Number and Numeracy in Early Greek Literature

Abstract

The issue of Greek numeracy before c. 550 BC has been neglected, though an understanding of it is necessary to appreciate the intellectual history of Greece in the archaic period. After the Bronze Age, Greeks developed their numerical sophistication in a largely native context, and research in linguistics, anthropology, and cognitive studies suggests how this process may have taken place. The evidence of epic and “lyric” demonstrates that prior to the sixth century, Greek facility and mastery of number and its operations was severely restricted; Greek numeracy remained limited until the middle of the sixth century.