Quantification and Computation in the Mathematical Texts of Old Babylonian Diyala

Abstract

This chapter studies metrological and computational practices in Old Babylonian mathematical tabletsMathematical text [mathematical tablet, mathematical manuscript, mathematical classic, mathematical work, mathematical source] from the region of the DiyalaDiyala river, where the kingdom of EšnunnaEšnunna (kingdom of) flourished. My first goal is to provide a description of the measurement unitsUnit of Measurement [measurement unit] used in the mathematical corpus of texts from this region and period, by making explicit which units were used and by offering a classification of the ways the scribes employed them. I argue the documentation allows us to say that there was scribal education activities taking place in the DiyalaDiyala region that encompassed all aspects of the metrological knowledge put into use in mathematical tabletsMathematical text [mathematical tablet, mathematical manuscript, mathematical classic, mathematical work, mathematical source] throughout the Old Babylonian period, even though not all types of school metrological texts are attested and even though we might not be able to reconstitute the curriculum in detail. Furthermore, by comparing metrological and computational practices of the DiyalaDiyala region with corresponding practices from the South of Mesopotamia, especially from NippurNippur, I point out what may be a distinct usage of measurement valuesMeasurement value in the Diyala.