What are the ancient counting methods?

1. Count fingers: use ten fingers of both hands. Aristotle pointed out the widespread adoption of the decimal system,

It's just that most of us are born with 10 fingers.

2. Counting stones: Small stones are placed on the ground, but it is difficult to keep a good pile of stones for a long time.

3. Tie a knot on the rope to count: Tie a knot on the rope to indicate the number of things. For example, if you hunted five sheep today, would you

It is represented by tying five knots on the rope; If we meet again in three days, we will tie three knots on the rope and untie one knot a day. Wait a minute.

In ancient times (BC 1500 years ago), the Incas in Peru tied a knot on a rope to record the harvest.

The Book of Changes, an ancient literature in China, has a saying that "tying the knot for politics since ancient times". "Knot rule" refers to counting or recording knots.

This method of knotting and counting is used not only in ancient times, but also in some ethnic groups. Song people said in a book: "Tatar has nothing to say. Every time he sends his troops, he makes a promise, which makes people convey and yearn for sparks." This is to transfer the army horse with knot grass and convey the number of people to be transferred.

Others, such as Tibetans and Yi people, have written characters, but this method has been used for a long time among illiterate people. Minzu University of China collects a pair of knots of Gaoshan people, which are composed of two ropes: each rope has two knots, and then the two ropes are tied together.

4. notation: 1937 A wolf cub was found in Vestanis (Moravia) 400,000 years ago.

Limb bone, 7 inches long, with 55 deep notches on it. This is the earliest data found to count by Nick method. Today, in some parts of Europe, Asia and Africa, there are still some shepherds who count their livestock with sticks.