Introduction

The activity of analyzing data is as old as human culture. The earliest known form of writing is not an epic poem or religious text, but data. The Ishango bone is an engraved fibula of a baboon which was carved in central Africa 20,000 years ago. Some scholars hypothesized that the carvings represent an early number system, as it lists several prime numbers, while others believe it to be a calendar. Some researchers dismiss these ideas and believe the markings merely improve grip when using the bone as a club. Whatever their purpose, the groupings of the markings are distinctly mathematical, as shown in the Figure 1.1 (Pletser, V. (2012). Does the Ishango Bone Indicate Knowledge of the Base 12? An Interpretation of a Prehistoric Discovery, the First Mathematical Tool of Humankind. Eprint—https://arxiv.org/abs/1204.1019)

The following image shows the markings on the Ishango Bone:

Figure 1.1: Markings on the Ishango Bone

Ancient cultures...