Mathematics in Ancient Egypt

A Contextual History

Inbunden, Engelska, 2016

AvAnnette Imhausen

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Mathematics in Ancient Egypt traces the development of Egyptian mathematics, from the end of the fourth millennium BC--and the earliest hints of writing and number notation--to the end of the pharaonic period in Greco-Roman times. Drawing from mathematical texts, architectural drawings, administrative documents, and other sources, Annette Imhausen surveys three thousand years of Egyptian history to present an integrated picture of theoretical mathematics in relation to the daily practices of Egyptian life and social structures. Imhausen shows that from the earliest beginnings, pharaonic civilization used numerical techniques to efficiently control and use their material resources and labor. Even during the Old Kingdom, a variety of metrological systems had already been devised. By the Middle Kingdom, procedures had been established to teach mathematical techniques to scribes in order to make them proficient administrators for their king. Imhausen looks at counterparts to the notation of zero, suggests an explanation for the evolution of unit fractions, and analyzes concepts of arithmetic techniques.She draws connections and comparisons to Mesopotamian mathematics, examines which individuals in Egyptian society held mathematical knowledge, and considers which scribes were trained in mathematical ideas and why. Of interest to historians of mathematics, mathematicians, Egyptologists, and all those curious about Egyptian culture, Mathematics in Ancient Egypt sheds new light on a civilization's unique mathematical evolution.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2016-02-16
Mått152 x 235 x 22 mm
Vikt482 g
FormatInbunden
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor248
FörlagPrinceton University Press
ISBN9780691117133

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Geografi inom Naturvetenskap och teknik

*Frontmatter, pg. i*Contents, pg. v*Preface, pg. ix*Introduction, pg. 1*1.The Invention of Writing and Number Notation, pg. 11*2. The Egyptian Number System, pg. 18*3. Uses of Numbers and their Contexts in Predynastic and Early Dynastic Times, pg. 22*4. Summary, pg. 29*5. The Cultural Context of Egyptian Mathematics in the Old Kingdom, pg. 31*6. Metrological Systems, pg. 41*7. Notation of Fractions, pg. 52*8. Summary, pg. 55*9. Mathematical Texts (I): The Mathematical Training of Scribes, pg. 57*10. Foundation of Mathematics, pg. 84*11. Mathematics in Practice and Beyond, pg. 102*12. New Kingdom Mathematical Texts: Ostraca Senmut 153 and Turin 57170, pg. 127*13. Two Examples of Administrative Texts, pg. 133*14. Mathematics in Literature, pg. 143*15. Further Aspects of Mathematics from New Kingdom Sources, pg. 157*16. Summary, pg. 177*17. Mathematical Texts (II): Tradition, Transmission, Development, pg. 179*18. Conclusion: Egyptian Mathematics in Historical Perspective, pg. 205*Bibliography, pg. 209*Subject Index, pg. 225*Egyptian Words and Phrases Index, pg. 231*Index of Mathematical Texts, pg. 233

One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2016 "Imhausen's book is a superb introduction into the field of mathematics in ancient Egypt. She has an incredible mastery of the source material and writes it in an objective way... A fascinating introduction to Egyptian mathematics ... and I would recommend it to anyone interested in the history of mathematics, egyptology, or Egyptian culture."--Alex Criddle, Ancient History Encyclopedia "The book is well written and informative, with copious references to direct readers in further study of this fascinating area of mathematics history."--Choice