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Ishango bone
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The Ishango bone, discovered at the "Fisherman Settlement" of Ishango in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is a bone tool and possible mathematical device that dates to the Upper Paleolithic era.
The Ishango bone on exhibition at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences
The Ishango bone on exhibition at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences
Tally marks
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Tally marks, also called hash marks, are used as a basic numeral system for counting; they can be thought of as a unary numeral system.
Ishango bone
…significance or astrological relevance. It is thought by some to be a tally stick, as it features a series of marks that have been interpreted as tally marks carved in three columns running the length of the tool, although it has also been suggested that the scratches might have been to create a better grip…
A "five-barred gate" on a chalkboard
A "five-barred gate" on a chalkboard
In the dot and line (or dot-dash) tally, dots represent counts from 1 to 4, lines 5 to 8, and diagonal lines 9 and 10. This method is commonly used in
In the dot and line (or dot-dash) tally, dots represent counts from 1 to 4, lines 5 to 8, and diagonal lines 9 and 10. This method is commonly used in forestry and related fields.