Page "Arithmetic" Paragraph 3

The earliest written records indicate the Egyptians and Babylonians used all the elementary arithmetic operations as early as 2000 BC.

These artifacts do not always reveal the specific process used for solving problems, but the characteristics of the particular numeral system strongly influence the complexity of the methods.

The hieroglyphic system for Egyptian numerals, like the later Roman numerals, descended from tally marks used for counting.

In both cases, this origin resulted in values that used a decimal base but did not include positional notation.

Complex calculations with Roman numerals required the assistance of a counting board or the Roman abacus to obtain the results.