Description
In this examination of the Babylonian cuneiform “algebra” texts, in accordance with a detailed investigation of the terminology and discursive organization of the texts, Jens Høyrup proposes that the traditional interpretation will have to be rejected. The texts prove to talk not of pure numbers, but of the dimensions and areas of rectangles and other measurable geometrical magnitudes, frequently serving as representatives of other magnitudes (prices, workdays, and the like…), much as pure numbers represent concrete magnitudes in up to date applied algebra. Additionally, the geometrical procedures are seen to be reasoned to the similar extent as the solutions of up to date equation algebra, even though not built on any explicit deductive structure.