Researched
Tally Marks & Counting
Notches on bones record numbers: the oldest known step from counting in the head to counting in objects.
Open in the interactive tree →The Lebombo bone from Southern Africa (42,000 to 43,000 years old, 29 notches) and the Ishango bone from Central Africa (about 20,000 years old) are read as tally sticks, though their purpose is debated. Tallies and later clay tokens led to numerals and writing.
Prerequisites
- Spoken Languageat least ~135,000 years ago?
Unlocks
- Writing~3200 BCWriting began as bookkeeping of counted goods, a step beyond tallies
- Number Systems & Place Value~3000-2000 BCTallies and tokens preceded written numerals and place value
Not fully verified: Whether the notched bones are tallies or calendars, and what they counted, is debated.