly that every part of this world had it own civilizations and we connot just compare those who lived on the 1st Century and us today. Invasions take time even if we may say that we now living in the modern world it’s ok but imagine we won’t be the same as those who will come after; maybe they will discover other precious things which in our days we did not think of, they won’t lament us. In the years 250 for example people who lived during this period would not create a computer or a plane everything takes time. I believe before the computer exist there were other means of writing which helped them in their days. Let support each other there is nothing important here on earth, we are not gonna live here for ages let treat each other with mercy, love and each and everyone tell the truth but not the nonsence which will linger to nothing but will only teach, conduct and corrupt the new generation to come to hate each other. Remember we are all going somewhere none will inherit this earth forever.
With all that has been said Yesterday is gone!!! today is here ……(and look out, tomorrow is yet to come)… we Have learned to exist in a world that is ran by complete supremacy… we won’t say to much more then that… however what we now know, was not invented yesterday??? therefore Africa, Black, Roman, Blue or green we all know that tomorrows leaders are not selling for the OKIEDOKE… WE WANT THE TRUTH!! ????Will we be sucessful… i guess will have to see>>> just wait till tomorrow. REligion, WAr, Economics, SEx, EDUCATION, etc… the WAKE Up and resurrection of HUMANITY has Arise… … So Please prepare for the compensation of the compensated…. ( all GReek and Latin Words) LOL
Egypt country mix of Greek,Turk,Berber and Speaking Arab what race is that?
Well, if we did a little research we would find that the so called African (a relatively new word) is depicted on most of the OLDEST european coats of arms and throughout european culture. These facts give evidence of the stature the copper hued(known as Moors) people had back then. It’s not that hard to find, all you need is a little bravery and honesty. For starters, research the origins of Scotland, Ireland, Germany and England. Who was Scotland named after?, What is St Patrick’s day really about? Who was St. Maurice? And Who were the original druids? I think the past is very relevant. If you don’t know the truth about the past people can and will tell you anything they want about the past and who you are. Like… we brought MILLIONs of Africans to North America in boats that only hold less than 300 people(yes by the same people that thought the world was flat and got lost all the time) or Egyptians were not black even though it’s in so called Africa or George Washington was the first president.(See John Hanson) That’s just silly. But a lack of knowledge will allow some to fall for this type of MIS or DIS-information. We know the people of Egypt (yet another new word.Whose true name is Kemaat) had hot and cold running water, electric light bulbs and many other advanced technologies which inspire our way of life still. We know they were copper hued because their names and ancient hieroglyphs tell us so. So yeah its relevant. With proper study we would trace back to a factual historic time when the land mass was one (undivided Mu, Asia etc) before the big quake. Cnn and the NY Times both did stories recently about the mother of civilization (Eve) being a copper hued woman. So that means the copper hued people not only have been around for a long time but were already the indigenous to all the lands. The point is it doesn’t matter how one distorts history, the evidence is there to support the fact that copper hued people were/are the original founders of civilization including but not limited to Greek, Egyptian, American cultures. Outside of the US most people know the truth of true history it is just people in the US that are in denial.
Peace and love to all.
P.S. Yes I did say Moors. No they were not just arabs (research). It’s not about who’s there now it’s about who was there during these historical periods. EX.: Harlem NY has many new europeans moving and living there but that doesn’t mean that they were involved with the Harlem renaissance of the early 1900′s. Therefor they can not take the place of those who were there during that time. Different people but still considered New Yorkers. GET IT?
It is common knowledge that the numerical system first originated in the Indus valley and was developed by the Vedic and Sanskrit people.
Hindus taught the Arabs, who passed the knowledge to the Greeks who then founded a civilization in North Africa.
Egypt was basically a third world colony of Greece and Rome, ruled by the Greco-Macedonian elite, using the natives as slaves to build the architecture that we now call ancient Egypt.
As for civilizations in Africa….there is only one. Its called the Republic of South Africa.
You sound like a RACIST BIGOT and IGNORANT EUROCLOWN.
Read Ruins Of Empire —-by Count Volney,Herotudus and Abbe Emile Amelineau.
There is no need to respond to PSYCHOPATHIC RACIST FOOL LIKE YOU.
AFRICANS ARE THE FIRST AND WE ARE BACK TO CLAIM OUR RIGHTFUL PLACE.
WE ARE BACK AND NOW YOU ARE RUNNING SCARED.
Europeans are simply Destroyers and Thieves,claiming what’s not theirs.
Live in your fools paradise.
The original Egyptians were African and Asiatic people who lived on the shores of the Nile River. They were people of dark olive to light olive complexions. As time progressed, people of Europe and the Nubians resided in the land of Egypt. The slave trade by the Arabs also caused the complexions of the Egyptians to change to very light olive to white.
The Egyptians taught Aristotle and other Fathers of Greece how to set up a political system for their people in Greece. The Egyptians were the most intelligent people in the known world.
Aristotle’s dogma probably retarded scientific progress btw. It required experimental methodolgy to actual get to the Empirical fact based science of the modern age.
Classical civilization was a deadend.
hey,you better believe and stop bamboozling your selves,AFRICA and THE BLACK COLOR is the genesis of creation,do not be fooled just read far and wide,there are hidden truths,we need to tell the next generation the truth so they will not run from it.AFRICA BELONGS TO AFRICANS ,THEY ARE OUR STUDENTS ,WE TAUGHT THEM MANY THINGS…………Jah arise and all African enemies scatter……..just get to my site for more facts….antwisarpong.yolasite.com.
civilization in africa try the Great Zimbabean ruins
BLACK TO THE FUTURE,CAGOTS on their way out taking their lies wit them.The Black gene can create BLACK just like the creator that made us in their image brown,red,yellow the lightest, then you have the outcast cursed to be white as snow.The original had to be black in color a hue.All things started Black just like creation. The apple don’t fall far from the tree,but mutant albinos came from a different tree.We are the original created, not made up. It’s too late for so-called whites to get it together,we have always had that priviledge we are the real that the creator gave the earth to,all these misconceptions will be corrected,his-story will be corrected.Our HUEMAN children will be the inheirtors of the land only we can pass down through the family.Knowledge is power.2013 year 1, we had B.C AND A.D that’s when the Cagots STOLE OUR BIRTHRIGHT so 2013 must be B.B the year BACK BLACK Or should it be Fear of a BLACK nation is here. But we must be willin to kill to regain our lands and knowledge for our greatest treasure,our only treasure, our seed,and inheritor of this world.Our civilizations spanded 6000 years,all along the whites were in the caves.In less than 500 years those mutants have destroyed our motherland and mother’s children with their CAGOT lies & philosophy gathered from a non melanined mind.We knew then what we know now.We can never live in harmony with a non-HUEMAN.TOO EVIL.Satan is their father,they have no mother, at least we won’t be claiming them. But no worry the battle has already been won,mother nature is getting them pay back for Katrina & Rita, the only thing Jah true chillin’ can do is get out the way our mother is helping us out sending a warning via Afrika.She travels the same path as the ships that the CAGOTS brought our people over here,that was a blessing us Indians, MOORS, were damn near wiped out by the disease of leprosy.Cursed white as snow,frequent visits from masser. Our Black enriched brothers & Sisters put the black back in us,curing the disease of leprosy our cave dwellers tried to inflict on the true children of the creator.They know we taught them and saved them since we first laid eyes on them.nOW THE TIDES ARE TURNING the lands they stole are cursed,the lies are out.How they set themselves up to be us the creators children created not made.Peace only for ourselves me say war.
Hi melody! please i will be grateful to get in touch with You. My email daisy198748@yahoo.co.uk. I want some information and i believe you will be o f great help. Hope to hear from you soon.
Are you blaming outsiders for Congo being a charnel house?
Or the anarchy in Somalia?
The genocides in Sierra Leone and Liberia?
Seriously?
Just so we are clear here. If there were no black people white people wouldn’t exist. All white people are born abominations aka freaks of nature. You are the recessive genes of black people. This is why scientists use albino rats to test drugs on because it closely matches your genetic make up. The very people no one wants to give a place in this world are responsible for your very existence. We need to stop hating one another and reach out to everyone. No one needs to talk of killing. Only God can free an enslaved mind not us. We just need to keep telling the truth.
“Time is the Space between” Black and White, and Time is cyclical. As our Father Sun heats up, where will the inheritors of our melanocytes, but not our melanin take refuge? Back to their caves? If we’re allowed to stick around we may be lucky enough to observe the Neotenous aspects of creation.
Classical civilization collapsed because it did not invent the experimental model. Had they conducted scientific observations with single variables they probably would have continued undisturbed to get to the moon 500 years ago. Experiments that could be considered modern really only got going 500 hundred years ago, largely in France, Italy and England. Most of classical civilization required slaves. Modern civiliations are different in that they use machines. Arguing about the authorship of Aristotle and Plato is like arguing about the authorship of Augustine or St Paul.
It describes another bygone era.