A History of Mathematics

The debate, extending well beyond the confines of Egypt, about whether to credit progress in mathematics to the practical men (the surveyors, or “rope-stretchers”) or to the contemplative elements of society (the priests and the philosophers) has continued to our times. As we shall see, the history of mathematics displays a constant interplay between these two types of contributors.

While studies of canine arithmetic or avian geometry belong to the zoologist, of the impact of brain lesions on number sense to the neurologist, and of numerical healing incantations to the anthropologist, all of these studies may prove to be useful to the historian of mathematics without being an overt part of that history.

Mathematical vestiges are often found in the domain of nonliterate cultures, making the evaluation of their significance even more complex. Rules of operation may exist as part of an oral tradition, often in musical or verse form, or they may be clad in the language of magic or ritual.