Tucked away in a seemingly forgotten corner of the Istanbul Archaeology Museum, Daniel Mansfield found what may solve one of ancient math’s biggest questions. First exhumed in 1894 from what is now ...
A scientist has revealed that an ancient clay tablet could be the oldest and most complete example of applied geometry. The surveyor's field plan from the Old Babylon period shows that ancient ...
Engravings on ostrich eggshells dating back around 60,000 years may offer new clues about the cognitive abilities of early humans. Researchers from the University of Bologna analysed 112 fragments ...
A Classics student is trying to reconstruct the history of geometrical and mathematical diagrams by examining copies and translations of Elements, the ancient work of Greek mathematician Euclid.
Katie has a PhD in maths, specializing in the intersection of dynamical systems and number theory. She reports on topics from maths and history to society and animals. Katie has a PhD in maths, ...
Humans have been drawing lines and circles to grasp geometrical concepts and describe the laws of nature for about 5,000 years. But most scholars have approached the history of ancient mathematical ...
An aerial view of one of the circular enclosures at Göbekli Tepe in Turkey Gil Haklay / AFTAU Göbekli Tepe, a roughly 11,500-year-old complex in southeastern Turkey, is t he world’s oldest temple. Now ...
Learn why the achievements of Egypt, Babylon and Greece, though child’s play today, still stand as remarkable feats of intellect. It’s humbling to realize that much of high-school math, so vexing to ...
Computers are working to solve an age-old geometry problem. Humans can’t “square the circle” by hand, which was proven in the 1800s. Computer solutions involve infinity, complexity, and some ...