Editing Expression (mathematics) (section)

=== Early written mathematics ===
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| footer            = The [[Ishango bone]] at the [[Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences|RBINS]]. A [[Babylonian tablet]] approximating the [[square root of 2]]. Problem 14 from the [[Moscow Mathematical Papyrus]].
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The earliest written mathematics likely began with [[tally marks]], where each mark represented one unit, carved into wood or stone. An example of early [[counting]] is the [[Ishango bone]], found near the [[Nile]] and dating back over [[Upper Paleolithic|20,000 years ago]], which is thought to show a six-month [[lunar calendar]].<ref name="Marshack2">Marshack, Alexander (1991). ''The Roots of Civilization'', Colonial Hill, Mount Kisco, NY.</ref> [[Ancient Egyptian mathematics|Ancient Egypt]] developed a symbolic system using [[hieroglyphics]], assigning symbols for powers of ten and using addition and subtraction symbols resembling legs in motion.<ref>Encyclopædia Americana. By Thomas Gamaliel Bradford. Pg [https://books.google.com/books?id=hrRPAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA314 314]</ref><ref>Mathematical Excursion, Enhanced Edition: Enhanced Webassign Edition By Richard N. Aufmann, Joanne Lockwood, Richard D. Nation, Daniel K. Cleg. Pg [https://books.google.com/books?id=GTgTnSGMukgC&pg=PA186 186]</ref> This system, recorded in texts like the [[Rhind Mathematical Papyrus]] (c. 2000–1800 BC), influenced other [[History of the Mediterranean region|Mediterranean cultures]]. In [[Mesopotamia]], a similar system evolved, with numbers written in a base-60 ([[sexagesimal]]) format on [[clay tablets]] written in [[Cuneiform]], a technique originating with the [[Sumerians]] around 3000 BC. This base-60 system persists today in measuring time and [[angle]]s.