AfricaMaat: Africa : The true cradle of mathematical sciences

PRESENTATION PUBLIQUE DE L’OS ISHANGO

EXPOSITION SCIENTIFIQUE - BELGIQUE - 2001

Many Western books are dedicated to the history of mathematics and yet very few of them show openness and objectivity when it comes to appraising the true historical development of mathematical sciences.

By trying to turn this field of knowledge into a European speciality in Ancient times, some researchers unfortunately contributed to lessening the originality of mathematics. The Japanese historian, Kiyosi Yabuuti, who shares this feeling, discloses in his book “A History of Chinese Mathematics” : “Books published in Europe too often infer that sciences, in general, and mathematics, in particular, are the fruit of European civilization alone.”Indeed, numerous peoples throughout the world have expressed their genius in the field of Mathematics, however, historical chronology holds that everything began in black Africa.

UNE HISTOIRE DES MATHEMATIQUES CHINOISES

1. The Lebombo Bone or the birth of mathematics

In the 70’s, a very peculiar baboon’s fibula was discovered in the Lebombo mountains located between South Africa and Swaziland. The datings revealed that this object dates back to 35 000 to 37 000 BC. It is the famous “Lebombo Bone” on which 29 notches were intentionally carved by man which show narrow similarities with the sticks still used today by the Bushmen in Namibia as calendars.

REGION DE LEBOMBO

This bone bears witness to the existence of a very sophisticated accounting system which enabled man to master time (lunar phases, etc.). It is the first visible hint of the emergence of calculation in human history as Richard Mankeiwicz [1], an Anglo-Saxon researcher, testifies to: “ The oldest testimonial of numerical calculus was unearthed in Swaziland in southern Africa. It dates back to nearly 35 000 BC and consists of a baboon’s fibula bearing 29 clearly visible notches.”

L’HISTOIRE DES MATHEMATIQUES

2. The Ishango Bone is the confirmation of the African roots of mathematical sciences

Another artefact that reinforces African primacy is the Ishango Bone. It was discovered by a Belgian geologist named Jean de Heinzelin de Braucourt and is exposed today on the 19th floor of the Royal Institute of Natural Sciences of Belgium in the city of Brussels. This discovery made the reputation of the Belgian researcher who previously conducted researches in Europe, the Middle-East and America. But, it is in Africa in 1950, in the midst of the Belgian Congo, that he made the discovery of his life.

JEAN DE HEINZELIN DE BRAUCOURT

On the Ishango site located 15 km from Equator, on one of the river Edward’s banks, he discovered a 10-cm long peculiar bone dating from 20 000 BC which reveals that man already indulged in high-level scientific activities in Africa.

OS ISHANGO

This artefact unofficially figures in the hall of fame of world archaeological discoveries. It brings out the precocity of African genius which guided the first Africanus Homo-sapiens-sapiens to create the Egypto-Nubian civilization in Africa.

What does this bone reveal? The examination of the bone shows that man already mastered arithmetic series at that time. The notches on the sides of the bone are in fact a prime numbers table. It is the first table of this kind in human history. It was believed at first that the notches were used as part of some accounting system, as is usual almost everywhere in the world. But a close examination of the notches enabled the mystery to be cleared. Let us take a closer look:

 Row 1 shows an accurate count system: 20 + 1

20 - 1

10 + 1

10 - 1

 Row 2 enumerates the prime numbers comprised between 10 and 20: 19

17

13

11

 Row 3 bears witness to the existence of a multiplication table of 2:

3 (x2) = 6

4 (x2) = 8

5 (x2) = 10

DETAIL DE L’OS ISHANGO

Recent studies carried out through the microscope have again revealed that the bone was also used to count lunar phases. Scientists ponder whether it would not then be a technique used by women to control their lunar cycle; which would mean that women already indulged in mathematics since that time. Since this bone has become the symbol of scientific research in Brussels, it has literally injected enthusiasm into Belgian scientists’ ambitions.

Thus, there exists today:
 An Ishango scheme aiming at generalizing the acquisition of sciences;

 An Ishango Scientific Prize intended to young students in sciences and young scientific researchers;

 An Ishango cartoon;

 An Ishango journal;

 An Ishango exhibition.

Recently, the Cameroonese astrophysicist, J.P. Mbelek, succeeded in breaking through the mystery of the calculation logic of this Ishango Bone. An effort to promote these discoveries in the black world through the media remains to be undertaken, mainly in schools, in order to stimulate the love of maths among the youths.