Oxford University Unveils 2 Letters on Ancient Egyptian Mathematics

The Pyramid of Khufu, the largest of the pyramids of Giza. (Reuters)
The Pyramid of Khufu, the largest of the pyramids of Giza. (Reuters)
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Oxford University Unveils 2 Letters on Ancient Egyptian Mathematics

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



Syria Seeks EU Help to Battle Massive Wildfires

FILE : A fire burns at a forest in Latakia province, Syria in this handout released by SANA on October 9, 2020. SANA/Handout via REUTERS
FILE : A fire burns at a forest in Latakia province, Syria in this handout released by SANA on October 9, 2020. SANA/Handout via REUTERS
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Syria Seeks EU Help to Battle Massive Wildfires

FILE : A fire burns at a forest in Latakia province, Syria in this handout released by SANA on October 9, 2020. SANA/Handout via REUTERS
FILE : A fire burns at a forest in Latakia province, Syria in this handout released by SANA on October 9, 2020. SANA/Handout via REUTERS

Syria’s minister of emergencies and disaster management on Tuesday requested support from the European Union to battle wildfires that have swept through a vast stretch of forested land.

The fires have been burning for six days, with Syrian emergency crews struggling to bring them under control amid strong winds and severe drought.

Neighboring countries Jordan, Lebanon and Türkiye have already dispatched firefighting teams to assist in the response.

“We asked the European Union for help in extinguishing the fires,” minister Raed al-Saleh said on X, adding Cyprus was expected to send aid on Tuesday, AFP reported.

“Fear of the fires spreading due to strong winds last night prompted us to evacuate 25 families to ensure their safety without any human casualties,” he added.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) office in Syria, the fires impacted “some 5,000 persons, including displacements, across 60 communities.”

An estimated 100 square kilometers (40 square miles) of forest and farmland -- more than three percent of Syria’s forest cover -- have burned, OCHA told AFP.

At least seven towns in Latakia province have been evacuated as a precaution.

Efforts to extinguish the fires have been hindered by “rugged terrain, the absence of firebreaks, strong winds, and the presence of mines and unexploded ordnance”, Saleh said.

With man-made climate change increasing the likelihood and intensity of droughts and wildfires worldwide, Syria has also been battered by heatwaves and low rainfall.

In June, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization said Syria had “not seen such bad climate conditions in 60 years.”