Ancient Maya
The lost civilization
By Georgia
The Mayans used a base of twenty and a base of five in their mathematical calculations. They could understand large sums and figures as well as take down important calculations.
It is believed that the Ancient Mayans were one of the first civilizations around the world to develop the concept of the number zero. They achieved this by 36 BC.
Inscriptions on walls and objects show the ancient Mayans working with numbers and sums in the hundered millions and dates so large it would take several lines just to represent it.
Maya numbers are a vigesimal (base number of twenty) numeral system originally developed by the Pre-Columbia Maya civilization. The numbers are made up of three symbols: zero ( Shell shape), one (a dot) and five (a bar or line). The use of zero is especially important as it plays an important role in the Mayan Long Count Calendar.
Mathematics
