Ancient Number Systems

Ancient number systems refer to the various methods developed by different civilizations to represent and manipulate numerical values before the advent of the modern Hindu-Arabic numeral system. These systems often utilized distinct symbols or glyphs to denote numbers and varied significantly in their structure and complexity. For instance, the Egyptian numeral system employed a base-10 structure with unique hieroglyphs for powers of 10, while the Roman numeral system used combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet. In Hebrew, ancient number systems are referred to as מערכות מספרים עתיקות. Other notable systems include the Babylonian numeral system, which was base-60, and the Chinese numeral system, which has evolved over millennia. These systems were integral to the mathematical, commercial, and administrative practices of their respective cultures, laying the groundwork for more advanced mathematical concepts and techniques.