Historiographic Reconsideration of Ancient Egyptian Mathematics

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K01119
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Sociology/History of science and technology
• Research Institution: Kobe University
• Principal Investigator: MIURA NOBUO 神戸大学, 国際文化学研究科, 名誉教授 (20219588)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 数学史 / エジプト

Outline of Final Research Achievements

As for as the ancient Egyptian mathematics, only the Rhind Papyrus has been treated and described in the history of mathematics. In this study, we examine mathematical texts such as Moscow Papyrus and Cairo Papyrus, as well as related materials to mathematics. And we compare Egyptian mathematics with Greek and subsequent Arabic mathematics, in the points of mathematical methods and social and cultural contexts. We present new divisions of the contents and ages of contemporary mathematics. We also investigate the acceptance of the ancient Egyptian mathematics in the West, reconsider the Egyptian mathematics as a whole, and place it in the history of mathematical culture.

Free Research Field

科学史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

従来古代エジプト数学はリンドパピルスの数学問題で代表させることが多かった．たしかにそれは最古のほぼ完全な数学テクストであるが，古代エジプト3000年を1点の作品で記述するのは適切ではない．他にも時代が下るとカイロパピルスが存在し，また数学テクストではないが，数学的記述が見られる少なからずのテクストが存在する．それらを解読し総合的に判断することによって，従来のエジプト数学の記述の変更を目指す．またエジプト科学文化が後の中世・近代西洋にどのような影響を与えたかを探求することで，エジプト文明を世界規模で歴史的に見直すことができる．