Mathematics

*Image of a carving of Egyptian "numerals". Each picture represents a numerical value*

The development of mathematics by the Ancient Egyptians had a significant impact in that it demonstrated the first fraction and decimal system, and influenced the division and multiplication systems.

The development of advanced mathematics by the Ancient Egyptians began around 1650 BCE. Mathematics was developed to be able to calculate volume and area, and to be able to divide rations among the people. Scholars and others who were considered smart in the field of mathematics created a series of complex problems known as the Rhind Papyrus-believed to have been developed by a scribe named Ahmes around 1650 BCE- to challenge others’ knowledge in math. By creating fractions and decimals along with being able to multiply and divide, early Egyptians were able to calculate the amount of a material needed and divided rations among themselves. They were able to equally split whatever was needed; such as food, water, and work. One key thing to mention is that Egyptian multiplication was additive, meaning they added on top of each value (ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, etc.) until they found the roughly equivalent answer.

Their contributions led to a more accurate way of calculations by using fractions and smaller values. The people got more equal rations, and they were able to know roughly the amount of materials needed for construction, how much work an individual has to contribute in a certain amount of time, and find the area/volume over a plot of land. With more even rations, there was less competition and fighting between people. Work was evenly divided between men, so no man was doing more or less than the others. The only main downside was the inaccuracy of some of the calculations. For example, the area and volume of certain shapes were harder to find than others. Of course, they were not always 100% accurate, but in their time, their ways of calculations were extremely advanced. Overall, the innovation made day-to-day life easier. Work, materials, and rations were able to be divided well, and it was pretty easy to understand. 

The Rhind papyrus was a sheet of papyrus that had 91 mathematical questions such as division/multiplication of rations and finding area and volume. The Rhind papyrus was a mixture of all sorts of problems for scholars learning in the field of mathematics. It was a way to teach those scholars (some who would become skilled in that field) about some basic and complex systems/operations. Those who became skilled got jobs that required skills in the field of mathematics so to be able to split rations and work, and even to become teachers who would later teach the next generation of scribes*. The Rhind papyrus made teaching scholars about mathematics a lot easier, and challenged those who were willing to learn. There were many examples that were used in day-to-day life that would give a better understanding of how to split things evenly and calculate the area plus volume of a given project.

The Ancient Egyptians’ contributions to the field of mathematics had a huge impact on the way the ancient civilization was run. Their systems of calculation of volume and area were accurate and simple. The Rhind papyrus contributed to the learning of young mathematicians, who would help contribute and add more accurate ways of calculation.

*Scribes- Since there was no term for “mathematicians”, scholars who specialized in mathematics were oftentimes called scribes.