Mathematical "Textbook"

1800 BC - 1600 BC
Clay
Original Site Unknown
7.5 cm x 7.0 cm x 1.6 cm
A24194

Oriental Institute Museum

Artifact Description

Mathematical "Textbook"

The ancient Mesopotamians used simple algebraic procedures to solve practical problems, such as calculating the area of a field or the volume of a vessel. Much of what is known today about Mesopotamian mathematics comes from the tablets that teachers used to instruct their students. This particular tablet (written in Sumerian) served as a mathematical "textbook" containing 247 problems. For each problem, the area of a field is given and the student must determine its length and width.

Multimedia

Life in Ancient Mesopotamia
What was life like in ancient Mesopotamia? Find out in this video featuring Oriental Institute Assyriologist Dr. Martha Roth.

An Early Clay Tablet
See how this early clay tablet used pictures to communicate.

Suggested Readings

Hodges, Henry. Technology in the Ancient World. New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 1992.

Moss, Carol. Science in Ancient Mesopotamia. New York: Franklin Watts, 1989.

Walker, C.B.F. Cuneiform: Reading the Past. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1987.

View related artifacts