Ancient Africa is so much more than just a mysterious backdrop for mystical tales. Contrary to popular belief, or perhaps lack thereof, mathematics was an integral part of African culture. The ancient African life are filled with remarkable influences and developments that transcended mathematics into art, culture and society. From the world’s oldest known mathematical game to the bases of computers systems we use today.
And it’s no surprise – African regions south of the Sahara were practically swimming in repeated geometric and symmetry patterned decor of everyday items like houses, gourds, baskets and pipes. Even more impressive is how geometric patterns on cultural items such as a piece of fabric can be traced back to their makers using nothing more than knowledge about symmetry in geometric patterns: yes, maths is literally woven into the history of African people!
Not only were the Bushmen capable of recognizing up to 175 species of plants as a food source, but they were also able to find their way back to the exact spot where a watery root plant was located several months prior. The African Stonehenge found in present-day Kenya is another example that displays the mathematical thinking and design sense embedded in ancient African life – here, people used the structure as a calendar. The early Stone Age people used it to plan their lives using the sun’s movements. These ancient thinkers carefully placed stones in such a way that they could track the sun’s shadow across them and use that as a calendar. How amazing is that?
In ancient African life, Mathematical thinking and design skills infiltrated every aspect of the African life, from architecture to music and beyond but also fused into seemingly unlikely aspects of day-to-day life. Every adult member of an Ancient African community – was well-equipped with the know-how, dexterity and acumen necessary to construct his or her own dwelling! Now that’s one mind-boggling fact worth paying attention to. It’s fascinating to think about what else could be found around this vast continent if anyone took the time to look!
Report also has it that the Yoruba people from present-day Nigeria created their own complex counting system? Instead of using a base system of 10 like many modern cultures do, they chose to count in units and multiple of 20! It almost seems like their own version of “double digits” – but with a twist. Truly an intriguing bit of math history not everyone has heard about!
