MATHEMATICS AND MEASUREMENT

Most of us are familiar with Roman numerals, as they are still in occasional use today, but how did the ancient Egyptians, Sumerians, Babylonians and Greeks write numbers? How did they measure distance, capacity and weight, and how did they early architects and engineers make the necessary calculations fro building their great pyramids, temples, aqueducts and roads" In this fully illustrated book, Professor Dilke outlines the ancient systems of mathematics and measurement and describes how they were used in mapping, surveying, telling the time, trade and commerce, as well as in leisure pursuits such as games and puzzles and in the occult. A final chapter sketches subsequent developments in the West, including the introduction of arabic numerals, and shows how the mathematical legacy of the Graeco-Roman world influenced science and technology in the Renaissance and beyond. (From the Back Cover)