Does the Ishango Bone Indicate Knowledge of the Base 12? An Interpretation of a Prehistoric Discovery, the First Mathematical Tool of Humankind

TL;DR

This paper proposes that the Ishango bone, a prehistoric artifact, functioned as a primitive mathematical tool utilizing base 12 and sub-bases 3 and 4, based on a new interpretation of its notched patterns.

Contribution

It introduces a novel 'slide rule'-based interpretation of the notches, suggesting the Ishango bone was an early mathematical tool using base 12, differing from previous calendar or arithmetic explanations.

Findings

Evidence supports the base 12 and sub-bases 3 and 4 hypothesis.

The 'slide rule' interpretation offers a new understanding of the notches.

Supports the idea of early mathematical cognition in prehistoric humans.

Abstract

In the early fifties, the Belgian Prof. J. de Heinzelin discovered a bone in the region of a fishermen village called Ishango, at one of the farthest sources of the Nile, on the border of Congo and Uganda. The Heinzelin's Ishango bone has notches that seem to form patterns, making it the first tool on which some logic reasoning seems to have been done. In this paper a new interpretation is proposed for these patterned notches, based on a detailed observation of their structure. It can be called the "slide rule"-reading, in contrast to former "arithmetic game" and "calendar" explanations. Additional circumstantial evidences are given to support the hypothesis that the Ishango bone is a primitive mathematical tool using the base 12 and sub-bases 3 and 4.