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Some remarks on number concept development in the Near East and Europe
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 May 2016
Abstract
In this article I outline the analogies and the differences in number concept development in prehistoric Europe and in the Near East. Research on Near Eastern recording systems is far more advanced, and it provides us with a good theoretical approach. There are, however, more and more finds in Europe that deserve our attention when looking toward a theory of early number concepts, concepts of measure and mathematics. For archaeologists, there is an obvious requirement that such a theory has to be constructed on a material basis. Therefore in the second part of the text I describe some key finds from Europe that in my opinion allow us, on the one hand, to reference current theoretical approaches and, on the other, to connect theoretical considerations and their material basis.
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