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  • From: Peter Kirk <peter.r.kirk AT ntlworld.com>
  • To: 'Hebrew' <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Aramaic numeric signs
  • Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2003 11:35:06 -0700

Trevor & Julie Peterson wrote:

I checked into this a little while ago. I didn't find anything in-depth.
The World's Writing Systems has a chapter on numerals, and there was a
book referenced in that chapter that I can't remember offhand. It's
basically a history of numbers and has some material on the numeral
system in Aramaic. (I had to wander over to the engineering library to
find it.) If I remember right, it's actually borrowed from Egyptian, so
you might try looking for something on that.

Trevor Peterson
CUA/Semitics


The Egyptian numbering system, as used with hieroglyphs, seems to be remarkably simple at least in comparison with the writing system. They used an inverted U for ten and a simple stroke or I for one, and repeated them as often as was needed put together in blocks. Thus in an example I have 28 is written as two blocks each with an inverted U at the top and under each arm of the inverted U two I's one above the other, thus a total of eight I's. I don't know how they dealt with hundreds and above as the examples are mostly of regnal years.

--
Peter Kirk
peter.r.kirk AT ntlworld.com
http://web.onetel.net.uk/~peterkirk/






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