Egyptian Number System(s)?
What was their number system?
How did such a question, or even this page begin?
The easy part, is that as usual, I picked up one of my many books, in
my library to read.
I collect books during my travels. Sometimes, it might be years before I
get a chance to actually read some of them, while other times I might pick
up a book to add to my collection, becuase it had one interesting
paragraph.
There are even some books, that I add to my library, because one
sentence inspired me to think of many other things, that have nothing to
do with the actual book. It is just a thought that comes across my radar,
and that will normally justify adding that particular book to my library.
Then, over time, these many bits and pieces add up to something to
think about and write about.
Today, such a book and thought prompted me to create this addition to
the site. Yes, it is hot in July 2005, and I picked up one of many books
from my library. This day it was
Blacks in Science
(ancient and modern).
There is an area about how eurocentrics portray all things Egyptian as,
well, Eurocentric, even though their history and artifacts clearly show
them to be African.
However, if we can actually stretch our minds, if a movie about the
Jewish ghettos of Germany or the black ghettos of America were created in
China or Spain, then most, if not all of the people in the movie would be
Chinese in China and Spanish in Spain. This also helps to prove the books
original point, that the Egyptians were Africans, because they would not
make up the features in their portraits and paintings and sculptures.
However, the interesting thing was the point that math was established
and living well in Egypt, which many do not like to think of as being in
Africa. Selective memory, I think they call this.
The number system appeared to begin with the first 5 numbers
(1,2,3,4,5) and there existed words for these concepts. So, we have a
numbering system, that the west would attempt to call base 5.
The reason, that I say words, is because the first 5 numbers use
Egyptian words to describe them temporally, and later when the number
6,7,8, and 9 were added, they were worded using Semitic phrases.
Studying things Egyptian, I came across the idea of the Master Book
of Knowledge that was studied by those who were able to go to the
great schools of Egypt, before the dawn of time, or at least the flicker
of the candle light in Europe.
Those students studied the Book of Knowledge, that consisted of 42
books. Which kind of gets us to that magic number in the Hitchhikers Guide
to the Galaxy. The answer to everything is 42. And, I always
wondered how many people actually knew that this was the correct answer,
because the Book of Knowledge in Egypt contained 42 volumes?
