Oxford University Unveils 2 Letters on Ancient Egyptian Mathematics

The Pyramid of Khufu, the largest of the pyramids of Giza. (Reuters)

Cairo: Hazem Badr

08:07-5 September 2020 AD ـ 19 Muharram 1442 AH

Cairo: Hazem Badr

08:07-5 September 2020 AD ـ 19 Muharram 1442 AH

Oxford University Unveils 2 Letters on Ancient Egyptian Mathematics

The Pyramid of Khufu, the largest of the pyramids of Giza. (Reuters)

Two researchers at Oxford University unveiled a scientific document on mathematics in Ancient Egypt.

The document features two letters exchanged between Thomas Eric Peet (1882–1934), who was professor of Egyptology at the University of Liverpool and then a professor of Egyptology at Oxford, and Otto Neugebauer (1899–1990), one of the most prominent mathematics historians in the 20th century.

The letters were found at Peet's house, and then gifted to the Queen's College at Oxford. A recent study published in the latest issue of the Historia Mathematica journal, showcased the letters which shed light on the early 20th century study of ancient Egyptian math and issues of historical approaches to the ancient world.

The study was led by historian of mathematics Dr. Christopher Hollings and Egyptology Professor Richard Bruce Parkinson, who worked together on evaluating the discussions between Peet and Neugebauer, and a study prepared by Peet on a Rhind Mathematical Papyrus dating from 1537 BCE, now held in the British Museum.

In his study, Peet said the papyrus consists of over 80 arithmetical and geometrical problems and solutions, ranging from the distribution of rations among workers, to the calculation of areas and volumes. As such, it is one of the most complete surviving sources providing an insight into the mathematics used in ancient Egypt.

Peet's edition reignited academic interest in Egyptian mathematics. One of the people whom his work inspired was Neugebauer, who subsequently wrote a doctoral dissertation on the principles of Egyptian fraction reckoning (as reflected in the Rhind Papyrus).

According to Hollings and Parkinson, the letters between the pair shed light on the way in which ancient Egyptian mathematics was being re-evaluated in the 1920s.

They explained that the letters reveal a contrast between the attitudes of two scholars who approached the subject with different viewpoints. Both were competent mathematicians and Egyptologists, and yet one of them, Neugebauer, put the mathematics first, and linked the modern ideas on mathematics to the direct evidence of papyri.

As per Peet, he brought Egyptological considerations to the fore, and confined his analysis largely to what was clearly and unequivocally present in the ancient text.

Brigitte Bardot Widower Slams Sale of Star's Belongings

This photograph shows details of a preview exhibition of personal belongings once owned by late French actress Brigitte Bardot at Maison Drouot in Paris on September 15, 2026, ahead of an auction of her memorabilia and clothing. (Photo by Charlotte SIEMON / AFP)

Paris: Asharq Al Awsat

07:14-20 September 2026 AD ـ 09 Rabi’ Al-Thani 1448 AH

Paris: Asharq Al Awsat

07:14-20 September 2026 AD ـ 09 Rabi’ Al-Thani 1448 AH

Brigitte Bardot Widower Slams Sale of Star's Belongings

The widower of French screen icon Brigitte Bardot on Saturday slammed as a "joke" the planned auction of hundreds of the late star's personal belongings organized by her animal welfare foundation.

The sale, featuring more than 300 items ranging from portraits and toiletries to a flamenco guitar and a black tutu, is due to take place Monday at Paris auction house Drouot.

"These are personal items. Why hold this sale? For the animals? It's a joke," Bernard d'Ormale told AFP, adding it amounted to a "disrespect to Brigitte's memory".

"All of this could have been kept for the day when people are able to visit La Madrague," he added, referring to Bardot's famed home in Saint-Tropez.

He said around three-quarters of the items came from Bardot's Paris apartment, with the remainder from La Madrague.

Her belongings should have been preserved as part of her legacy rather than sold to raise funds for the foundation she created, d'Ormale argued, adding that Bardot "would not have agreed to this sale".

The Brigitte Bardot Foundation rejected the criticism, saying the auction was approved by the board in June, including Bardot's widower, who was then its president.

However, d'Ormale said he had not understood the auction would involve such personal items.

The dispute comes days after he was removed as head of the foundation, a role he had held since the star's death in December.

The 85-year-old, who remains on the foundation's board, also complained he no longer has free access to La Madrague.

"I've lived there for 35 years and now they're throwing me out. It's quite something," d'Ormale said.

Founded by the actor in 1986, the Brigitte Bardot Foundation says it has taken in 13,000 animals through four shelters and 150 partner facilities, supports 350 groups in France and operates in 70 countries.

Varieties

Meet Earth’s Newest Wild Cat Species, the First Named in Over a Century

A Leopardus tilcayo cat, a newly identified species through research led by National Geographic Explorer Paola Nogales Ascarrunz, walks at the Senda Verde animal refuge in the Yungas region, Bolivia, September 1, 2026. (Fernando Faciole/National Geographic/Handout via Reuters)

00:54-20 September 2026 AD ـ 09 Rabi’ Al-Thani 1448 AH

Meet Earth’s Newest Wild Cat Species, the First Named in Over a Century

A previously unknown cat species has been identified in plain sight: at a wildlife sanctuary in Bolivia, where the small, spotted feline had been living for years.

The discovery, reported Thursday in the journal Current Biology, marks the first time scientists have named and described a new living wild cat species in more than a century.

Bolivian biologist Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz, a National Geographic explorer and one of the study’s lead authors, said a colleague who thought the cat looked unusual invited her to examine it at the sanctuary in the country’s Yungas region, where she volunteered, a couple hours' drive from the administrative capital of La Paz.

A local family had left it there after finding it in the forest and struggling to keep it as a pet. What struck her was its size, she said — smaller than an average house cat, the male, now about 10 years old, measures 18 inches (46 centimeters) from its head to the base of its tail and weighs just 3 pounds (1.4 kilograms). Its light brown coat is patterned with dark, leopardlike spots.

“Knowing other wild cats, it was peculiar,” she said. “He really is tiny.”

To locate the cat in South America’s feline family tree, researchers compared genomes — complete sets of genetic instructions — from over 30 cats across locations including Colombia, Peru and Brazil. Bones and skins preserved in US and European museums supplied DNA to fill the gaps where fresh samples were unavailable.

The analysis revealed that the sanctuary cat belonged to a previously unrecognized species whose lineage split from its relatives about 1.4 million years ago. The last feline species formally identified was the Uruguayan pampas cat in 1923.

“During naturalist expeditions in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, this cat was never collected and the species was never properly described,” Nogales-Ascarrunz said.

While some species are named after scientists or explorers, the researchers named this one Leopardus tilcayo, preserving the moniker used by communities in the tropical cloud forests of the Andes Mountains in Bolivia where the animal lives.

“This isn’t an animal that nobody had ever seen before. Local communities knew it existed, but until now science had not recognized it as a separate species,” said Wai-Ming Wong, an expert with the global wild cat conservation group Panthera, in an email. Wong had no role in the new research.

The findings helped unravel a longstanding mystery about South America’s tiger cats, which scientists once classified as a single species because they look so much alike. The researchers' DNA analysis pointed to at least five distinct species — four previously named, plus the newly described tilcayo.

“Even in groups that are very well studied, like the cat family, apparently there’s still a diversity that is hidden,” said evolutionary biologist and study co-author Jonas Lescroart with the University of Antwerp.

The next challenge is finding out more about these tiny cats in the wild.

“We still don’t know how many there are,” Nogales-Ascarrunz said, adding that researchers still need to establish details about the new tiger cat's diet, behavior and habitat. Its presence has been confirmed only in Bolivia’s Yungas forests, but its full range remains unknown.

Scientists hope the designation of the new species will help protect its forest habitat, which faces threats from accelerating deforestation and gold mining.

“We should make haste in doing these kinds of discoveries, because all of this biodiversity is under pressure, and it’s disappearing as we speak,” Lescroart said.

Varieties

Horse Race Returns to Palestinian Village After Wartime Halt

A Palestinian jockey rides during a local horse race in al-Majd, west of the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Hebron on September 18, 2026. (AFP)

00:26-20 September 2026 AD ـ 09 Rabi’ Al-Thani 1448 AH

Horse Race Returns to Palestinian Village After Wartime Halt

A Palestinian jockey rides during a local horse race in al-Majd, west of the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Hebron on September 18, 2026. (AFP)

The thunder of hooves and clouds of dust returned to the hills west of Hebron as Palestinians raced Arabian horses through the village of Al-Majd to the cheers of residents.

The annual race in the Israeli-occupied West Bank had been suspended for the past two years in the wake of the Gaza war, but the tradition returned this week, despite ongoing tension.

"Our ambitions are constrained by a lack of financial and logistical resources needed to support the riders, so we simply try to provide whatever we can," said event coordinator Ismael Abu Awad.

After the starting gun was fired, the riders set off along the winding dirt track cutting through the rocky landscape, while spectators cheered the course and on rooftops.

The competition culminated in jubilant celebrations, with supporters surrounding the winning jockey and lifting trophies above the crowd.

Arabian horses occupy a special place in Palestinian culture, and horse races and equestrian beauty championships are held across the West Bank, drawing competitors from different towns and villages.

Open land has become becomes increasingly scarce amid expanding Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank, occupied since 1967.

But horse culture still draws Palestinians together, from urban neighborhoods to rural villages.

For the local community, Friday's race was more than just about sports. It was aimed at "preserving a form of Arab heritage that our ancestors cherished and that we continue to uphold today," Abu Awad told AFP.

The event also provided an opportunity for local jockeys who cannot easily participate in international races to showcase their skills, the organizer said.

"Some horses and riders face difficulties travelling to Jordan or abroad," he said.

Despite the challenges, participants spoke of dreams that stretch beyond the local track.

"My ambition is to travel to Italy to ride horses," said racer Mohammed Al-Ajlouni. "We ride here now, but for the future, that is what I hope for."

Oxford University Unveils 2 Letters on Ancient Egyptian Mathematics

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