Egyptian number hieroglyphs - Info sheet

The Ancient Egyptians are renowned for their contributions to the scientific arts, with the term "chemistry" itself believed to have been derived from 'Alchemy', their ancient name. They achieved significant progress in various fields including medicine and applied mathematics. While their medical advancements are well-documented, the methods by which they made their mathematical discoveries remain a mystery. Evidence of their sophisticated engineering, astronomy, and administrative skills indicates that they had a profound understanding of mathematics, positioning the Ancient Egyptian civilisation as remarkably advanced for its time. The influence of their deities also played a crucial role in shaping their civilisation, though the specifics of this influence raise questions about the connection between their religious beliefs and their pioneering advancements.

Egyptian hieroglyphs include a set of symbols used to represent numbers, employing a decimal system with seven unique symbols. The number one was depicted by a single stroke, ten by a drawing of a hobble for cattle, one hundred by a coil of rope, one thousand by a lotus plant, ten thousand by a finger, one hundred thousand by a tadpole or frog, and the concept of one million was represented by the figure of a god with arms raised. The rules for writing these numbers were straightforward: higher numbers were placed before lower ones, and when written in rows, one would start from the top. This numeric system further exemplifies the Ancient Egyptians' advanced understanding and their civilisation's forward-thinking nature.