Aegean numerals facts for kids
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Have you ever wondered how people counted long, long ago? The Aegean numbers were a special way of writing numbers. They were used by ancient civilizations like the Minoans and Mycenaeans. These groups lived around the Aegean Sea a very long time ago.
These numbers worked by adding up symbols. Each symbol had a specific value. You can find examples of Aegean numbers in old writings. These writings are called Linear A and Linear B scripts. Some signs might have even been used later in the Cypro-Minoan script. For example, a sign for "100" was found on a clay tablet in a place called Enkomi.
Understanding Aegean Numbers
The Aegean number system was quite simple. It used different symbols for different values. For example, there was a symbol for 1, another for 10, one for 100, and so on. To make a number, you would just add these symbols together. This is why it's called an additive system. It's a bit like how Roman numerals work, where you add I (1), V (5), X (10) to get numbers.
Look at the table below to see what these ancient symbols looked like. You'll see symbols for single digits, tens, hundreds, thousands, and even tens of thousands!
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 𐄇 | 𐄈 | 𐄉 | 𐄊 | 𐄋 | 𐄌 | 𐄍 | 𐄎 | 𐄏 |
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| 10 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 60 | 70 | 80 | 90 |
| 𐄐 | 𐄑 | 𐄒 | 𐄓 | 𐄔 | 𐄕 | 𐄖 | 𐄗 | 𐄘 |
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| 100 | 200 | 300 | 400 | 500 | 600 | 700 | 800 | 900 |
| 𐄙 | 𐄚 | 𐄛 | 𐄜 | 𐄝 | 𐄞 | 𐄟 | 𐄠 | 𐄡 |
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| 1,000 | 2,000 | 3,000 | 4,000 | 5,000 | 6,000 | 7,000 | 8,000 | 9,000 |
| 𐄢 | 𐄣 | 𐄤 | 𐄥 | 𐄦 | 𐄧 | 𐄨 | 𐄩 | 𐄪 |
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| 10,000 | 20,000 | 30,000 | 40,000 | 50,000 | 60,000 | 70,000 | 80,000 | 90,000 |
| 𐄫 | 𐄬 | 𐄭 | 𐄮 | 𐄯 | 𐄰 | 𐄱 | 𐄲 | 𐄳 |
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Who Used These Numbers?
The Minoans lived on the island of Crete. They were a powerful trading civilization. The Mycenaeans lived on mainland Greece. Both civilizations used these numbers for important tasks. They likely used them to keep track of goods. This included things like food, animals, and other resources. These numbers helped them manage their economies.
Where Can We Find Them?
We know about Aegean numbers from ancient clay tablets. These tablets have writings called Linear A and Linear B. Linear A was used by the Minoans. Linear B was used by the Mycenaeans. These scripts helped us understand how they counted. They show us how important numbers were in their daily lives.
See also
